BUILD UP THE CHURCH

BUILD UP THE CHURCH

Eph. 4:11-13 He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full-grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. NLT

      The Lord calls and equips leaders in the Church for the purpose of building up the church in faith and unity.  Every church leader should be a disciple-maker.  There should be no conflict of purpose.  It is God’s desire that every believer grows into maturity of faith and He selects certain disciples to lead the way.

     The responsibility God places on church leaders is to equip God’s people to be workers in the Kingdom.  It is their task to build up the body of Christ.  They are to unite the body around Christ so that as one they will be Christ in the flesh in the world.

       Sadly, there is way too much tearing down rather than building up of the body of Christ.  There are those in leadership who have personal agendas rather than Christ’s.  Some assume leadership without maturity of faith and do not have the understanding to avoid error in teaching.  Some leaders lack maturity of faith and are prone to be reactive rather than overcomers in the tough times of church life.  Some live lives that disqualify them from leadership roles.  Many need leading instead of trying to lead others.  Some leaders are leaders because of being popular with man without the direction or approval of Christ.

      Church leaders will either make or break the church’s witness in the community they serve in.  They will impact lives either for or against faith in Christ.  Leaders should be proven faith walkers and examples to be followed because of their godly lives.

      In order for the body of Christ to grow and become strong in faith and witness, she needs to be discerning about whom she allows to lead her.  There should never be a question concerning the calling of God on her leaders.  There should never be a question concerning their ability to lead others into spiritual maturity; they should always lead others to Christ and not away from Him.  There should never be a question about the way the faith they teach and proclaim affects their living.  People learn how to live by faith from those who are living the faith.  There should never be a question about where their loyalties lie; the Lord must always be first in their lives.

       If you are a church leader, live up to your calling; lead with integrity of heart and faith always.  If you are not a church leader, pray faithfully for those who are.  Without prayer support, no one can lead effectively or successfully. 

       Prayer should be the shield surrounding every leader in the church. 

LIVING A GODLY LIFE

LIVING A GODLY LIFE

Eph. 4:1-3 Therefore, I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.  NLT

      These verses have always had a huge impact on me in my walk with the Lord. I am challenged by my need to live a life worthy of my calling in Christ. Jesus has called me out of my sin into a life of holiness. He has called me into a life where I just say no to sin and yes to godliness. Do I always do it? No. But, it is the desire of my heart. I want to please the Lord in my living and when I fall down, I seek His forgiveness and renew my desire to do better the next time.

     The message is clear, godly living requires us to be humble, gentle, patient with each other, and allowing for each other's faults out of love. It does not mean that we look the other way and excuse sin in each other's lives. The love of Christ compels us to address sin when we find it, but it must be done in the right way and with the right attitude. We must always lovingly aim to help each other live rightly before God.

      The goal of all living is to stay connected with the Spirit of Christ and be as one before Him in peace. The more we allow the Spirit to influence our living, the greater will be our oneness. It is when we leave the Spirit out of our living that we become divided and have relationship problems with both God and man.

      Are you living a life worthy of your calling in Christ Jesus today? God has called you to live in holiness before Him. He has called you to a life of compassion, gentleness, and peacefulness. Only a life immersed in the life of Christ and led by the Spirit can do these things. Are you one of these?

GLORY BE TO GOD!

GLORY BE TO GOD!

Eph. 3:20-21 Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.  NLT

      First of all, all glory belongs to God.  When we ascribe to people greatness and praise, we are robbing God of His glory.  We can appreciate what others do and say, but let us be careful that we don’t go beyond that.

      It is by His mighty power at work within us that He is able to do anything in us and through us.  It is not us or anything we do that accomplishes the work of God in us.  Our efforts alone are wasted energy.  We must always recognize and acknowledge the hand of God in all we do.

      He is able to do far more than anything we could ever dream possible, if we were to but let Him loose in our lives.  We hinder what the Lord will do by our lack of faith and by our unwillingness to let Him work freely in us.  We hinder His work in us by not letting go of many things that are baggage to our souls and weigh us down. 

      We hinder God when we doubt His ability to do what we can’t see or imagine.  We say we believe in a God who can do all things, but in practice, we don’t live it.  We confine God to our comfort zone.  We fail to really believe in God’s unrestricted power.  We so often fail to tap into the resources available to us because of our lack of faith.

      May the Lord increase our faith and give us willing hearts so that He can do greater things in and through us.  May our lives be a display of His mighty power and may He always be lifted up and glorified through us both now and forever.

GREAT IS GOD'S LOVE

Eph. 3:19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  NLT

       It is my prayer for you today that you experience the love of Christ.  I pray that you will know that Jesus loves you.  It is my hope for you that no matter what you may be going through in your life that you know you are loved by God.  It is so easy to become so entangled by the circumstances of life that we lose sight of the fact that we are loved by God.  I want you to know that Jesus loves you.  He really does.  I want for you today that you be overwhelmed by the realness of His love.  I want for you that you never doubt the fact that not only did Jesus love you from the cross, He loves you from His throne in heaven today.

       There is no understanding the magnitude or depth of His love.  We cannot begin to fathom just how great the love of God for us is.  It is so overpowering and overwhelming that no one can understand it.  All we can do is enjoy it. 

      It is my prayer for you today that you take a bath in His love, that you let it soak deeply into your soul and that you let it permeate everything you do today as you live amongst men.  God’s love is a fact and not a feeling.  You are loved unconditionally all the time.  You are loved in a way that no one else can love you. 

       When you are down and feel lonely and unloved, remember: God loves you.  No matter how unloved you may think you are, God loves you far beyond anything you can imagine.  When others forsake you and make you feel unwanted or welcome in their lives, God loves you and welcomes you with open arms.

       It is my prayer that you will open your heart up wide today and let the love of God for you flood your soul.

GOD'S IMMEASURABLE LOVE

GOD’S IMMEASURABLE LOVE

Eph. 3:18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  NLT

       It takes power, the power of God at work within us, for us to get a grasp on how great God’s love for us is.  It is only as we live in Christ faithfully that we begin to understand that we are loved by God.  God’s love for us surpasses anything else we have ever known before.  It is broader, longer, higher and deeper than we can ever fully grasp. 

       The wonder of God’s love is that there is more than enough of it for everyone who has ever lived or shall live to be saved.  There is no human being who is beyond the desire of God to love them and save them.  How can it be?  How can God love all humanity equally?  How can God love each of us adequately?   I don’t know, but He does. 

     The more we experience the love of God for us, the more we come to realize that we cannot contain or measure His love.  There is no time ever in which God does not love us.  He loves us during the good and bad times of our walk with Him.  He loves us with great understanding.  He loves us no matter how we might fail Him.

      Man’s love is fickle.  It is unreliable and can easily be offended.  Man’s love is so often dependent on the love of others; we love those who return our love.  We treat with kindness those who are kind to us.  It is not that way with God.  He loves us with no strings attached.  He loves us and went out of His way to prove it when He went to the cross and died for our sins.

      Let your heart not be troubled today; God loves you.  Let not the treatment of others bother you today; God loves you.  Let not your heart be afraid of what lies before you; God loves you.  Let not your heart despair because of the rejection of others today; God loves you.  He loves you beyond measure; He always has and He always will.

ROOTED DEEP IN GRACE

ROOTED DEEP IN GRACE

Eph. 3:17 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous grace.  NLT

      What an awesome prayer!  It should be a prayer that we all live by.  What a huge difference it would make in and outside the church if we were all to be led by this pray. 

       It is my prayer for you today that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart.  There is no greater joy in life than to know the realness of Christ in the heart.  Our greatest need is for the Lord to have more and more of our heart’s space.  The more Christ rules our hearts, the more like Him we become and the more capable we are of living a life pleasing to Him.

      It is my prayer that you know how to trust the Lord in all things.  I pray for you today that you will let go of those things that hinder you in your walk with the Lord and simply trust Him to watch over and take care of you.  I pray that you will discover that the Lord never fails to keep His promises to those who trust in Him.  I pray that you will never doubt God’s love for you and His desire to always do that which is good for you.

      I pray that your roots will go down deep into the soil of God’s grace.  Dear friend, there is no greater contentment you will find in life than that of growing deep in God’s grace.  You will never discover the riches of heaven until you abandon your ties to earth and go all the way with the Lord.  I pray that you will daily feed your soul with the things of God and that you will strive to always stay close to Him in fellowship.  The deeper you go in grace, the more satisfaction you will find for your soul and the more you will admire and appreciate our wondrous Lord.        

INNER STRENGTH

Eph. 3:16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources, he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  NLT

      There are ample resources in heaven to help you get the strength in spirit you need to handle whatever you face in life.  God is able to help you become the spiritual giant that you are not now.  He is able to help you stand steadfast and true no matter what Satan may throw at you.  He is able to redirect your thoughts to Him and get your mind off of the things of earth that hinder you.  He is able to change the desires of your heart so that you will long for the things of God and not the things of the earth.  He is able to help you live in the present with an eye for your future instead of your past.  The Lord can strengthen you where you are weak in faith.  He is able to make you strong so that you can be an effective witness for Him in the world.

       The issue is not God’s ability; the question is our willingness to let Him.  The Lord will not work in us to make us strong against our will.  He will not do anything for us if we don’t give Him permission to do so.  Our natural tendency is to resist the work that God needs to do in us to make us strong.

      Pray that your heart will be willing to let the Lord have His way in you and pray the same prayer for all those you know who are in Christ.  Pray for inner strength, the strength to stand strong in the face of temptation without yielding to it.  Pray for strength to open your mouth and speak up for the Lord when you have the chance.  Pray for the strength to not compromise truth when it’s to your advantage to do so.  Pray for the strength to never give up giving the Lord your very best as long as you have breath to breathe. 

       With the Lord’s strength and constant presence, there is nothing that can stop us from being salt and light in the world.

CHRIST MAKES US WELCOME

CHRIST MAKES US WELCOME

Eph. 3:12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.  NLT

      If you have a high regard for God in his holiness, you may also have a fear of coming into His presence.  It is very clear that God is holy and will never allow sin into His presence.  He condemns all who live in sin and can never embrace them in righteousness.  It should cause us much fear to approach God when we are not holy.

      However, Jesus came and did for us what we could not do.  He made us holy so that we could approach God.  When He forgives our sins, He replaces our sin with His righteousness and holiness.  He makes us approachable to God.  We have nothing to fear as we approach God as long as we live in Christ.  Only with Jesus standing between God and us are we able to draw near to God.  Anyone who tries to enter into the presence of God without Christ will be turned away long before they ever draw near.  God cannot have anything to do with a sin-infested heart.

      When we approach God with Jesus as our Savior, God welcomes us gladly.  He reaches out for us and embraces us in His love.  We come under His protective care and forever find our pleasure in Him. All may approach God, but not without Christ, the forgiver of our sins and our wisdom, righteousness, and holiness before God.

      Notice that when we approach God in Christ, He gladly welcomes us into His presence.  Wow, what a wondrous thought!  Want to make God happy?  Live in Christ.  Honor Christ in all you do, strive to please Him, serve Him faithfully and seek to resist sin in your life and God will be very pleased with you.

       We can’t even imagine the joy it will bring to God when we remain faithful and complete our walk of faith in this life.  I suspect there will be a welcoming committee for us when we make it to heaven.  Jesus will be the first to greet us and He will say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant.  Enter now into the Kingdom of God.”  I can’t say for sure, but I suspect when He does welcome us into His kingdom, there will be a big smile on His face.

       If you are a child of God, you are welcome in God’s presence.  You can approach Him without fear and with boldness.

      If Jesus is not your Savior, no matter how hard you try, you will not be welcome to enter into God’s presence.  Your prayers will all be in vain.  He only hears the prayers of a broken and contrite heart from those living in sin.

       Is Jesus your Savior today?

GOD'S HOLY FAMILY

GOD’S HOLY FAMILY

 Eph. 2:19-22 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's holy family. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  NLT

       If you are building your life on any other foundation other than Christ, your life will crumble and fall apart. There is nothing you can do to make yourself strong enough to stand up against God. You will never be able to atone for your sins by living a good enough life. There is absolutely nothing you can do to keep God from sending you to hell unless you accept Jesus as your Savior. Jesus makes us a part of God's family, citizens of heaven. Jesus makes us suitable houses for God to live in on earth.

       And by the way, Jesus is not just our Savior, He is our Lord. We cannot separate the two. Jesus is both Savior and Lord. We oftentimes don't seem to get it. We open the door to our hearts and profess Jesus as Savior and we stop there. We often think that it is good enough, but is it? What makes us think that Jesus has a split personality? He is both Savior and Lord and when He is in our lives our lives must show it. God's people are a holy people and they only become holy as they allow Jesus to become their Lord.

       We often treat Jesus as if He were holding onto our lives by a thread. We want Him to hang around for the sake of our souls, but we don't want Him to interfere in how we live. Dear friend, it doesn't work that way. Like it or not, if Jesus is your Savior He is going to mess with your life. He is going to make His presence felt and change you. You can't have it your way. Jesus is Savior and Lord, the foundation upon which we build our lives and the only way we are found to be acceptable and pleasing to God.

      If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, you are a part of God’s holy family.  You will act and think out of the context of holiness.  You will not be conformed to the world’s standards, you will be conformed to Christ’s.  You will walk in the footsteps of those who have preceded us in the faith.  You will live righteously before both God and man.  Christ will be the very foundation of your life.  You will turn to and rely upon Him for the direction and purpose of your life.

      Is Jesus your LORD today?

GOD'S MASTERPIECE

Eph. 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  NLT

      We are God’s masterpiece.  Several things come to my mind when I think about this wonderful truth.  We are the best of God’s creation.  We are not an accident of His handiwork, but much thought and energy has gone into making us.  We are created to be put on display.  God wants all to see what He has done.  Great care has gone into making us just right.  We are created to bring God honor and glory.  We are His and not anyone else’s.  We are wonderfully made.

       Accept who you are.  God knows why He made you the way you are.  You, or others, may not understand the whys, but it’s not necessary for anyone to know.  It is enough to know that God knows.  He lovingly made you and if you can accept that and allow Him to have control of you, you will know great peace and happiness in your soul.  God has a plan for using you in your uniqueness and it is good what He desires to do in and through you. 

       We are created anew in Christ.  We are not like what we once were.  We have a fresh start in life, no longer bound by the things which once bound us.  We have a new identity so that we can fulfill His purposes for our lives. 

      We are created in Christ with a purpose, to fulfill God’s predetermined plans for our lives.  What God has planned for us to do is good.  We are not created to sit and do nothing, but to be busy serving Him.  No one who sits idly and does nothing for the Lord is living in obedience to Him. 

      It is good to be actively serving the Lord.   We discover our purpose for being and we help others along the way.  We experience God’s peace as we serve Him.  We discover that our lives matter, that we truly are making a difference in the world.

       You are God’s masterpiece.  No one can be just like you.  No one can impact life quite like you can.  No one can quite do what God has planned for you to do.  You alone can be you and if you fail to live actively in Christ doing what God planned for you to do, the church suffers.  You leave a hole that no one else can fill quite like you can. 

       Live each day doing your best to honor and glory Christ in all you do and you will be truly blessed.

THE GIFT OF SALVATION

THE GIFT OF SALVATION

Eph. 2:8-9 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  NLT

      No one can take any credit whatsoever for their salvation.  No one will make it to heaven because they have done well enough.  No one will get there because of someone else’s faith, because they acted like a Christian, or grew up in a godly home.  Salvation is a gift from God.

      A gift is something that becomes yours when you reach out and take it as your own when it is offered to you.  A gift is something that is given because of the generosity and love of the giver.  A gift is something to be treasured because of the love of the giver.  It is something for which we ought to be thankful for.  The value of a gift is based on the love of the giver, not any monetary value we may place upon it.  A gift is given unconditionally and sacrificially.  It always costs the giver something.  A gift is given for the benefit of the receiver of the gift, to bring joy and happiness to him.

      Salvation is a gift, not a reward for our labors.  If we could earn it, it would be what is owed us and not a gift.  We are saved by the grace of God, period.  It is God’s invitation for us to be embraced in His love.  It is God reaching out to us inviting us to enjoy the blessings of living in fellowship with Him.  He gave His very life so that we can have eternal life.  All we have to do is to accept His gift and enjoy it to the fullest. 

       Consider the cost of God’s gift of salvation.  He sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins.  For the only time in eternity, God and His Son weren’t together.  On the cross, God even had to turn His back on Jesus and not look at Him because He had our sins on His heart.  Jesus suffered not only the horrific agony of dying on the Roman cross, He tasted the horrific guilt and shame of our sins, even though He himself had never sinned.   Salvation is the most precious gift man could ever receive.

      Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation yet?  It is in His hands waiting for you to take hold of it and claim it for your own.  He does not withhold His gift from anyone who wants it.

GOD'S GIFT FOR YOU

GOD’S GIFT FOR YOU

Eph. 2:8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  NLT

       It is God who saves you. He is the one who speaks to your heart and convinces you that He loves you and desires a relationship with you. It is God who takes the initiative and draws you away from sin into His holiness and love. It is God who opens up your eyes so that you can see yourself through His eyes. It is God who causes you to feel the guilt and shame of sin. It is God who gives you the opportunity to be saved. It is His special favor towards you.

       There is nothing that we can do to help God save us. He only allows us the freedom to accept or reject what He has done for us. He rejects all efforts on our part to earn our salvation. He did everything there was to do to make it possible for us to be saved. God's provision is perfect. Because He loves us He offers us salvation with no strings attached. It is His gift to us.

        Don't ever get the idea that you deserve it, that for some reason you are worthy to be saved. It is an idea that is straight from hell. We are all sinners worthy of only hell. No one can ever be otherwise. We are born that way and it is only by God's special favor towards us that we can change.

      "Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. I do not deserve it. I don't understand why you chose me to be saved. But, I am so grateful you did. Lord, don't ever let me take my salvation for granted. Don't let me forget how precious and wonderful it is to be saved. Lord, don't let me live like a fool and act as if my salvation wasn't important to me. Lord, remind me often of just how blessed I am to know you as my Savior and Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen."

UNDERSTANDING HIS POWER

UNDERSTANDING HIS POWER

Eph. 1:19 I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.  NLT

       First of all, we should be a people of prayer.  We should be praying for one another so that we can be all that we should be in Christ.  Life would be so much easier for the believer if everyone would be praying for someone in the church.  We all need the prayers of others.

      Secondly, we have such a limited understanding of the incredible power of God within us.  We are so often reserved when it comes to tapping into God’s power.  We hesitate to step out boldly in power because we fear failure.  We know in our minds that great power exists in us, but our hearts don’t fully grasp it.  We fail to be as strong and effective in our walk with the Lord because we don’t let His power be released in us.

       I don’t know what it would look like in our lives if we were to have greater faith and let the power of God flow through us.  I am sure that things would be different for most of us.  I also know that there would be a lot of abuse, people manufacturing a semblance of power who really don’t have it.  But, isn’t it worth the risk?  If we were to tap into the power of God more, I do believe that we would grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Lord.  It would enhance our desire to be the holy people of God He commands us to be.

       The power of God is governed by the Spirit of God.  The more we are controlled by Him, the more we will be able to do in and through Christ.  If you lack God’s power at work in you, it’s time for you to surrender your all to the Spirit of Christ and let Him rule your heart.

PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH

Eph. 1:15-18 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.  NLT

       What a wonderful thing it would be to have a Paul on our side! Think about it. Who wouldn’t benefit from having someone pray constantly for them? I know I would! The prayer of Paul wasn’t for repentance. It wasn’t for superficial things. It was a prayer of purpose. Paul asked the Lord to bless the church with spiritual maturity. His desire was that the body of Christ would have the resources of God that would enable them to become godlier in their thinking and living.

      Spiritual wisdom and understanding, knowledge of God, the light of God to guide us, hope for the future, and an awareness of how rich and glorious this life we have in Christ, are all essential to a healthy soul. Would anything change if we were to be in constant prayer for one another for these things? Of course it would! We are to carry one another’s burdens to the Lord, but it shouldn’t be all that we carry to Him.

      We should love each other enough to want each other to continue to grow into spiritual maturity and blessings. We should ask the Lord to help each other become stronger in faith and more Christ-like in daily living. And, I believe that if we were to pray constantly for one another in this way, the burdens we bear will be less of a burden to us. We will be better equipped to handle what life throws at us, because we will to properly connect to our Burden-bearer.

      If we are in constant prayer for the good of one another, we will have very little time or desire to find fault with each other. We will be far less likely to dwell on each other’s weaknesses. We will be less likely to complain. We will be less likely to play the comparison game. We will be less likely to be jealous or proud.

      It is a good thing for us to pray good for each other. It pleases God and moves him to bless us and those we pray for. If you are not praying for the good of others, there is no better time than right now to do it. Pray, and watch the Lord work to accomplish some great things in the Church for His glory.

GOD'S LOVE FOR US

Eph. 1:4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  NLT

     Wow! What a wonderful truth to dwell on today! Before He even made the world, God loved us and chose us to be holy and without fault in His eyes as we live in Christ. Before He made the world, God knew He would make us as the objects of His love. He knew exactly how He would make us and what needs He would instill within us. He knew how to make us so that we would be able to love and be loved by Him. He knew exactly how every detail of what makes us human needed to fit together. He knew how to place every minute detail together in such a way that we would be unique from all other living creatures.

      God chose us, the objects of His love, to be holy and faultless as we live in Christ. God knew that we would have a desire to live in sin when He made us. He knew that with the ability to love Him would come the ability to not love Him. He made us anyhow because He had so much love to give and wanted to be surrounded by those who would love Him in return. He knew that many would rebel and reject His love and that He could not stand to have them around Him because of their sin. Therefore, He planned to provide a way for those who wanted it a way to be made pure and holy in His eyes. He lovingly decided before we were ever made to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Only God could change us from objects of His wrath to objects of His love.

      God knew that what we needed was holiness of heart. He is holy and only holiness can be near Him. In Christ we are made holy. The closer we live in relationship to Him, the more like Him we become. And, the more like Christ we become, the more we please God and are embraced in His love and invited to draw near.

CHRIST CHANGES US

CHRIST CHANGES US

Gal. 6:15 It doesn’t make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.  NLT

       The only thing that really matters as far as God is concerned is whether or not we have been changed into a new and different people.  Jesus saves us to change us and if we are not changed we are not His.  There are many different ways in which He changes us.

       He changes the way we think about life, others and ourselves.  We come to understand that life is not meaningless, that it indeed has a purpose rooted in Christ.  We discover that every person has a soul and is of great worth in God’s eyes.  We discover that we are special to God and that He chose us to be His children.  We discover that all of life revolves around Christ and not us.

       He changes the way we feel.  In place of sinful passions He installs godly passions.  He tempers our feelings that are fueled by sin and gives us the ability to react in a more godly way.  He gets to the root of our feelings and transforms them into a more acceptable way of feeling.

       He changes the ways of our hearts.  He works to transform our motives into that which pleases God.  He redirects our motives so that we live to please God and not man or ourselves.

      He changes our desires so that we will want to seek after the things of God.  He keeps working on us so that we will want to spend time with Him in His Word and prayer.  He instills within us a desire to be in fellowship with His children.  He changes the desires we have for the things of the world to desires for the things of God.

      The many ways God changes us should be obvious to all, including ourselves.  We should be able to take a regular examination of ourselves and see progress.  If we are not changing like we should, then we are not properly connected to Christ.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

Gal. 6:14  As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead.  NLT

       He could have, many would say he should have, but the Apostle Paul refused to brag about his accomplishments and pedigree in life.  Paul was on top of his world before he encountered the living Christ and was forever changed.  Paul was on a fast track for success in the religious community.  He had it all going for him and no one was stopping him.

      When Paul entered into a relationship with Christ, the only thing that then mattered to him was his salvation.  Paul understood the worth of his salvation.  He understood what Jesus did for him at Calvary and how it changed his life.  He lost all interest in what his life was all about.  He no longer cared about the things he had valued so much before Christ.  He knew how wrong he had been and poured himself into his new life in Christ.  His interest quickly became to study and understand the Scriptures and how they were fulfilled in Christ.  He was consumed with a passion to pass on to as many people as he could the wonderful Good News of salvation and he warned people about what would happen if they rejected it. 

        As a result of his changed life, the world lost all interest in him.  Paul was heading in a totally different direction and in fact, he was often persecuted for his faith, many times to the point of near death.  He quickly became the enemy of those who refused to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah.  Paul became for us an example worthy to be followed.  Nothing in life should matter more to us than our salvation and our living in Christ.

       What really matters is not what we can accomplish in the eyes of the world; it’s what we can accomplish in the Lord’s eyes.

DON'T QUIT

DON’T QUIT

Gal. 6:9 So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.  NLT

       It is so easy to get tired of what we are doing and give up trying.  This is especially true when it seems like we aren’t making any difference at all in people’s lives.  We have a need to know that we are not wasting time and energy on something that’s not working.  We measure success by results we can see and not by what we can’t see.

      God is different.  He measures results by the impact it has on the heart of man.  God knows what difference we make in the thinking of others.  What is planted in another’s life may not ever be seen by us, but it is always seen by God.  We need to grasp this important and wonderful truth.  No labor of love done in Jesus’ name is a waste of time or energy.  It is always good for us to do that which is good. 

      Satan wants to weary you.  He wants to get you discouraged and move you to give up your efforts to do good.  He wants to put a stop to the good you are doing.  Protect your soul and don’t listen to him.  God says that your living and serving have eternal value.  God says that anything done for His honor and glory will be blessed by Him and used by Him to help others.

      God promises that our labors are not in vain.  In due time, we will reap a harvest of blessings.  We may not see the harvest, but in eternity we will.  God uses what we do and adds it to what others do and reaps the harvest at the appropriate time.  He knows when it is time to bring it all together.  He knows the heart of man and exactly when it is time to reap the most spiritual good. 

      Keep on doing good and let the Lord bring forth the results.  Don’t let discouragement get a hold of you.  Don’t ever give up.  The Lord of the harvest blesses those who faithfully serve Him to the end.

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Gal. 6:7 Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow!  NLT

      Satan wants to lead you astray.  He wants to convince you that you can ignore God and His Word and it doesn’t matter.  He wants you to believe that there are no real consequences to leaving God out of your life.  He doesn’t want you to know that no one can ignore God and get away with it.  He wants you to believe that you can stray from God and get away with it. 

      We always reap what we sow.  Sometimes we live with the consequences of our behavior in this life and sometimes we will pay the price later.  Either way, we reap what we sow. 

       There is an important truth here that we must know.  When the Lord saves us from our sin, He doesn’t always remove the consequences of our sins from us.  We often are victims of our sinful behavior.  Some relationships that are broken will never be fixed.  Some health issues will linger and haunt us the rest of our lives.  Some penalties to society must be paid.  Sometimes we will pay for the rest of our lives for the sins we committed.  The Lord helps us deal with the consequences of our sinful choices, but He doesn’t always remove them from us.

       Take life seriously; take faith seriously.  Each of us reaps what we sow.  Live to please God always and you will not be burdened in life with the consequences of bad choices. 

DO THE RIGHT THINGS RIGHT

DO THE RIGHT THINGS RIGHT

Gal. 6:4-5 Be sure to do what you should for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.  NLT

    There is personal satisfaction in knowing that we have done things right.  When we live in Christ sincerely seeking to honor and glorify Him, we can know that God is pleased.  Knowing we please God should free us up from the need to compare ourselves with others.  It doesn’t matter how we stack up to others as long as we are living to please God.  When we stand before God we will not be judged in comparison to others, we will be judged in comparison to how we have lived by the Word of God.

       Each one of us is responsible for our own conduct.  No one can live our life for us.  We have to answer to God for how we have lived in response to what we know about Him and His Word.  The more we know about God, the greater our responsibility will be for what we do in life.  Once we know the truth, we will be held accountable for making that truth a part of our living.

      We dare not let this awareness pass in one ear and out the other.  It has to stop in our minds and get hold of us.  There will be no excuse for our failure to live out what we know.  Ignoring God’s revealed truth is deep trouble for our souls.  God does not take His Word lightly and neither can we. 

      Examine your life today.  Are you living in such a way that you can boldly stand before God knowing that he is well-pleased with you?