Today’s Passage: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” Acts 2:21
On the morn prior to September 11th, my thoughts turn to that fateful day ten years ago when we first learned of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as the crash of UA Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. The reality of the situation was hard to grasp on that terrible morning. Employees were gathered around televisions in break rooms around the nation. People were glued to the TV sets in homes everywhere, horrified at the breaking news and wondering what could have caused so many planes to crash. As Americans, most of us felt relatively safe from wars and terrorism on U.S. soil. And yet, here we had sustained a devastating attack in our own homeland. How could this be?
I remember reading that hospital staff near the Trade Center was on high alert for the enormous amount of victims who would need assistance when the first tower was hit. They headed to the hospitals, ready for action. They waited apprehensively for the influx of hurting patients, imagining the hustle and bustle, the code reds, the life-threatening injuries, the emergency surgeries, the need for more hospital beds. All was ready, and they waited. News of the fall of the second tower came, and they felt the intense fear of the situation, willing themselves not to panic, and waited for an even greater number of trauma patients to arrive than they had anticipated. Still they waited. And they waited…
Then the real horror set in. Their imaginations had depicted the worst case scenario: the mass number of people in need of medical attention; but the reality was much worse. No one was coming. Very few had made it out of the towers alive. Their adrenaline had pumped, their minds were prepared for the task at hand, but all was silent. And this new nightmare was worse than anything they had expected. And so they slowly began to vacate the hospitals and return to their homes, heavyhearted, dejected and sorrowful.
When I think of this, I pause to consider how many people must have called out to the Lord on that day. How many prayers were lifted up for missing family members and friends? How many of us prayed desperately that people would be found alive in the rubble? And how many seats that Sunday were filled in churches across the country that had been empty the week before?
I have heard that natural disasters like hurricane Katrina and tragedies like the September 11th attacks tend to increase church attendance. Bible sales also tend to soar in the wake of great losses. These are certainly some of the positives – the good things – that can come from tragedy. Though we certainly would not choose for people to suffer in such a manner, and do not intend to make light of a tragedy, it is not disrespectful to the victims to realize that in addition to the great heartache and loss, there were some good things that arose from the rubble. Surely many souls were restored that had left their first love, Christ. (Revelation 2:4) After all, Romans 8:28 teaches us that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Though not everything that happens is good, we can be assured that if we are in a right relationship with God, good can come from even the greatest catastrophe.
In Joel 2:32, we learn that “it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls.” This great day has come! Jesus came to this earth, lived a sinless life, carried our punishment upon himself and died on the cross. And He arose on the third day, destroying the power of sin over us and giving us the opportunity to call on His great name!
Peter quoted this passage in Joel during his sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. He informs the audience by way of his inspired speech that the glorious day they had awaited had come. When the people realized that Jesus was the Messiah they had long awaited, and that they had crucified Him, they were greatly alarmed. Surely this was the greatest Tragedy of all time. They had killed the Son of God!
What were they to do in order to be forgiven? How could they be saved? As Peter had spoken, they were to call upon the Lord and be saved. But consider what Peter tells them they must do in order to be saved: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38.) How did these people call upon the Lord? We have the answer in Acts 2:41-42: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” These people responded to the gospel by being baptized into Christ. Also note that after they called upon the Lord by obeying what they were told, they “continued steadfastly” in four things: God’s Word, fellowship with other Christians, the Lord’s Supper (communion) and prayer.
What was Jesus’ instruction to the apostles before He returned to heaven? Often called “the great commission,” it was the command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16.) And in Matthew 28:19-20, it is recorded that He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Many may call on the name of the Lord when hard times come but do they truly respond to the gospel call? Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 7:21.) We see here that even by calling on the Lord, we are not saved if we do not obey His Word. The Bible is filled with examples of people who, though they considered themselves religious and in a right relationship with God, were condemned because they did not obey. From Cain, King Uzziah and Nadab & Abihu, who did not obey God’s directions for acceptable sacrifice and worship, to the people on Judgment Day who have not obeyed the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8), punishment came or will come as a result of failing to obey God’s commandments.
So a new question arises. Will merely believing and confessing Christ qualify as obedience? As always, let us see what God says in His Word with an open mind, willing to challenge our long-held beliefs and the things we have been told by men. In James 2:19, we learn that the demons believe and in fact, they fear the Lord. Yet this is not enough. James states that “faith without works is dead” in James 2:20.
Now, does this mean that we are to work our way into heaven, based on the merit of our good works? Certainly not. We can never earn heaven. If we feel that our good works deserve reward, we should carefully read Luke 17:10 in which Jesus warns that “when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” No, dear sisters, all of the good we can do is merely our duty. For the fact is that we are all human beings, and all human beings sin. We all sin; therefore, we all “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23.)
God offers the gift of salvation to all of us because we cannot be saved without His gift. Ephesians 2:8 teaches us that salvation is by God’s gift and not as a result of our own work. However, having said that, it is important to point out that works are necessary. Though works will not earn salvation apart from God’s gift of grace, there are certain works required in order to receive the gift. They are God’s stipulations, if you will, for accepting the gift of grace.
We know that we cannot enter into a personal relationship with God except through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6.) And as we read before, He also said that only those who obey the Father’s will can enter into heaven (Matthew 7:21.) So, we see that obedience is necessary in order to be saved. Again, it is not because of what we have done for Christ, but as a response to what Christ has done for us.
Meditate on the words of Titus 3:4-7: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” This sums it up so clearly. God offered us the gift through Jesus’s blood. Note that it was through the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Let us look further at the letter to the Roman church, in which they were reminded that “that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death.” You see, this is how we are washed. Not that the water physically cleanses us of our sins, for the water is not holy. It is our response in obedience to the gospel in the manner set forth in the Bible by which we come in contact with Jesus’ cleansing blood. Baptism is symbolic for the death (dying to the old man of sin), burial (being buried with Christ in baptism) and resurrection (arising from the water, reborn as a new creature) (Romans 6:3-7.)
In baptism, we put on Christ (Galatians 3:27.) We are born again by water and the Spirit (John 3:5), which should cause us to leave behind the old sins and live for Christ. This is a lifetime commitment, and not a whim. Our rebirth must never be based on an urgent fear but then forgotten in the expectation that once we have become a Christian, we can do whatever we want to do thereafter. It must be the beginning of a life dedicated to pleasing God in the manner in which HE wants, and not in the manner which we prefer.
So we return to our consideration of those who call upon the Lord during periods of great trial. Were many prayers offered up on that day ten years ago from some who had never voiced them before? I would venture to guess so. How many people called upon the Lord and yet so quickly fell away and returned to their former lives of sin? Have their wake-up calls turned to a distant memory, as if they had hit the snooze buttons of their consciences? Are their hearts no longer pricked and their fears all but forgotten?
Bringing it closer to home, what about me? First and foremost, have I been saved? Have I been washed in the blood of Christ so that my sins have been forgiven? And if so, is it fair to say that was I fired up for the Lord when I called upon Christ but now my fire has dwindled to a smolder? Did I obey the gospel with the intent on sharing the great news with everyone around me, but after time, allow the fervor to wane into apathy? Do emergencies, tragedies and trouble cause me to temporarily renew my faith but then fall again during times of peace?
I believe these are questions all of us should consider periodically, including and especially me. First, we must put on Christ, and then we must live Christ every day of our lives. Our lives should be such that whether tragedy strikes or not, our prayers and worship continue. And though we may have more fervent, intense prayers at times of great trial, as Jesus did in Gethsemane, the amount of prayers and personal Bible studies should not diminish when things are going along smoothly. In fact, it is at times like these that we must be aware of our attitude. We may grow so complacent that our defenses against the devil’s wiles weaken. Sometimes, when we feel that we are the strongest, we may become confident in our own abilities and lose sight of the fact that God is the reason for our peace. At times like this, we may find that we are most vulnerable to the lure of sin (I Corinthians 10:12.)
In closing, let us remember all of the people who lost their lives. Let us pray for their families and for those who witnessed the horrors of the devastation firsthand. Let us pray for the first responders and medical staff and everyone who helped get the survivors to safety. But let us also remember that there is an even greater tragedy awaiting us if we do not obey the Lord. On that day, there will be no time for reflection and for repentance. That day will come swiftly, like a thief in the night, and we will be lost forever if we are not found in Christ (2 Peter 3:10.) A thief leaves no signs that he is coming. Though we may hear others saying they can tell the end is near from the signs they see, we must remember that “no one knows” the hour or day that the Lord is returning (Matthew 24:36, Matthew 25:13, Mark 13:32.) We must always keep in mind Revelation 2:10 in which Christ said, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” If we do this, it won’t matter when He comes. We will be ready to say “Maranatha!” (Our Lord has come!)
God bless you all, dear sisters. My prayer is for each and every one of you and for your families, that on that great Day of the Lord, we will all be found faithful, in Christ and ready to meet Him in the air!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
A New Beginning
Though it does not follow in the outline of the Fruit of the Spirit topic begun previously, today I’d like us to consider something that we all need in our lives. A very similar devotional was shared with the ladies of a local women’s shelter recently and I hope that you also may benefit from this study.
There are two things that are true for each of us. Every one of us was born. And every one of us will die unless the Lord returns first. But even then we will be transformed into a new heavenly body and will be dead to our old fleshly body. If these two events are the only things we can be sure will happen in this life, and all that we can count on, then we are without hope and living a life that is shallow and without purpose. But I submit to you that there is another event in our lives that all of us need (at least once in our lives) which will restore our hope and joy. This vital event is a new beginning.
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Not only that, but we deserve to die because we have broken God’s law. In Romans 6:23, we learn that “the wages of sin is death.”
Now, if God had left us in this predicament, we would have no hope. All we have on this earth would be all we have forever. We would die without Christ, lost, and enter into eternal suffering. But Romans 6:23 doesn’t end with “the wages of sin is death”. It goes on to say “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Isn’t that an encouraging promise? We deserved death because of our sin. But instead, we were given a gift that we do not deserve: eternal life in Christ.
Knowing that we can have this precious gift should give us hope. It should give us comfort from our trials and hardships. And it should also create in us the desire to know what we can do to receive this gift.
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” This tells us that in order to be saved, we must be born again. This is our new beginning! If we are born of water and the Spirit (which we encounter in baptism), then we die to the old man and are raised with Christ.
Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, puts it this way in Romans 6:3-5: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” Our new beginning starts with baptism, when we submit to God’s commands and are buried with Christ. Then, we are resurrected a new person with a new beginning, a brand new slate!
When we are raised with Christ, I Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We don’t have to be eternally remembered for the evil things we have done prior to becoming a Christian. We are forgiven and we can begin anew!
Once we begin this new life, we can say with confidence as Paul did in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. “
The beauty of God’s gift is that our past is not held against us. How many people in this world will keep on giving us another chance if we have failed often before? Not many. After a limited number of times of making mistakes and repenting, we may find our spouse or friend unable to trust us. But God knows our hearts and true motives, and when we become a Christian – or after we are a Christian and fall, if we truly repent of our sins, turn away from them and ask for forgiveness – then we are forgiven! There is NOTHING we can do that is so evil that we cannot be forgiven by God IF we follow the steps to be forgiven which He has set out in His Word. In I Corinthians 6:9-11 we read: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Now, this seems like a pretty rough crowd, does it not? Would we want to hang out with this bunch? Yet if we read on, we learn:
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” These people had done some pretty awful things but God had forgiven them because they had obeyed His commandments to be justified from their sins. Even the people who responded to the gospel in Acts 2 were forgiven. These were the same people who had been present at His death, crying out “CRUCIFY HIM!” and saying, “LET HIS BLOOD BE ON US AND ON OUR CHILDREN.”
Do not ever think that God cannot forgive you for what you have done. He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for the very sins for which you feel guilt. He loves you. He wants you to be saved. He does not want anyone, including you, to die in your sins. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) Never think that you cannot overcome sin in your life. On your own, you can’t, but “with God, all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. Even the vilest of sinners have turned away from their sins with the Lord’s help. Drug addicts, adulterers, murderers and child abusers have changed their ways when they turn to God for help. It is not easy, and may take a lifetime of fighting dark impulses, but it is indeed possible to turn away from the sin and live a new life.
Do not ever think that God cannot forgive you for what you have done. He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for the very sins for which you feel guilt. He loves you. He wants you to be saved. He does not want anyone, including you, to die in your sins. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) Never think that you cannot overcome sin in your life. On your own, you can’t, but “with God, all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. Even the vilest of sinners have turned away from their sins with the Lord’s help. Drug addicts, adulterers, murderers and child abusers have changed their ways when they turn to God for help. It is not easy, and may take a lifetime of fighting dark impulses, but it is indeed possible to turn away from the sin and live a new life.
Sometimes, we need a new beginning more than once. Maybe we became a Christian once but we later fell away into sin. We need to repent of these sins, and ask for forgiveness. We need to change our lives and live like the child of God we should be. I John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We are not promised another year, another day, another second. But as long as we are breathing we have been given the opportunity to change our lives, to begin again. Always keep in mind how much God loves you and is willing to forgive if you will only obey. We must always strive to live our lives in such a way that when Jesus returns, we will be found faithful.
Praise the Lord that there are wonderful services such as homeless shelters, food kitchens and other support services. If you are in need, there are many avenues for help. If you are blessed by God with a good job, there are plenty of people who are in desperate need of shelter, food and clothing so that they can make a new start. If you are facing spiritual problems such as a lack of faith or the failure to study God’s Word, pray and serve Him in obedience, many in the church are willing to help. All of us face times when our faith is tested, and much can be learned from others’ experiences. Whatever the reason for your new start, the opportunity has been given to you to use for good.
In my own life, I have faced cancer and a transplant that brought me to the brink of death. This was my wake-up call for a new beginning – a life of greater faith and service to God. Our experiences are different because everyone’s journey is different. But Jesus died for every one of us so that we can know a new and better life. And He wants all of us to know the peace that comes from a life lived in service to Him.
Let us live in such a way that we can say at the end of our lives, “the end of a thing is better than its beginning” as in Ecclesiastes 7:8. May the end of our lives, whether fifty years from now or within the next minute, be the best times because we are found faithful to our Lord and are eagerly awaiting His return to call us home. For who can deny that the most beautiful words ever spoken to us will be, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’?”… “And the righteous will enter into eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-36, 46.
How can we be born again? How do we start our new beginning? God has given us the answer in His Word. We must know and obey the following:
- Salvation is a gift of God. I cannot on my own attain it. Without grace, I would die in my sins.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Rom 6:23
- Although salvation is a gift, I must obey God’s requirements in order to accept this gift of grace.
“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.” Matt 7:21
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” John 15:10
- I must hear the Word (read the Bible, study, meditate) and believe that the Bible in its entirety is God's Word.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
“… you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 3:15
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Timothy 3:16
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21
- I must have faith that God exists and will reward those who obey Him.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31
“Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’”
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." --Luke 13:3
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord will call.”
- I must confess publicly that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven, but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven."
- I must be baptized for the remission of my sins as part of the requirement to be saved.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord will call.”
- I must live a faithful life or else I will lose the gift of salvation. Obedience is commanded until our lives end.
“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” I
If you find that your faith is lacking, your fervor to do the work of the Lord is waning, or you have allowed sin in your life to crowd out your spiritual walk with God, may this study of God’s Word encourage you to make a brand new start this very day. We should all examine our lives often (2 Corinthians 13:5) to ensure that we are in the faith.
May the Lord richly bless you this day.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Living by the Spirit IV: Love is not...
Today’s Passage: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...” I Corinthians 13:4-8a
The first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 is love. Certainly, much can be written about love and we will not be able to exhaust the subject in these next two devotionals. The love that comes from God is sacrificial love and is greater than our human minds can fathom. True love means loving those who don’t deserve it. After all, we did not deserve to be saved, yet God through His wonderful gift of grace chose to offer salvation to us. This is not something God had to do, but it is something He chose to do because He loves us. While people were hurting His Son, God was working to provide salvation to all of us through Jesus’ sacrifice (John 3:16). Praise the Lord that we serve such a loving God and that He has revealed to us in His Word how we should love one another.
This study, we will look at what love is not. Then, Lord willing, we will study what love is in our next devotional.
1. Love is not loving only the lovable.
In Jesus’ day, there were many misunderstandings about love. Jesus contrasts the thoughts of the day with His higher form of love. In Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Here we learn that love is not taking revenge but it is showing meekness (power under control). Jesus was the greatest example of this characteristic in that He could have instantly punished those who spit on Him, mocked Him, beat Him and slapped Him. Yet He did not because He knew His mission. His love for mankind was strong enough for Him to overcome the temptation to punish His abusers.
Continuing on in Matthew 5:40-42, Jesus taught, “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” Again, we learn that love is being selfless and humble enough to “lose face” in order to show Christ’s love to those who hate us. Nothing on this earth is more important than Jesus’ love. A replacement cloak can be bought and going further than we are commanded to go in order to help another will surely not kill us. Certainly, wisdom must be combined with these teachings if the person asking for money is addicted to alcohol or other drugs, or if the person asking for our butcher knife is known to be violent. But in the majority of situations, if someone needs our help, we should be willing to help with loving kindness, showing no partiality.
Jesus further teaches in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” These teachings are not easy, but Jesus Christ showed us how we are to live these teachings. Christ did not just tell us what to do, but He obeyed the same teachings. How much love would it take to ask God to forgive those who are crucifying you? Certainly, Jesus loved His neighbor and His enemies. We must learn to love those who are hard to love and even those who mean us harm. When we can think of someone who has harmed us, and the first thought that comes to mind is no longer the harm they did, we are well on our way to loving our enemies. This may take much prayer and dedication to learn to replace our negative thoughts of a person with concern for their souls, while petitioning to God in our prayers that he or she will repent and be forgiven.
2. Love is not hypocritical or fake or showing partiality.
We learn in Romans 12:9 that our love must be free of hypocrisy. James 2:8-9 teaches, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” We should not show favoritism or seek personal favors by pretending to love someone. Also, we must not withhold love from those who are not of the same status. If we say that we love someone but then have negative thoughts about them and do not wish that person well, are we being genuine? Love is not merely an emotion; it is a sacrifice for others because we treasure them above ourselves (Philippians 2:3). We are also taught in this verse to hate what is evil and cleave to what is good. We must learn to love the person and hate the sin. This requires us to want to help the sinner to be saved by showing kindness and love while teaching God’s Word.
3. Love is not envious, for display, arrogant, rude, self-seeking, easily provoked, thinking evil thoughts, the enjoyment of sin or something we do for a short time only.
According to I Corinthians 13:4-6, 8: “love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity…Love never fails.” This passage is a great study of what love is and what it is not. We could spend many hours discussing each of these points!
4. Love is not something we do out of fear of punishment.
We are taught in II Timothy 1:7 that our primary motivation to do good should not be one of fear but one of genuine love. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Though we should have a fear of punishment if we fail to repent of our sins, we should not have such an unhealthy image of God that we picture Him as an unloving and uncaring dictator. He is our loving Father who longs to hold us and protect us (Matthew 23:37) and will wipe our tears away in Heaven (Revelation 7:17; 21:4). If we do good to others simply to escape damnation, then we have missed the entire teachings of Jesus and the love of God shown to us throughout His plan of salvation.
5. Love is not part of us if we hate a brother or sister in Christ.
John, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had much to write regarding love. In I John 3:10, we learn that we are of the devil and not God if we do not practice righteousness or if we do not love our brother (or sister) in Christ. Additionally, if we say that we love God but then hate our brother, we are a liar, according to I John 4:20. In order to love God, we must love our fellow Christians, for we are all God’s children and heirs of His promise.
6. Love is not withholding good from others.
If we have the ability to care for others and do not do so, then we do not have love. In James 4:14-17, we learn that if we pray for a brother or sister who needs clothes or food but do not help them when we have the capacity to do so, it profits neither them nor us anything. Also, we read that “whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” I John 3:17-18
7. Love is not overlooking sin in order to maintain peace.
We must not love the world or the sin therein. I John 2:15 teaches us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Not only must we avoid participating in sin, we must also ensure that we do not seem to approve of it by ignoring it. Ephesians 5:3-7 lists many sins that “must not even be named” among us, but we are also warned that we must not be partakers with them. If we go to a party where others drink and dance, even if we avoid alcohol and dance with no one, what message must it send when we laugh and have fun with those who do? How can we hate sin and yet enjoy ourselves among those who are involved in it?
Romans 1:28-32 is a soul-searching passage. We may say that they do not gossip, are not proud, are not disobedient to parents, violent, unloving and so forth, but do we overlook these sins in our friends? After a list of sins that come from a debased mind, the judgment is passed that “those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Are we guilty of supporting those whose lives are full of sin? We should be careful to look at our own lives and determine if we allow the sin of the world to lull us into a sense of complacency and tolerance.
There are many more things that love is not, but I pray this suffices for us to begin thinking about our own love. Do we have any of these negative characteristics? If so, my prayer is that we recognize their dangers, repent of these sins and ask the Lord and those we have harmed to forgive us.
In our next devotional, if the Lord wills, we will study what love is.
May the Lord richly bless you and me as we seek to live more loving lives and to shine Christ’s light throughout this dark world.
The first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 is love. Certainly, much can be written about love and we will not be able to exhaust the subject in these next two devotionals. The love that comes from God is sacrificial love and is greater than our human minds can fathom. True love means loving those who don’t deserve it. After all, we did not deserve to be saved, yet God through His wonderful gift of grace chose to offer salvation to us. This is not something God had to do, but it is something He chose to do because He loves us. While people were hurting His Son, God was working to provide salvation to all of us through Jesus’ sacrifice (John 3:16). Praise the Lord that we serve such a loving God and that He has revealed to us in His Word how we should love one another.
This study, we will look at what love is not. Then, Lord willing, we will study what love is in our next devotional.
1. Love is not loving only the lovable.
In Jesus’ day, there were many misunderstandings about love. Jesus contrasts the thoughts of the day with His higher form of love. In Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Here we learn that love is not taking revenge but it is showing meekness (power under control). Jesus was the greatest example of this characteristic in that He could have instantly punished those who spit on Him, mocked Him, beat Him and slapped Him. Yet He did not because He knew His mission. His love for mankind was strong enough for Him to overcome the temptation to punish His abusers.
Continuing on in Matthew 5:40-42, Jesus taught, “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” Again, we learn that love is being selfless and humble enough to “lose face” in order to show Christ’s love to those who hate us. Nothing on this earth is more important than Jesus’ love. A replacement cloak can be bought and going further than we are commanded to go in order to help another will surely not kill us. Certainly, wisdom must be combined with these teachings if the person asking for money is addicted to alcohol or other drugs, or if the person asking for our butcher knife is known to be violent. But in the majority of situations, if someone needs our help, we should be willing to help with loving kindness, showing no partiality.
Jesus further teaches in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” These teachings are not easy, but Jesus Christ showed us how we are to live these teachings. Christ did not just tell us what to do, but He obeyed the same teachings. How much love would it take to ask God to forgive those who are crucifying you? Certainly, Jesus loved His neighbor and His enemies. We must learn to love those who are hard to love and even those who mean us harm. When we can think of someone who has harmed us, and the first thought that comes to mind is no longer the harm they did, we are well on our way to loving our enemies. This may take much prayer and dedication to learn to replace our negative thoughts of a person with concern for their souls, while petitioning to God in our prayers that he or she will repent and be forgiven.
2. Love is not hypocritical or fake or showing partiality.
We learn in Romans 12:9 that our love must be free of hypocrisy. James 2:8-9 teaches, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” We should not show favoritism or seek personal favors by pretending to love someone. Also, we must not withhold love from those who are not of the same status. If we say that we love someone but then have negative thoughts about them and do not wish that person well, are we being genuine? Love is not merely an emotion; it is a sacrifice for others because we treasure them above ourselves (Philippians 2:3). We are also taught in this verse to hate what is evil and cleave to what is good. We must learn to love the person and hate the sin. This requires us to want to help the sinner to be saved by showing kindness and love while teaching God’s Word.
3. Love is not envious, for display, arrogant, rude, self-seeking, easily provoked, thinking evil thoughts, the enjoyment of sin or something we do for a short time only.
According to I Corinthians 13:4-6, 8: “love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity…Love never fails.” This passage is a great study of what love is and what it is not. We could spend many hours discussing each of these points!
4. Love is not something we do out of fear of punishment.
We are taught in II Timothy 1:7 that our primary motivation to do good should not be one of fear but one of genuine love. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Though we should have a fear of punishment if we fail to repent of our sins, we should not have such an unhealthy image of God that we picture Him as an unloving and uncaring dictator. He is our loving Father who longs to hold us and protect us (Matthew 23:37) and will wipe our tears away in Heaven (Revelation 7:17; 21:4). If we do good to others simply to escape damnation, then we have missed the entire teachings of Jesus and the love of God shown to us throughout His plan of salvation.
5. Love is not part of us if we hate a brother or sister in Christ.
John, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had much to write regarding love. In I John 3:10, we learn that we are of the devil and not God if we do not practice righteousness or if we do not love our brother (or sister) in Christ. Additionally, if we say that we love God but then hate our brother, we are a liar, according to I John 4:20. In order to love God, we must love our fellow Christians, for we are all God’s children and heirs of His promise.
6. Love is not withholding good from others.
If we have the ability to care for others and do not do so, then we do not have love. In James 4:14-17, we learn that if we pray for a brother or sister who needs clothes or food but do not help them when we have the capacity to do so, it profits neither them nor us anything. Also, we read that “whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” I John 3:17-18
7. Love is not overlooking sin in order to maintain peace.
We must not love the world or the sin therein. I John 2:15 teaches us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Not only must we avoid participating in sin, we must also ensure that we do not seem to approve of it by ignoring it. Ephesians 5:3-7 lists many sins that “must not even be named” among us, but we are also warned that we must not be partakers with them. If we go to a party where others drink and dance, even if we avoid alcohol and dance with no one, what message must it send when we laugh and have fun with those who do? How can we hate sin and yet enjoy ourselves among those who are involved in it?
Romans 1:28-32 is a soul-searching passage. We may say that they do not gossip, are not proud, are not disobedient to parents, violent, unloving and so forth, but do we overlook these sins in our friends? After a list of sins that come from a debased mind, the judgment is passed that “those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Are we guilty of supporting those whose lives are full of sin? We should be careful to look at our own lives and determine if we allow the sin of the world to lull us into a sense of complacency and tolerance.
There are many more things that love is not, but I pray this suffices for us to begin thinking about our own love. Do we have any of these negative characteristics? If so, my prayer is that we recognize their dangers, repent of these sins and ask the Lord and those we have harmed to forgive us.
In our next devotional, if the Lord wills, we will study what love is.
May the Lord richly bless you and me as we seek to live more loving lives and to shine Christ’s light throughout this dark world.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
He Who is In You - Shelter Devotional 1/16/11
Dear ladies,
Though I know that we are in the middle of a study on the Fruit of the Spirit, I thought you may benefit from reading a devotional I wrote to present to a local women's shelter tomorrow morning. I find the passages of Scripture helpful and pray that you will, too. Though it is titled the same as one of our own Priceless Pearls devotionals, the Scripture references and devotional differ. At any rate, it is on my heart to share it so I am doing so now. I do plan to finish the Fruit of the Spirit study soon. May the Lord bless you all! Amy
Monthly Matt's House Women's Shelter Devotional
He Who is in You…
Verse for this Month: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4
This passage gives me much hope. It tells us that no matter how rough things get, God is stronger than our burdens. No matter how sad we are, God’s love is great enough to give us hope. And no matter how much people ridicule us, Jesus was treated even worse and He has compassion and love for us. We read in Hebrews 4:14-16: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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.” This passage teaches us that Jesus experienced many hardships while on the earth. Because of this, He has great empathy for us. If we will trust and obey our Lord, He will take care of us and help us through our troubles.
God never promised us that we would not have troubles here on earth. In fact, Jesus warned that people had persecuted the prophets before Him, they would crucify Him, and they would surely persecute those who follow Him. If we take up our cross and follow Jesus, as we are told to do in Matthew 16:24, then we can expect to be persecuted by those who rebel against God. This may sound depressing and hopeless. Why fight for the Lord if we know that we will be persecuted?
Let us read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:10-12: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
The reason that we face adversity and trials in life for Jesus’ sake is because He died to save us from our sins. If we obey Him, and are willing to stand up for Him, then we know that we will be rewarded by living together in peace and happiness with our Lord in heaven!
Sometimes we may start to lose faith and our present troubles weigh us down. We begin to lose sight of God’s precious promises. Paul faced many great trials during His ministry for Christ. He lists some of the things that he faced in 2 Corinthians 11:25: He labored abundantly; he received stripes above measure, was in prison frequently and faced death often. He writes, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” Surely Paul faced great troubles and distress! Why would he do these things knowing that his life on earth would be full of troubles? Paul had already written the answer to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 4:14-18: “knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
So we see that the things we do for God are remembered by Him and will be rewarded in heaven. The glory of heaven is worth anything we can face on the earth. Paul also wrote another reason for us to face the struggles of this world for the sake of the Lord in Romans 8:16-18: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 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.” We are told here that even the biggest problems we face on earth are nothing compared to the wonderful beauty and glory of heaven! Everything will pale in comparison once we see God in His full glory, and we will be in our own glorious body so that we can live forever there with our God.
People of God have always faced trials and distress. Hebrews 11 is considered to be the Faith chapter of the Bible. In it are listed various men and women of God who were faithful. In Hebrews 11:35-40 we read of the terrible things that some of the Old Testament people faced: some “were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” These people were persecuted in horrible ways, even though they had not received the promise yet. Christ was the promised Savior, and He had not come to earth yet. But the people clung to the hope and faith in God that He would save them. Now, we live on the other side of Christ’s earthly ministry and His death, burial and resurrection. We can read in the Bible how everything that was prophesied about Him in the Old Testament was fulfilled by Him in the New Testament. Surely, we should have much faith since we know that Christ has come to save us of our sins and that He will indeed come again.
Yet not everyone will enjoy the great promises of God. Some will not obey God’s Word while others will fall away, unwilling to endure the trials that come with serving God. Jesus said in John 8:31-32: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” God promises a rest for the weary, but only if we obey Him and remain faithful. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:21 that “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”. And Hebrews 5:9 teaches us that Jesus learned obedience to God by the things He suffered, and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
How do we know what things we must obey? God revealed His Word by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to several men who wrote the various books of the Bible. These words are the living Word of God – they are not man’s thoughts but God’s thoughts. We can only know what we must do in order to please God by reading His Word and obeying it. Just as we would need to read an instruction manual to know how to put together a cabinet that we receive in pieces, we must read the Instruction Manual of Life, which is the Holy Bible, to know how to live and how to die in the Lord.
We read in the Bible that in order to become a Christian, we must obey the following commands.
* Acts 3:19-20 tells us to confess our sins in repentance: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus.” Here we see that our sins are forgiven if we first repent.
* Next, we must confess our faith in Jesus verbally. Matthew 10:32 says “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge Him before my Father in heaven.” We cannot expect Christ to mediate between God and us if we won’t tell others about Him (“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” - I Timothy 4:5).
* In addition, we must confess our belief in His death, burial & resurrection through baptism for salvation. Rom 6:3-4 states, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” We learn in I Peter 3:21 that “…this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”
* Furthermore, we must confess Him in daily discipleship. Luke 14:27 states “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Carrying our cross means to bear the hardship of being Christ’s follower, accept the persecution that we will surely endure and follow Him no matter what the cost. Jesus Himself said he had no where to lay his head – His pillow was a stone. But look at the glory He enjoys now, with God in Heaven. And we can have this joy, too!
* We must also confess Him in fellowship with other believers. Acts 2:42 says “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The Christians enjoyed fellowship with each other – and we can too. By worshipping with other Christians, we can share in the joy of salvation with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…” We can see how important it is for Christians to meet together to worship God, partake of the Lord’s Supper and encourage one another.
* We must live faithful lives, serving God and our fellow man. 2 Corinthians 13:5 states, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” We must continually examine our lives and our actions to ensure that we are living as God wants us to live. And in I Timothy 2:1-3, we learn that we should offer “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving… for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” God wants us to love Him and to love one another, but we cannot do that if we don’t obey Him. Furthermore, God wants us to share His Word with others around us. In I Thessalonians 5:14, we read “and we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” We must help each other to be strong and live faithful lives.”
If we become Christians and live faithfully, there are many promises God has made to us. In I Corinthians 10:13, we are told that God helps us to overcome temptations: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
We are not left alone to fight. In fact, Christ has already won the battle over sin and death. We just have to remain on His side. One of the most inspirational passages in the Bible teaches us that heaven will be worth it all. "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” - Revelation 21:3-4. Heaven will surely be worth all of our trials and sorrows.
Written: January 15, 2011
For Matt’s House Shelter devotional – January 16, 2011
Contact information:
North Brandon church of Christ
1029 Hwy 471
Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-6497
http://www.northbrandonchurchofchrist.org/
Though I know that we are in the middle of a study on the Fruit of the Spirit, I thought you may benefit from reading a devotional I wrote to present to a local women's shelter tomorrow morning. I find the passages of Scripture helpful and pray that you will, too. Though it is titled the same as one of our own Priceless Pearls devotionals, the Scripture references and devotional differ. At any rate, it is on my heart to share it so I am doing so now. I do plan to finish the Fruit of the Spirit study soon. May the Lord bless you all! Amy
Monthly Matt's House Women's Shelter Devotional
He Who is in You…
Verse for this Month: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4
This passage gives me much hope. It tells us that no matter how rough things get, God is stronger than our burdens. No matter how sad we are, God’s love is great enough to give us hope. And no matter how much people ridicule us, Jesus was treated even worse and He has compassion and love for us. We read in Hebrews 4:14-16: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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.” This passage teaches us that Jesus experienced many hardships while on the earth. Because of this, He has great empathy for us. If we will trust and obey our Lord, He will take care of us and help us through our troubles.
God never promised us that we would not have troubles here on earth. In fact, Jesus warned that people had persecuted the prophets before Him, they would crucify Him, and they would surely persecute those who follow Him. If we take up our cross and follow Jesus, as we are told to do in Matthew 16:24, then we can expect to be persecuted by those who rebel against God. This may sound depressing and hopeless. Why fight for the Lord if we know that we will be persecuted?
Let us read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:10-12: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
The reason that we face adversity and trials in life for Jesus’ sake is because He died to save us from our sins. If we obey Him, and are willing to stand up for Him, then we know that we will be rewarded by living together in peace and happiness with our Lord in heaven!
Sometimes we may start to lose faith and our present troubles weigh us down. We begin to lose sight of God’s precious promises. Paul faced many great trials during His ministry for Christ. He lists some of the things that he faced in 2 Corinthians 11:25: He labored abundantly; he received stripes above measure, was in prison frequently and faced death often. He writes, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” Surely Paul faced great troubles and distress! Why would he do these things knowing that his life on earth would be full of troubles? Paul had already written the answer to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 4:14-18: “knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
So we see that the things we do for God are remembered by Him and will be rewarded in heaven. The glory of heaven is worth anything we can face on the earth. Paul also wrote another reason for us to face the struggles of this world for the sake of the Lord in Romans 8:16-18: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 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.” We are told here that even the biggest problems we face on earth are nothing compared to the wonderful beauty and glory of heaven! Everything will pale in comparison once we see God in His full glory, and we will be in our own glorious body so that we can live forever there with our God.
People of God have always faced trials and distress. Hebrews 11 is considered to be the Faith chapter of the Bible. In it are listed various men and women of God who were faithful. In Hebrews 11:35-40 we read of the terrible things that some of the Old Testament people faced: some “were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” These people were persecuted in horrible ways, even though they had not received the promise yet. Christ was the promised Savior, and He had not come to earth yet. But the people clung to the hope and faith in God that He would save them. Now, we live on the other side of Christ’s earthly ministry and His death, burial and resurrection. We can read in the Bible how everything that was prophesied about Him in the Old Testament was fulfilled by Him in the New Testament. Surely, we should have much faith since we know that Christ has come to save us of our sins and that He will indeed come again.
Yet not everyone will enjoy the great promises of God. Some will not obey God’s Word while others will fall away, unwilling to endure the trials that come with serving God. Jesus said in John 8:31-32: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” God promises a rest for the weary, but only if we obey Him and remain faithful. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:21 that “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”. And Hebrews 5:9 teaches us that Jesus learned obedience to God by the things He suffered, and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
How do we know what things we must obey? God revealed His Word by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to several men who wrote the various books of the Bible. These words are the living Word of God – they are not man’s thoughts but God’s thoughts. We can only know what we must do in order to please God by reading His Word and obeying it. Just as we would need to read an instruction manual to know how to put together a cabinet that we receive in pieces, we must read the Instruction Manual of Life, which is the Holy Bible, to know how to live and how to die in the Lord.
We read in the Bible that in order to become a Christian, we must obey the following commands.
* Acts 3:19-20 tells us to confess our sins in repentance: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus.” Here we see that our sins are forgiven if we first repent.
* Next, we must confess our faith in Jesus verbally. Matthew 10:32 says “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge Him before my Father in heaven.” We cannot expect Christ to mediate between God and us if we won’t tell others about Him (“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” - I Timothy 4:5).
* In addition, we must confess our belief in His death, burial & resurrection through baptism for salvation. Rom 6:3-4 states, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” We learn in I Peter 3:21 that “…this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”
* Furthermore, we must confess Him in daily discipleship. Luke 14:27 states “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Carrying our cross means to bear the hardship of being Christ’s follower, accept the persecution that we will surely endure and follow Him no matter what the cost. Jesus Himself said he had no where to lay his head – His pillow was a stone. But look at the glory He enjoys now, with God in Heaven. And we can have this joy, too!
* We must also confess Him in fellowship with other believers. Acts 2:42 says “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The Christians enjoyed fellowship with each other – and we can too. By worshipping with other Christians, we can share in the joy of salvation with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…” We can see how important it is for Christians to meet together to worship God, partake of the Lord’s Supper and encourage one another.
* We must live faithful lives, serving God and our fellow man. 2 Corinthians 13:5 states, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” We must continually examine our lives and our actions to ensure that we are living as God wants us to live. And in I Timothy 2:1-3, we learn that we should offer “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving… for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” God wants us to love Him and to love one another, but we cannot do that if we don’t obey Him. Furthermore, God wants us to share His Word with others around us. In I Thessalonians 5:14, we read “and we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” We must help each other to be strong and live faithful lives.”
If we become Christians and live faithfully, there are many promises God has made to us. In I Corinthians 10:13, we are told that God helps us to overcome temptations: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
We are not left alone to fight. In fact, Christ has already won the battle over sin and death. We just have to remain on His side. One of the most inspirational passages in the Bible teaches us that heaven will be worth it all. "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” - Revelation 21:3-4. Heaven will surely be worth all of our trials and sorrows.
Written: January 15, 2011
For Matt’s House Shelter devotional – January 16, 2011
Contact information:
North Brandon church of Christ
1029 Hwy 471
Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-6497
http://www.northbrandonchurchofchrist.org/
Monday, January 10, 2011
Living by the Spirit III – Fruit of the Spirit
Today’s Passage: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Today will begin our study of the fruit of the Spirit. In order to for us to fully develop this fruit in our lives, we must first strive to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We have discussed living by the flesh. Now we will discuss how we can replace the sins of the flesh with Christian qualities.
Jesus told His disciples in John 15:8 that the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit. We bring glory to God when we exhibit characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. Our human tendencies are to seek attention for ourselves. We want to be recognized for a job well done. We often spend our day thinking of what we will do, where we will go, what we want and so forth. The daily grind of life can become our primary focus, leading us to take our focus off of serving God and others.
The fruit of the Spirit stands in direct contrast with our self-centeredness. Jesus’ teachings challenge us to focus on the needs of others. Imagine being a contemporary of Jesus’ day and hearing that the Messiah had come. You drop everything to follow after Him. This is the One who is sure to restore the Jewish nation and elevate you and your people. He has the power to destroy all of the enemies with blazing vengeance. Yet this Christ is not the Messiah that you thought would come. Jesus’ teachings are of humility, love and service. He even washes His disciples’ feet as if He is a lowly servant! (John 13:1-17) His kingdom is a spiritual one, as opposed to an earthly kingdom. Most of the things you and your fellow Jews pictured in the Messiah is shattered. Here is a Man who served others. And He even calls for you to put yourself last!
This surely must have surprised those who were waiting for the Jews' earthly kingdom to be restored. Jesus challenged them as well as us today to love one another. He calls for a change of heart and action. Instead of elevating ourselves as Christians, we are to treat others better than we do ourselves.
Christ gave us the greatest example of living by the Spirit. Jesus' life defined meekness: power under control. Though He had the power to destroy His enemies, He chose to die a painful, torturous death for mankind's sake. Jesus allowed others to spit on him, ridicule Him, beat Him and nail Him to a cross. Though the world was full of sin, Christ loved us so much that He chose to save us from spiritual death (Romans 5:8).
It is with this love and sacrifice in mind that we should approach Galatians 5:22-23. As we study each fruit of the Spirit, we should recall how Jesus reflected this quality in His own human life on earth. Lord willing, we will begin our study of the fruit of the Spirit by discussing “love” in our next lesson.
In the meantime, I encourage each of us to read I Corinthians 13. This chapter is a wonderful example of what love is and what it is not.
I Corinthians 13:1-13:
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. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 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. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
May the Lord bless you as you read and consider His Word. Thank you for the opportunity to study the fruit of the Spirit with you.
Today will begin our study of the fruit of the Spirit. In order to for us to fully develop this fruit in our lives, we must first strive to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We have discussed living by the flesh. Now we will discuss how we can replace the sins of the flesh with Christian qualities.
Jesus told His disciples in John 15:8 that the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit. We bring glory to God when we exhibit characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. Our human tendencies are to seek attention for ourselves. We want to be recognized for a job well done. We often spend our day thinking of what we will do, where we will go, what we want and so forth. The daily grind of life can become our primary focus, leading us to take our focus off of serving God and others.
The fruit of the Spirit stands in direct contrast with our self-centeredness. Jesus’ teachings challenge us to focus on the needs of others. Imagine being a contemporary of Jesus’ day and hearing that the Messiah had come. You drop everything to follow after Him. This is the One who is sure to restore the Jewish nation and elevate you and your people. He has the power to destroy all of the enemies with blazing vengeance. Yet this Christ is not the Messiah that you thought would come. Jesus’ teachings are of humility, love and service. He even washes His disciples’ feet as if He is a lowly servant! (John 13:1-17) His kingdom is a spiritual one, as opposed to an earthly kingdom. Most of the things you and your fellow Jews pictured in the Messiah is shattered. Here is a Man who served others. And He even calls for you to put yourself last!
This surely must have surprised those who were waiting for the Jews' earthly kingdom to be restored. Jesus challenged them as well as us today to love one another. He calls for a change of heart and action. Instead of elevating ourselves as Christians, we are to treat others better than we do ourselves.
Christ gave us the greatest example of living by the Spirit. Jesus' life defined meekness: power under control. Though He had the power to destroy His enemies, He chose to die a painful, torturous death for mankind's sake. Jesus allowed others to spit on him, ridicule Him, beat Him and nail Him to a cross. Though the world was full of sin, Christ loved us so much that He chose to save us from spiritual death (Romans 5:8).
It is with this love and sacrifice in mind that we should approach Galatians 5:22-23. As we study each fruit of the Spirit, we should recall how Jesus reflected this quality in His own human life on earth. Lord willing, we will begin our study of the fruit of the Spirit by discussing “love” in our next lesson.
In the meantime, I encourage each of us to read I Corinthians 13. This chapter is a wonderful example of what love is and what it is not.
I Corinthians 13:1-13:
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. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 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. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
May the Lord bless you as you read and consider His Word. Thank you for the opportunity to study the fruit of the Spirit with you.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year 2011!
Today's verse: "And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding." Daniel 2:21
Happy New Year 2011! The Lord has blessed us once again with a new year. Many of us will write resolutions (or at least a to do list) for this new year. We have many things that we would like to accomplish.
In planning this brand new year, consider including daily Bible study and prayer to your list. Here are some of the things that I would like to accomplish this year in order to become a better Christian, more loving wife and a dedicated soul winner as well as TIPS for making this happen:
1. Read through the Bible this year with readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament daily. Besides reading my own Bible and completing my reading assignments for my Bible college courses, I have also signed up for daily emails with selected readings. I find this to be very helpful to ensure that I complete each daily reading. Visit this site to sign up for your own scheduled Bible readings: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/
2. Pray daily: at least once with my entire prayer list handy and at least once with my own special requests that are on my mind. I plan to pray at night for my entire list of those needing prayer, as it is quite lengthy. In the morning, I can focus on the needs of the day and during the day, I can pray for whatever is affecting me or is on my mind at the time. This will help me to ensure that all of my needs are expressed to the Lord and that I am open to His guidance throughout each day.
3. Send cards weekly to those on my prayer list who are shut-ins, are grieving or have medical issues. Send cards periodically to those who need encouragement and to my Sunday School students to keep them motivated.
4. Write a women's Bible study book by year's end.
What are your plans for increasing your devotion to God's Word and working in His kingdom? Post your comments to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Priceless-Pearls-Devotionals-for-Women/99712831267 or email your ideas to: contact@pricelesspearlsdevotionals.com
May the Lord bless you and your family this holiday season.
Love in Christ,
Amy
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Priceless Pearls are Bible devotionals for women to remind us of Christ's love for us and how we can grow as Christian women in today's society. To receive these devotionals, please choose one of the following options:
Via BLOG (Atom/RSS Feed): Click on your Feed button or the Atom link at http://pricelesspearlsdevotionals.blogspot.com/
Via EMAIL: Visit our Yahoo group site to receive via email http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pricelesspearls/
Via Website: Bookmark our devotionals page to read the devotionals online http://pricelesspearlsdevotionals.blogspot.com/.
Visit us online for Bible study and teaching resources: http://www.pricelesspearlsdevotionals.com/
If you have any comments, suggestions or requests, please contact the author at contact@pricelesspearlsdevotionals.com
Thank you for joining our community. God bless you as you seek to follow His will.
Happy New Year 2011! The Lord has blessed us once again with a new year. Many of us will write resolutions (or at least a to do list) for this new year. We have many things that we would like to accomplish.
In planning this brand new year, consider including daily Bible study and prayer to your list. Here are some of the things that I would like to accomplish this year in order to become a better Christian, more loving wife and a dedicated soul winner as well as TIPS for making this happen:
1. Read through the Bible this year with readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament daily. Besides reading my own Bible and completing my reading assignments for my Bible college courses, I have also signed up for daily emails with selected readings. I find this to be very helpful to ensure that I complete each daily reading. Visit this site to sign up for your own scheduled Bible readings: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/
2. Pray daily: at least once with my entire prayer list handy and at least once with my own special requests that are on my mind. I plan to pray at night for my entire list of those needing prayer, as it is quite lengthy. In the morning, I can focus on the needs of the day and during the day, I can pray for whatever is affecting me or is on my mind at the time. This will help me to ensure that all of my needs are expressed to the Lord and that I am open to His guidance throughout each day.
3. Send cards weekly to those on my prayer list who are shut-ins, are grieving or have medical issues. Send cards periodically to those who need encouragement and to my Sunday School students to keep them motivated.
4. Write a women's Bible study book by year's end.
What are your plans for increasing your devotion to God's Word and working in His kingdom? Post your comments to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Priceless-Pearls-Devotionals-for-Women/99712831267 or email your ideas to: contact@pricelesspearlsdevotionals.com
May the Lord bless you and your family this holiday season.
Love in Christ,
Amy
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Priceless Pearls are Bible devotionals for women to remind us of Christ's love for us and how we can grow as Christian women in today's society. To receive these devotionals, please choose one of the following options:
Via BLOG (Atom/RSS Feed): Click on your Feed button or the Atom link at http://pricelesspearlsdevotionals.blogspot.com/
Via EMAIL: Visit our Yahoo group site to receive via email http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pricelesspearls/
Via Website: Bookmark our devotionals page to read the devotionals online http://pricelesspearlsdevotionals.blogspot.com/.
Visit us online for Bible study and teaching resources: http://www.pricelesspearlsdevotionals.com/
If you have any comments, suggestions or requests, please contact the author at contact@pricelesspearlsdevotionals.com
Thank you for joining our community. God bless you as you seek to follow His will.
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