Monday, July 31, 2017
Seek God and Be Content
Verse
of the day: Proverbs 15:16-17 Better is a
little with the fear of the Lord, than great
treasure with trouble. Better is a
dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.
The one thing that I have noted
over my years as a born again Christian is the lack of contentment that exists
in the life of many of my brothers and sisters in Christ. A closer look usually
reveals that one of the root causes of much of that lack of peace, joy, and
happiness, in the life of a believer is that they are too focused on worldly
gain. Too many Christians desire to live “the good life” to their own hurt.
King Solomon, in verse 6 of this Proverb, tells us that in the house of the righteous
there is much treasure. When we compare that to these verses, the contrast
shows us that whether God chooses for us to have much or little, we have the
ability to have contentment. The bottom line is that the overshadowing
principle here is that whether we have riches or not, the most important thing
we can possess is righteousness, the fear of God, and love (His love for us,
and our love for Him and others). 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in
their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Matthew 6:24 reminds us that, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Although God can
choose to make us wealthy, our primary focus needs to be our relationship with
the Lord. Matthew 6:25-33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness, and all our needs will be met. As God’s children we must live a
content, and balanced, life. God provides us our health so that we can go out
and work, to earn a living, in order for us to provide for our needs, and our
families’ needs. However, we must always keep the things of God as a priority
in our lives over gaining that which the world offers, that will allegedly bring
us “happiness”. Sadly, and quite often, our quiet time with God, our prayer
life, our study of God’s Word, and our service to Him, end up taking a backseat
to working overtime, and time invested in schemes and businesses that consume our
time with both Him and family; all for the sake of gaining more earthly riches,
or status in society. Eventually what happens is that God becomes our “lucky
rabbit’s foot” that we take out of or pocket and rub every time something goes
wrong in our personal or business life. Even as Christians, if we become
friends of the world, we make ourselves enemies of God (Jm 4:4-5). Of what good
is it if we have all that the world has to offer, if there is nothing but
turmoil in our lives, and not have peace or joy? Of what benefit is there to
have all the riches in the world, but not have our health? How important will
we feel, even if we are well known in society, but we have a dear loved one who
is near death because of an illness or disease? Of what good will all of the
world’s offerings be to us when we are about to leave this earth and meet our
God? Why do we strive for that which we will not even be able to take with us?
1 Timothy 6:7 tell us, For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we
can carry nothing out. The bottom line is that any one of us, who knows
the Lord, and has eternal life, can live a life of contentment if we learn to
be content with what God chooses to give us (just like the Apostle Paul stated
in Philippians 4:11-13); and if we make it a priority in life to seek
righteousness, fear God, and love both God and others. If we do this, we will
be more concerned with being good stewards and not being wasteful with what God
blesses us with regardless of how much or how little it is. Let us learn to be
thankful for our blessings, rather than focus our attention of the blessings we
think we should have or deserve; because God has already blessed us beyond what
we deserve, even if all we possess in this lifetime is eternal life with
Christ. Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, to not be covetous, but be content with such
things as we have, knowing that we have Christ.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Faith Cures the Troubled Heart
Verse of the day: John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in
God, believe also in Me.
Jesus, after telling the disciples of His coming
death, and informing Peter of his denial of Him, now comforts them. He begins
by telling them not to be anxious or distressed. These are words that many of
us can still use today, as many of us experience the anxiety and stress of
dealing with the world, its ways, and life in general. Regardless of what the
source of our stress and anxiety might be, the peace and comfort that Jesus
offers is always the answer. However, we can only enjoy that peace and comfort
if we have faith. Jesus was leaving, but He was reminding them that He was not
going away forever. He was going to prepare a place for them (and us), and
coming back for all us. For each of us, the born again believer, our ultimate
comfort is knowing that we have a God, a Savior, who has not forsaken us, and
has promised to be with us and never leave us, no matter how difficult life may
get. Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself
has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The
Lord is my
helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
When we come face to face with our anxieties, the only One, above everyone
else, who can relate to the stresses and troubles of this life, is Jesus.
Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us, For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with
our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need. Hebrews 2:18 reads, For in that He Himself has suffered, being
tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Regardless of what the
source(s) of our stresses or anxieties are, Jesus can relate to each and every
one of them. He knew what it was to suffer the loss of a family member, when He
received news of His cousin’s, John the Baptist’s, death (Mt 14:1-12). He knew
the pain and sorrow of being rejected by His own people, and that of being
betrayed by one who walked with Him for three years (Mt 23:37-39; 26:47-49). He
even wept before resurrecting Lazarus, at the sight of the hopelessness of
those present (Jn 11:33-35). In the times of our deepest sorrows, stresses, and
anxieties, it is Jesus that will comfort our hearts. The greatest comfort we
have as God’s children is that no matter how much we suffer here, and what we
suffer, it is of no comparison to what we have to look forward to, and our time
here is like a vapor in comparison to the length of time we will be in His
presence when this is all over. 1 Peter 1:6 remind us, In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by
various trials; and 1 Peter 5:10 tells us, But may the God of all grace,
who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a
while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. Romans 8:18 clearly
tells us, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The
bottom line is that our faith and trust in the Lord is what will help us
through those times when our heart is troubled. Although we may not see His
physical presence, He is with us. Jesus promised the disciples in verse 16 of
this chapter that the Father would send the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) to be
with them after His departure. This is the same Holy Spirit that sealed us (2
Cor 1:22) and indwells us (1 Cor 6:19), and will never abandon us in our times
of need; whether that need be spiritual, physical, or emotional.
God not only
gave us His Son, but He also promised to never leave us. Today, He extends an
invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you
accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their
sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him
and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Missed Blessings
Verse of the day: Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into
the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me
now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If
I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
Giving is such a tough subject to speak about.
Sadly, it is the one subject that should be the easiest to teach about amongst
Christians. Unfortunately, there have been so many false teachers, and people
who have taken advantage of God’s people in the area of giving that many
Christians have become very defensive when someone begins to teach or preach
about giving to God. The bottom line is that giving is a great test of how much
we truly trust the Lord. It is a test of our faith. Some would argue that the
verses about giving in the Old Testament do not apply to us in the New
Testament; yet, those same people will pull other principles and apply them to
the New Testament believer. These same “teachers” will even take promises made
specifically to Israel, and apply it to the church. The fact of the matter is
that the Bible tells us that ALL Scripture has been given to us by inspiration
of God, and ALL Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and
instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). If this is true, then why would we
exclude principle about giving? We can never out-give God. We will never give
to God, or others (by God’s leading), without receiving blessings in return. Now
please hear me. I did not say that God would bless us monetarily if we give our
money to Him. I said that we would receive blessings. The problem is that we
have too many people out there teaching that if we give our money to God, He
will give us more money in return. Yet, I do not see that anywhere in God’s
Word. What I do read is that if we give freely, He will pour out blessings, and
provide for us beyond what we can ever imagine (Pro 3:9-10). Luke 6:38 tells us
that if we give generously, we will receive generously. However, when God gives,
He gives in a way that serves as the greatest blessing to us. We may give our
last dime to help someone, and God in return may provide a meal, clothing, or
some other need, by using someone else to bring it to us. I have seen this time
and time again in my own life, and the life of others. We may give God of our
time, and talents, and in return we may lead someone to Christ as a result of
that time, and those talents, being invested; which is heavenly reward for us. That
is a great blessing! We must freely give of whatever God asks, and not try to
manipulate or dictate what type of blessings we will receive in return. We must
give in such a way as to not expect anything, as all any of us truly deserve is
condemnation. Praise be to God that He is always better to us than we deserve.
Why do we hold on so tightly to what belongs to God in the first place? Psalm
50:10-11 reminds us that everything is His. The paycheck we earn, we earn
because He gives us health and strength. Therefore, everything we buy, we buy
with His money. Nothing we own belongs to us. He allows us to have it and
expects us to be good stewards of all that He gives us. In return, as born
again believers, He wants us to give back to support his servants and support
the work of the Gospel. However, He wants us to do it cheerfully from the heart.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 reads, But this I say: He who sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. So let each one give as he
purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful
giver. The bottom line is that God does not need our resources. It all
belongs to Him anyway. He desires for us to give freely and cheerfully so that He
can pour blessings into our lives in return. He was angry with Israel for
robbing Him. Why would that be any different today? How can we think that we
are not robbing God by holding back our time, talents, and resources, when they
really belong to Him? Let us give to Him freely and cheerfully, and let Him
decide in what form the blessings will come. I guarantee that we will never be
disappointed.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Why Look Back?
Verse
of the day: Philippians 3:13 Brethren,
I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching
forward to those things which are ahead,
What benefit is there in looking
back at the past? There is none, depending on how long we stay there, and for
what reason we went there to begin with. Looking back is both profitable and unprofitable
in the Christian’s life. It can be motivation to move ahead or it can paralyze
us in our walk with the Lord. The Apostle Paul, who had much that he could
boast about, humanly speaking, as we see from verses 2-6; counted all of his
worldly accomplishments as loss and as rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ, the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering. Although the
Lord had used him greatly, and was continuing to use him, he did not count
himself as having “arrived”. In other words, he recognized that even though he
was not who he used to be, by God’s grace, he had certainly not attained the
state of perfection that we all strive for; and that will not be accomplished
until we are with Jesus forevermore. What enabled the Apostle to continue
moving in the right direction? It was his ability, as is ours, to choose to refuse
to live in his past failures. We know that before he came to know Jesus, he
persecuted the church (Acts 8-9). In Romans 7 he speaks of the battle that took
place in his flesh. The fact of the matter is that we all have a past. For many
of us it is a past that we would prefer to leave there, but the devils, and the
people around us, have a tendency to bring it up, and remind us, at the most
inopportune times. The memories of who we were, the sins we committed,
especially after accepting Jesus as Savior, seem to forever haunt us. The guilt
comes flooding back into our lives and we become paralyzed in our walk with the
Lord. Yet, this is not where the Lord wants us to dwell. This is not His doing
in our lives; for He convicts us when we need it, and He forgives us completely
when we repent and confess our sins to Him (1 Jn 1:8-10). The Apostle, instead
of allowing his past to cripple him in his service to the Lord, focused on what
was to come. He strived for the reward of faithfully serving Christ and finally
reaching the end of the race; the finish line for which was located in Heaven
(v. 14; 1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Tim 4:7-8). The bottom line is that looking back and
dwelling on our past stumbling, failures, and sufferings that we did not handle
in faith, is not what God desires for us. However, He does want us to look back
and see His faithfulness; those times when He was there for us when everyone
else walked away. We must not forget those times when we were hurting and He
was the One who comforted us. We must look back and cherish those moments when
He met our needs, and forgave us for our unfaithfulness to Him. We must never
forget that our unfaithfulness to Him did not affect His faithfulness to us. He
gave us His Son, and gave us eternal life, even though He already knew how many
times we would come to Him asking forgiveness because of our offenses against Him;
yet, He continues to love us. We must look back being thankful, that even
though we have not yet “arrived”, by the grace of God we are not who we used to
be, and He continues to work in us to make us more like our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. We must always keep our eyes looking forward, at Him, and remind
ourselves of what the Apostle wrote in Philippians 1:6, being confident of this very thing, that He who
has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Love: The Greatest Gift (Part 8)
Verse
of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:8 Love
never fails. But whether there are prophecies,
they will fail; whether there are tongues, they
will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
All that we have spoken of in
respect to love is all that we see in our relationship with God and how He is
toward us, even when we fall short, stumble, and sin against Him. He freely
gives us His love, and wants us to do the same in dealing with each other. Yet,
there are too many of us who forget very quickly the manner in which God loves
us when we are faced with loving someone who persecutes us, offends us, and sins
against us. I have seen so many, self included, who have desired to have and put
into practice the supernatural gifts available to us as born again believers,
yet we do not think twice about making the greatest effort in sharing the grace
of love with others; especially those we deem unworthy. We deceive ourselves
into thinking that just because we can teach or preach eloquently, or can quote
Scripture from memory and know many things about the God, His Word, and life, or
because we sacrifice here and there with our time, talents and resources, that
these actions alone somehow prove that we love God. However, when we are unkind,
unforgiving, and lack love for others (especially our brothers and sisters in
Christ), we cannot really make this claim. 1 John 4:20 tells us, If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his
brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,
how can he love God whom he has not seen? Loving God and loving our
brethren go hand in hand. The day of the Lord’s return is drawing nearer and
nearer each day. With His coming, and our departure, there will no longer be a
need for us to use the supernatural gifts God bestows upon us. However, love
will never end. We will continue to love God and each other, and God will
continue to love us. The bottom line is that in comparing the grace of charity,
or love, to the supernatural gifts of prophecy, tongues, or knowledge, we ought
to seek that which is both permanent and eternal; and off all these, it is love
that will transcend time. Let us seek love above all else, because when we seek
love, we seek God, because His Word tells us in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love”.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Love: The Greatest Gift (Part 7)
Verse
of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:7 bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
To bear all things means to cover
with silence or to keep secret. Yesterdays devotional thought reminded us that
we were to avoid gossip, and part of that effort was this idea of being silent
about the downfall of others and not rejoicing in the hardships or stumbling of
others, even if it’s an enemy. In this instance of bearing all things, it means
that we are to suffer long in the avoidance of making known what others do to
us. Yes, gossip is not just about what we hear going on in someone else’s life,
but it also involves being silent about people’s faults when they affect us
directly. To bear all things means to conceal the errors and faults of others.
This is where, once again, 1 Peter 4:8 applies when the Apostle wrote, “And above all things have fervent love for one
another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” We
may be pretty good at keeping silent when the gossip does not affect us
directly; however, it becomes a completely different story when we are the ones
who are sinned against, and offended. This is where we must apply verse 4 where
it tells us that love suffers long. To bear all things means that we endure
without seeking vengeance for the wrong we may suffer. This goes hand in hand
with the latter part of this verse where we are told that love endures all
things, or perseveres under misfortunes and trials, while holding fast to our
faith. It means that as born again Christians, we should display the kind of
love that bravely, and calmly, endures ill treatment. The one thing that can
help us in that endurance is when we allow our love to believe all things. This
is not to say that we are to foolishly believe everything we hear or are told.
To believe all things is to always give the benefit of the doubt first. It is
to think better of the other person and choose to believe that their intentions
were not really evil toward us. Does this mean that this will always be the
case? No, but that does not remove the responsibility that we have, as
Christians, to first give the benefit of the doubt, until we have irrefutable
proof to the contrary. Finally, love hopes all things. In other words, no
matter what we may be called to endure, in the end we are certain that all will
work out for good, because that is what God has promised (Rom 8:28), and He,
Jesus, is our Living Hope. The bottom line is that when our hope is in God and
His promises, we can endure in silence, believing the best, because our hope is
ultimately in that fact that no matter what God allows, some day we will be
with him forevermore. Jesus endured His suffering on the Cross because of the
joy of what the outcome would be (Heb 12:2). So we too can endure with joy
knowing that as a child of God, in Christ, He is in control, all will work out
for our good and His glory, and we ultimately have Heaven to look forward to.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Love: the Greatest Gift (Part 6)
Verse of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth;
These next two love characteristics will keep us
from doing the one thing that has destroyed relationships, and even divided
churches…yes, gossip. When we read the verse, we do not immediately think
gossip, but stop for a moment and consider what is being said. Christians who love
do not rejoice in iniquity. How often have we heard about something someone has
done that is sinful, and brings disgrace to an individual or the church as a
whole, and we immediately want to know the details? Why do we need to know the “juicy”
details? I will tell you why; so that we can go and repeat it. We may even do
it as a “prayer request”, but the bottom line is that we love to gossip when we
hear something controversial about someone else. We especially love to do this
when the person who is involved is someone who has wronged us in some way.
Maybe it is someone who we have just been waiting to see God take vengeance on,
and we use this as justification for spreading the venom. How wrong it is for
us to repeat such matters or rejoice when another stumbles and falls,
regardless of who they are. As born again believers, we should always be ready
to rejoice when something good happens in the life of another that lifts both
the Name of Jesus and the person in whose life the good thing happened. We
should be rejoicing in those things that are virtuous and that advance the
cause of Christ in this world. Unfortunately, our flesh loves a good controversy
that we can talk about, especially when it does not affect us directly.
Ephesians 4:29 tells us to avoid unwholesome talk, and only speak those things
that edify, or encourage, others. James 1:26 reminds us that our religion (or
faith) is worthless if we cannot control our tongues. In Romans 1:32 we are
reminded that we are not only to avoid sinful, wicked, behavior, but we are
also not to have pleasure in those that do them. Our reaction, as born again
Christians, when we hear of the misfortune, the grief, or the fall of another
(regardless of whether they are family, fried, acquaintance or enemy) should be
sorrow for that person. Our response should be to pray for their well-being and
for the Lord to work in the situation for their good and God’s glory. We may
come to know something that is personal about a church member, and God may
choose to reveal it only to our ears so that we come alongside the person
involved, to help them be reconciled; however, if we go and whisper it in the
ears of others, we have sinned greatly and have potentially destroyed a
relationship or a number of relationships as a result (Pro 11:13; 16:28). 1
Peter 4:8 tells us that love covers a multitude of sins. This does not mean
that we agree with or allow justification for sinful behavior. What it means is
that we do not take the occasion of someone else’s stumbling as an opportunity
to gossip or rejoice; for this is a sin that will spread like wildfire and do
much damage the reputation of the church, bringing a blemish to the Name of
Jesus. Proverbs 24:17-20 specifically tells us not to rejoice even when our
enemy falls. Our heart is not to be glad, because if the Lord sees it, which He
will, it will displease Him. Let us do our best to always think on, and rejoice
on, things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous,
and praiseworthy. These are the things that will glorify God and demonstrate
great love toward others.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Love: the Greatest Gift (Part 5)
Verse of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is
not provoked, thinks no evil;
The next two characteristics of love can go hand
in hand, and are ones that can easily trip us up in our walk with God. Love is
not easily provoked, or thinks no evil. In other words, a person who truly
loves others does not go into fits of rage or lose their temper easily,
becoming excited and spewing venomous words, when faced with difficulty or
opposition. The Scripture warns us to avoid the type of anger that causes us to
sin (Eph 4:26), whether in our words, attitude, or actions. James 1:9 tells us
to be slow to anger. Proverbs 15:18 warns that a hot-tempered person stirs up
strife. Proverbs 16:32 tells us that a person who controls their temper is
better than the mighty. It takes much for us not to lose our temper and say or
do something that is hurtful toward the person who injured us first; whether
the injury was intentional or not. In some instances the other person may not
really have done something that called for an angry response. It may be the
result of a miscommunication or misunderstanding. When we truly want to take
the “love” approach, we will do all we can to understand before we respond.
This is where thinking no evil comes into play. As born again Christians, we
are to give the other person the benefit of the doubt, and not assume that the other
person intentionally did whatever they did to offend us. Along with being slow
to possibly make a false accusation about the other person’s intentions, we
must also not think evil in the sense of devising ways to seek revenge against
others. God tells us that vengeance belongs to Him (Rom 12:17-19). When we love
as Christ loves, we will not harbor the kind of thoughts that increase our
bitterness and cause us to hold on to an unforgiving attitude. When we think of
how often we offend God, yet He forgives us if we repent and confess our
faults, how can we in turn continue to hold other people’s faults against them?
Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil
speaking, and be kind, tender-hearted, and forgive; just as God forgives us for
Christ’s sake. The bottom line is that love is slow to react when there is a
possibility that we can be brought to anger and sin against God, and our
brother/sister. We are to avoid immediately thinking that whatever has
happened, especially if it affects us, was done with the intention of harming
us or with malicious motivation. After all, only the Lord really knows the
intentions of a person’s heart, and it is best to always make a personal
judgment on the side of grace until proven otherwise; and even so, if the
motive was to intentionally offend us, the best approach is to forgive, and give
it over to God.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Love: The Greatest Gift (Part 4)
Verse of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
Love does not behave rudely, or in a manner that is disgraceful. When we love others, we avoid inappropriate conduct, and show respect, regardless of who the person is or what status they hold in society; whether poor, rich, popular, or homeless. We are not to be respecters of persons as God is not a Respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Love calls for us to give respect to those we have relationships with, whether husband and wife, parents and children, elders and youth. Sadly, in many cultures, this is a lost art, but should never be so with the born again believer. Whether or not we "like" a person is not an excuse before God to treat them with disrespect. How unbecoming it is for Christians to show rudeness or disrespect, even in the most subtle attitudes and actions. Love does not seek her own, or is not selfish. A true follower of Jesus is not focused on his/her own happiness to the hurt of another. Again, we are reminded that Philippians 2:3-4 tells us that we are not be selfish in our ambitions, but look out for the well-being of others over our own self-interests. A Christian who truly loves will sacrifice their own comfort, time, and resources for the sake of someone else's need. This is also key in respect to the Gospel as well. Too many Christians, once they are saved, and "all set" eternally, seem to forget that they need to share that message with others. What greater act of selfishness can a born again believer demonstrate than a refusal to share the message of eternal life by faith in Jesus alone? Jesus told us in Mark 16:15 to preach the Gospel to every creature. In order to do this, it calls for us to take up our cross daily (Lk 9:23), denying self, and doing whatever necessary in order to bring the message of Jesus to a lost and dying world.
Jesus did not die for some and not others. He died for the world (Jn 3:16). Today, He extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Love does not behave rudely, or in a manner that is disgraceful. When we love others, we avoid inappropriate conduct, and show respect, regardless of who the person is or what status they hold in society; whether poor, rich, popular, or homeless. We are not to be respecters of persons as God is not a Respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Love calls for us to give respect to those we have relationships with, whether husband and wife, parents and children, elders and youth. Sadly, in many cultures, this is a lost art, but should never be so with the born again believer. Whether or not we "like" a person is not an excuse before God to treat them with disrespect. How unbecoming it is for Christians to show rudeness or disrespect, even in the most subtle attitudes and actions. Love does not seek her own, or is not selfish. A true follower of Jesus is not focused on his/her own happiness to the hurt of another. Again, we are reminded that Philippians 2:3-4 tells us that we are not be selfish in our ambitions, but look out for the well-being of others over our own self-interests. A Christian who truly loves will sacrifice their own comfort, time, and resources for the sake of someone else's need. This is also key in respect to the Gospel as well. Too many Christians, once they are saved, and "all set" eternally, seem to forget that they need to share that message with others. What greater act of selfishness can a born again believer demonstrate than a refusal to share the message of eternal life by faith in Jesus alone? Jesus told us in Mark 16:15 to preach the Gospel to every creature. In order to do this, it calls for us to take up our cross daily (Lk 9:23), denying self, and doing whatever necessary in order to bring the message of Jesus to a lost and dying world.
Jesus did not die for some and not others. He died for the world (Jn 3:16). Today, He extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Love: The Greatest Gift (Part 3)
Verse
of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love
suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up;
As we continue studying what love
looks like in action, in accordance to the Word of God; we see that love does
not boast or brag. In other words, it is not inconsiderate, and is humble. When
we truly love, we will see the other person as being better than ourselves.
Philippians 2:3 tells us that nothing should be done out of selfishness, but
with humility, always esteeming the other person as better than ourselves. When
we boast or parade ourselves over others, we are doing just the opposite. In
serving God, and others, in love, we will do much in serving without bragging
or viewing ourselves as better simply because God chooses to use us as freely
as we make ourselves available. That does not make us better than anyone else. Jesus
was the ultimate example of humility, who, even though He is God, chose not to
make Himself equal to God, but instead humbled Himself, came to us as a Man,
choosing to be a bondservant, and became obedient even unto death (Phil 2:5-8).
Love is not puffed up, or inflated with pride. This is a bit different then
parading itself. A person who is puffed up may not necessarily boast of
himself/herself. We, even as Christians, can fall into the trap of thinking
that we are more important than we really are in our own minds; however, we
must remember that outside of Jesus we are nothing, and deserve eternal
condemnation. In 1 Corinthians 8:1 we are reminded that even having much
knowledge can cause us to be puffed up. So, even if we are diligent to study
God’s Word and gain much biblical knowledge, we must be careful not to think
that this somehow makes us superior to other Christians, but instead use that
knowledge to serve God and others with humility. Romans 12:3 tells us that we
are not to think more highly of ourselves than we should. Love is meek, modest,
and is willing to put whatever sense of importance we may have of self, for the
sake of serving in the humblest of manners, and in obedience to God’s leading.
1 Peter 5:5-6 tells us that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
He also exalts the humble in due time. We accomplish more when we serve in love
than when we serve on the basis of who we think we are; for if we serve God on
the basis of who we think we are, we only give room to the devils to move in
and use our pride to hinder God’s work in our lives (Jm 4:6-8).
Friday, July 21, 2017
Love: The Greatest Gift (Part 2)
Verse
of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love
suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade
itself, is not puffed up;
It is easy to say, love God, and
love others. However, how many of us truly know what that looks like? Jesus
made loving Him simple (I did not say easy, I said simple)…in John 14:15, He
said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” That is pretty straight forward.
We cannot say that we love God and then live a life of disobedience to His
Word. With man, however, the matter of love is a bit more involved.
Nonetheless, the foundation of how we love each other first begins with whether
or not we truly love Jesus; for if we love Him, then we will make every effort
to love one another in the same manner that He subscribes. The Apostle Paul
outlines for us what love looks like when it is put into action, in the way we
treat others, and our attitude toward them. First and foremost, love is longsuffering.
To be longsuffering means that we are able to patiently endure when we are
being oppressed, provoked, or persecuted. It means that we are slow to anger,
slow to wrath (Jm 1:19), and not hasty in our responses to others, even when we
are mistreated. Love is kind. This means that we are courteous, polite, and
have a desire to see the other person happy, regardless of how they treat us. Being
kind and being longsuffering therefore go hand in hand. So often we are harsh
toward people who are harsh toward us, but we never stop to think that maybe
they are experiencing trials and need a kind word spoken to them. One of the
instances where I have seen us Christians completely blow an opportunity to
show the love of Jesus to someone is when we are purchasing items at a store
and encounter that one cashier with attitude; or when we are at a restaurant and end up with the
one waiter or waitress that is having an bad day. There have been times when a
kind gesture or word has made a person like this smile or open up and begin to
talk about the troubles they were having; if this happens, we must then, of
course, be ready to listen and show them the love of Christ. Taking this
approach can certainly open doors for us to share Jesus with them. We, as
Christians, are often selfish, and forget that others have troubles in their
lives. All we care about is that we are treated kindly, rather than always
being ready to be kind to others first (regardless of how they treat us). Jesus
was always kind to others, forgiving, and ready to share with them how they
could gain eternal life. He did not revile or threaten those who reviled, and
mistreated, Him (1 Pt 2:23). Love does not envy. In other words, when we truly
love others, we are just as excited about their successes as they are. Too often,
rather than be happy for another, people, even Christians, instantly mourn that
they are not the one experiencing success, gaining wealth, or having something good
happen to them. For each of us, as born again believers, we must learn to be
content with whatever God has chosen for us; where we live, what we have, what
talents and abilities we have, how we look, and how He chooses to use us. The
Apostle Paul knew how to be content, no matter what state he was in, whether he
had much or nothing, because Jesus was his strength (Phil 4:11-13). When we
learn to be content with what God chooses for us, we will be happy for the
successes of our brothers and sisters, and will not envy, even when we see the
wicked prosper; for theirs is temporary and of no great gain without Jesus (Ps
37:1-2). We cannot be impatient and vengeful, unkind, and mistreat others because
of envy; then turn around and proclaim that we are Jesus loving Christians.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Love: The Greatest Gift (Part 1)
Verse
of the day: 1 Corinthians 13:1 Though
I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become
sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
1 John 4:8 tells us that God is
love. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave us His only
begotten Son. In Luke 10:27, Jesus tells us to love God with all that we are
and our neighbor as ourselves. So…do you think that God sees love as being
important in the life of a born again believer? These are just a few verses
found in God’s Word about love. I would venture to say that love is of utmost
importance to God. It was His love for us that sent His Son, our Lord and Savior,
to die for us. It is His love for us that keeps Him from withdrawing His mercy
and grace from us, even though we deserve eternal condemnation. His love for us
is not merely spoken words, but actions taken that fulfilled a need; actions
that resulted in accomplishing something for us that we could never accomplish
on our own. This is the kind of love that He not only demonstrated toward us,
but now commands us to love one another in the same manner. John 13:34-35
begins with these words, “A new commandment I give you…” He did not give a
suggestion, it was a command. That command was to love one another, even as He
has loved us. Why? So that the world would know that we belong to Him. 1
Corinthians 13 is the “love” chapter. It outlines for us what love looks like
in action. Sadly, too many Christians put more emphasis, and focus more, on
what their talents and abilities are than practicing how to love others. In the
first few verses of this chapter the Apostle Paul begins by stressing the fact
that without love, not much else is of great profit for us in our service to
God. If we speak with the tongue of men and of angel, yet we do not love, all
we are doing is making a bunch of noise as far as God is concerned. Verses 2
and 3 tells us that even if we have the gift of prophecy, can interpret the
Word of God, and have the kind of faith that moves mountains, we are nothing
before God. If we give all we have, feed the poor, and give ourselves to
martyrdom, yet we do not love, we have gained nothing as far as God is
concerned. Too many Christians lack love, and take a mean-spirited and
sometimes arrogant approach to how they carry out their Christianity. This
often makes them unapproachable, and it completely contrary to what we see of
Jesus in the New Testament. We must not mistake of equating being serious and
putting on pious front as meaning that we are more mature and spiritual in our
walk with the Lord. As a matter of fact, when we read the Word of God and see
how Jesus interacted with people in general, especially children, we see love
and humility. Jesus loved us so much, that people felt that they could bring
their children to Him, and the children themselves did not feel threatened in
any way. Mark 10:13-16 is a great example of this. While the disciple rebuked
those that brought the children to Jesus, Jesus became very displeased with
them and rebuked them for hindering the children from coming to Him. He took
the children into His arms and blessed them. The bottom line is that our love
for others should be so great that people, including children, would not be
intimidated in coming to us. It does not matter how much we think we can do for
God with our talent, abilities, and opportunities. If we do not love God and
others, we essentially become useless for God’s purposes, and it is of
absolutely no profit to us.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Do You Have REAL Peace?
Verse of the day: Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Is any one of us ignorant to the fact that there
is no peace in this world? All we have to do is look around and see a world of
unrest, violence, war, and personal turmoil. Wherever we turn there are people
living with stress, tribulation, and anxiety. Many people, even born again
believers, are looking for peace in all kinds of ways that do not render any
kind of TRUE peace. The peace that we need, and that this world needs, can only
come from the Prince of Peace; Jesus Christ (Is 9:6). We watch the news and we
see nations trying to establish peace treaties in vain. The more man seeks
peace amongst men, the more turmoil there seems to be. The reason being that
outside of Jesus there is no real peace. Jesus said, in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.” This verse in Romans 5 is a wonderful
reminder that when we called upon Jesus and accepted His free gift of
salvation, we were immediately justified (or declared “not guilty”) by our
Heavenly Father; from that moment forward, we have been at peace with God. This
is a peace that we could not obtain on our own because there was nothing we
could do to earn it or make it happen. Now, by faith, and the grace of God, in
the most troubling of times, we can have the peace that passes all
understanding. Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
In other words, for us, the born again Christian, we have access to real peace,
regardless of how much turmoil there may be around us, or in us. This peace can
only come from going to the Lord in prayer, in faith, and bringing our cares
and concerns to Him, because He truly cares for us (1 Pt 5:7). The peace we
receive is beyond both our understanding and the world’s understanding; but praise
be to God that He bestows it upon us by His grace! This world will never be at
peace as long as it rejects Jesus. Ephesians 2:13-18 tells us that Jesus Christ
is our Peace. He has broken down that wall of separation that existed between
us and God that made us His enemies. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were yet
His enemies, Jesus showed His loved toward us by dying for us. Through His
death on the Cross, Jesus has made it possible for man to have the greatest
form of peace that anyone could ask for or have; peace with God. Because of
this peace, we have access to the God’s throne of grace. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells
us that we can boldly go before God’s throne, in our time of need, when we are struggling
most, to obtain His mercy and grace. This would not be possible had Jesus not
sacrificed Himself, and reconciled us to God. The bottom line is that peace in
the world begins first with man being at peace with God; and without Jesus,
this is impossible.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Is He Lord As Well As Savior?
Verse of the day: Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do
the things which I say?
Is
Jesus more than just Savior of our lives? For too many people who call
themselves Christians, Jesus is only Savior or “Fire Insurance”. However, for a
true, born again, believer, Jesus must be more than just Savior. He must be
Lord also. When we see Jesus as Savior alone, then we do not see the need to be
obedient to His commands. If He is only Savior, than it is much too easy to
justify a life lived in continued sin, and the excuse becoming that it does not
matter because “we are saved by grace” and “God is love” so He’ll forgive me.
However, the Apostle Paul wrote this in respect to grace, in Romans 6:1-2, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin
that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live
any longer in it? If Jesus is Lord, then the mindset is that He is our
Master, and we are living a life surrendered to His authority. Romans 6:22
clearly tells us that we are no longer slaves to sin, but are now slaves (or
servants) of God. Matthew 21:28-32 uses the parable of the two sons as an example
of it means to see Jesus as Lord. The first son is told to go work in the
vineyard, and even though he initially refuses, he nonetheless carries out his
father’s command. The second son responded in the affirmative to his father,
saying that he would go, but then never followed through in obeying his father’s
command. Which of these two obediently did the will of his father? The answer
given was, “the first”. This still stands true today. We can call Jesus Lord
all we want, but if we are not living in submission and obedience to Him, then
we really do not see Him, or consider Him, as Lord of our lives. In this same
passage in Luke 6, Jesus tells us that if we come to Him, hear His sayings, and
do them, we build our lives on a Rock. However, if we do not do them, we build
our lives on a foundation of sand. The consequences will be that if we do not
live with Jesus as Lord of our lives, when the hard times come, our lives will
fall apart; but if we do as He has commanded, then when the storms of life come
our way, no matter how battered and bruised we may end up, we will always stand
strong, by faith, trusting the Lord and not wavering or compromising our faith
and testimony for Christ. Sadly, there will be many who will stand before the
Lord, and be utterly disappointed when they try to claim to know Him as Lord.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father in heaven. Many
will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,
cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ The
bottom line is that we must first be sure that we have a true relationship with
Jesus, by faith; and if so, then we must not just see Him as Savior, but also
allow Him to be Lord of our lives by surrendering our life to Him, and living
in obedience to His commands. Only then can we truly say that Jesus is our Lord
and Savior.
Jesus gave His
life for us, and at the very least we should be willing to give our lives back
to Him. Today, He extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of
salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith,
in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off
calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom
10:13).
Monday, July 17, 2017
Separated Unto Him
Verse of the day: Exodus 3:5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take
your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
What
made the ground that Moses was standing on holy? In and of itself, nothing;
however, when God set that portion of ground aside for His purposes, it became
holy ground. It was separated, or set apart, for God’s use. That alone should
speak loudly to us as to what that means for us, the born again believer. When
we accepted God’s free gift of salvation, through Jesus Christ, we were set
apart by God for His purpose. That makes us a holy people. In 1 Peter 2:9-10, the
Apostle tells us that we are a chosen generation, a holy nation, who has been
called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 1:14-16 tells us
that we are not to be conformed to our former lust, but be holy, even as God is
holy. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that we were bought with a price and are
not our own; for this reason we are to glorify God in our body and spirit,
which belong to God. In other words, we are holy and set apart for God’s purpose.
Can the world honestly look at our life, behavior, and service to the Lord and conclude
that we are different and set apart? 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 commands us to not
be unequally yoked to the unsaved. We are told to come out from among them, or
to not behave or be like them in our lifestyle, attitude and overall behavior. Too
many Christians have wrecked their Christian walk by disobeying this command
and choosing to involve themselves intimately with unsaved people. Do we really
take our separation and service to the Lord as seriously as we should? What
does our daily life look like? How much of our day includes something that
helps us grow in our relationship with the Lord or helps us to bring the Gospel
message to someone who needs to hear it? How much of our day is spent doing
something that calls us to sacrifice something of ourselves for God’s glory;
taking up our cross daily (Lk 9:23)? How much time, daily, do we spend in
prayer and the study of God’s Word? Can we honestly say that we live our lives
in such a way that it is evident that we have been set aside for the Lord’s
purpose(s)? Just like that ground was holy ground because God set it apart to
Himself, and used it to call Moses into service; so we too are called apart for
the express purpose of serving God and glorifying Him in whatever way He
chooses to use us. Can we honestly say that we are surrendered to the One who
saved us, separated us, and called us to His holy purpose? The Apostle Paul, in
Romans 12:1-2, urges us to present our bodies as living sacrifices (dead to sin
and alive to Him), and be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by
the renewing of our minds. This can only happen if we are completely immersed
in God’s Word, prayer, and sacrificial service to our God.
God paid a great
price to purchase our salvation by giving us His only begotten Son (Jn 3:16). Today,
He extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23).
Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance,
confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on
Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Fruitful and Strong
Verse of the day: Colossians
2:6-7 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established
in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
The two best words I can think of in describing the
Christian who is both rooted and built up in Christ is fruitful and strong.
However, we know that this is a process that does not happen overnight, and one
that can be hindered if we are not vigilant. For the born again Christian, the
foundation of our faith begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ;
and the only way that we can have a relationship with Him is by faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that it is by grace, and not our works; for this
reason there will be not one of us who will be able to boast before God, because
it was by His grace that we were saved. Titus 3:5 tells us that it was not by
our righteous works, but by His mercy, that we are saved. What a marvelous gift
we have been given by our Heavenly Father, in His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that because we have received Him, we must now walk
in Him. This admonition came because there were many Jewish teachers, and
teachers of philosophy who were trying to corrupt biblical teachings with their
philosophies, vain deceits, and worldly traditions of men (v. 8). The Apostle
used the metaphors related to the growth of a tree and the increase of a
building to describe what a Christian who is walking with Jesus looks like. A
tree that produces much fruit and is firmly grounded so that it can withstand
great storms is one whose roots have grown and are buried deep into the ground.
It draws much water and nutrients that help it grow as its roots go deeper. The
deeper the roots goes, the more solidly anchored it is, thereby allowing it to stand
strong and tall, even when the winds cause it to sway to and fro. The term “established
in faith” that he uses in verse 7 is a term used to signify a firm foundation.
The taller you want to build up a building, the stronger and well anchor the
foundation must be. What he is saying is that we must have our roots deep into
our relationship with the Lord and His Word; and this must be the foundation of
our walk with Him. In John 15, Jesus tells us that He is the True Vine, and
without Him we cannot bear fruit. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, by faith,
we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16). It is the Spirit working in us,
to make us more like Jesus, that produces His fruit in our lives (Gal 5:22), so
that we not only see an internal change, but others also see an outward change.
Too many Christians have allowed teachers of philosophy, filled with worldly
wisdom, to come along and lead them astray with their fancy reasoning and
eloquent speech. The result has been a mixing of Christian principles with
traditions of men, and non-Christian worldviews that have caused some to
shipwreck their faith and walk further away from Christ, rather than walking
closer to Him. The bottom line is that our walk with Jesus is first grounded in
the faith we put in Him for eternal life, and then followed up by our diligence
in learning and applying God’s Word to our lives (Jm 1:22), walking in
obedience to the Scriptures (Jn 14:15), and walking in love toward Jesus and
one another (Jn 13:34-35). In life, we will experience many things, both good
and bad. How we respond to life will be determined by how closely we walk with
Jesus. If we are rooted and established in Him, no matter what God allows in
our life, we will be able to stand firm and not waver in our faith. We must be
able to live this life always being thankful for the life we have been given in
Christ, because when it is all said and done, regardless of what we go through,
here and now, in the end, we know He is with us (Heb 13:5-6), and we will be
with Him forevermore (1 The 4:17).
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Useless Wrath
Verse of the day: James 1:19-20 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does
not produce the righteousness of God.
Why are
we surprised when people oppose our Christian views and beliefs? Did not the
Lord already warn us, in John 15:18-25, that we would be hated, as He was
hated, because we are not of this world, just as He was not of this world? If
we know this, then why do we allow our anger to overtake us when we are either
defending our faith or being persecuted for who we are in Christ? One of the
reasons we immediately get angry is because we are not listening. We are quick
to reply because our feelings have been hurt, and we do not like being rejected,
which is nothing less than pride. If we, as born again believers, would just
stop and listen before we respond, we would have more of a tendency to give our
answers without ruining our testimony or working against what God is trying to
accomplish when we encounter situations that make us angry. When I say that we
need to stop and listen, I am talking about listening for God’s leading and the
Spirit’s reminders. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:9-11, Jesus
said that we are blessed when we are peacemakers, or when we choose peace over
wrath. He tells us that we are blessed when we are persecuted for Jesus’ sake.
We may not see this as a blessing; especially while we are in the midst of it,
but this is where we must be thinking ahead to the day that we stand before the
Lord, because the Word of God is clear that there is reward in Heaven for us
when we suffer for the cause of Christ. Immediately after saying this, Jesus
reminded us in verses 13-16, of Matthew 5, that we are light and salt here on
earth. How will we live up to that if all the unsaved, and other Christians,
see is a born again believer who preaches Christ but flies off the handle when
opposed, insulting and cursing when made angry? Proverbs 18:13 tells us that
folly and shame are ours when we give an answer to a matter without first
hearing it in its entirety. Sadly, we have too many of us who begin to answer
before we have completely heard what the other person has to say. We cannot get
angry with someone who states an opposing view or opinion and then be critical
of them for doing the same to us. Many well-meaning Christians, who are zealous
for the things of God, make the grave mistake of thinking that giving an
excitingly passionate answer is what God expects of us. This is not so. King
Solomon wrote, in Ecclesiastes 9:17, that the words of wise men are heard in
quiet more than the cries of the one who rules among fools. The display of
anger, by a Christian, shows an immaturity in our walk. 1 Peter 2:1 tells us to
lay aside evil speaking, which is usually the product of an angry spirit. Angry
zeal does nothing to convince the unsaved to come to Christ, and is not
profitable in helping restore a brother or sister who has stumbled in their
walk with Jesus. If you do not believe my words, then look for yourselves at
how Jesus dealt with those that opposed Him, and those He encountered who were
sinning. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us the Jesus did not revile, when He was reviled,
and He did not threaten when He suffered. In John 8, a woman caught in the act
of adultery was brought before Jesus. When we read that account in 1-11, we see
that Jesus spent more time dealing with her accusers than with her. However,
when He finally dealt with her directly, we see a kind, compassionate, Savior
who offered forgiveness and a loving, and calm, warning not to sin again. On
another occasion, in John 5:1-15, Jesus dealt with a man who had suffered from
a physical infirmity for 38 years. As we read the account, we see that this
sickness was apparently the consequence of sin in his life. How did Jesus deal
with him? He compassionately healed him, and lovingly, and calmly, warned him
to not sin again, lest something worse happen to him. The bottom line is that
what we consider a passionate zeal for God is only a carnal response, and a
spiritually immature way of answering both those who oppose us, or our brethren
who need our compassion and help. We can be angry and sin not by either
choosing not to give an answer right away or give an answer, without being
carnal in our approach. Proverbs 15:1 tells us that a soft answer turns away
wrath. God makes it very clear that it is His goodness that leads us to
repentance, for both the unsaved sinner and the erring brother or sister (Rom
2:4). So why would we think that our wrath would accomplish more than
demonstrating God’s goodness towards others?
Friday, July 14, 2017
We’ll Give Our Own Account
Verse of the day: Galatians 6:4-5
But let each one examine his own work, and then
he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one
shall bear his own load.
Reading the beginning of this chapter can be confusing
if we do not stop and think about what God is telling us here. Verse 5, if we
skim the verses, seems to contradict verse 2 where the Apostle says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the
law of Christ.” In actuality, in context, these verses do not contradict
each other at all. This section of Galatians refers to how we are to treat
those who stumble in their walk with Jesus, and how we are to respond to them.
Sadly, it is very rare today to find Christians that are compassionate toward
those who still struggle in their relationship with the Lord. There are those
of us who feel the weight of that one sin that burdens us and seems to cripple
our walk with Christ. Too many Christians secretly suffer and struggle because
they are afraid of how their brothers/sisters in Christ will respond to knowing
that they have a weakness. In speaking to a number of hurting, and often
lonely, Christians, I have found that their biggest reason for feeling this
way, myself included, is the fear of how the church family will respond to
finding out that they struggle with a particular sin. May I say something here?
We ALL struggle with something. Whatever sin I may struggle with may not be the
same as yours, but that does not make either one of us more of, or less of, a
Christian than the other. That is the point of what the Apostle is trying to
communicate in this passage. He tells us in the first couple of verses that
when we encounter a fallen brother or sister, we need to first examine
ourselves and approach them, and their situation, with humility, and be ready
to have compassion for them, helping them to get right with the Lord and be
restored to fellowship with God and his/her fellow believers (v. 1-2). Verse 3
reminds us that we must be humble in the estimation of ourselves. To think more
of ourselves than we should is to deceive ourselves, and God has a way of
allowing us to stumble ourselves so that we will come face to face with our own
weakness and vulnerability in our walk with Him, if we become too proud (v. 2).
The overwhelming message in this passage is that for the sake of giving our own
account before God someday, we must be careful about how we treat one another
today. We are called to support and help our struggling brothers/sisters, when
God gives us opportunity, but we must do so, keeping in mind that we have our
own struggles, and will give account for our own life and how we served God and
others by helping them when they were in need of being lifted up and restored.
1 Corinthians 3:8 reminds us that we all labor together, but we are rewarded
individually. So, when we help one another in our burdens, we do it
cooperatively, but when we give account for how we did that, we will do it individually.
Each person will be held accountable for their own attitude, whether done with
pride or humility. Psalm 62:12 tell us that the Lord will render to every man
according to his work. Matthew 16:27 tells us that Jesus will return with His
angels, and reward every man according to his works. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells
us that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the
things done in our body, in accordance to what we have done, whether good or
bad. The bottom line is that we must be ready to lift each other up when we
stumble. We must be ready to speak kind words of encouragement to one another
when we find each other losing the battle in our personal struggles. We must,
in love, correct one another, but do so in humility, realizing that any one of
us can find ourselves in the same position; and someday we will stand before God
to give an account for how we treated one another, when we struggled most, and
while the world was watching. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have
love for one another.”
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