IT'S UP TO YOU

 

IT’S UP TO YOU

Col. 3:16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. NLT

It is up to you whether or not God’s Word will dwell in your heart. In order for you to know the richness of God’s Word, you must let it in. You must spend time in it, meditating on it, feasting on it. God’s Word makes one wise.

He who knows well the Word can use it to teach and give counsel to others. It is an essential part of the faith walk. We all need wisdom from the Word. We need others to help us understand truth better and others need us to help them. Together, we are made strong it the faith.

When the Word of God captures and drives the soul, there is much joy in the heart. The heart swells up in praise and thanksgiving. The promises of God move the soul in worship. A joyful heart is a thankful heart.

We deprive our souls of the best of what God has to give us when we starve ourselves of His Word. There can be no songs of praise and thanksgiving in the heart if the Word is not in the heart. The words of Christ give life and if applied to life give abundant life. If you find yourself not singing God’s praises and giving Him thanks from the heart, you need to make His Word an essential part of your daily life.

CHRIST'S WORD IN YOU

 

CHRIST’S WORD IN YOU

Col. 3:16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. NLT

You don't have to do it, you know. You don't have to let the words of Christ live in your heart. You can act like a fool and ignore what the Lord has to say. You don't have to live the way Christ instructs us to live. You don't have to teach the ways of Christ. There are a ton of other things out there you can offer people rather than the truth. Man is full of ideas as to how we should live and deal with life's issues. No, you don't have to let the words of Christ live in your heart and influence your thinking.

However, you will find out that only the words of Christ are worth the investment of life. They are rich because only Jesus can change the heart of man. Only the words of Jesus can make a man wise. Only the ways of Jesus work in making life worth the living.

Don't waste your time and energy chasing after the ways of the world. Instead, lift up your voice and praise the Lord. Sing back to Him His Word. Sing songs that build you up and draw you to Him. Sing songs of praise with a thankful heart. Be discerning in the songs you sing. Not all songs are worthy to be sung. Sing those songs which build you up and edify your soul. Worship the Lord today with a thankful heart for He is THE way, truth and life and He has chosen to live in YOU.

LOVING GRACE

 

LOVING GRACE

Col. 3:12-14 Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. NLT

Hear what the Word is saying to us today. Listen and understand it. God chose you in Christ because He loves you and He chose you to be holy. Do you know for a fact today that God loves you? How do you know it? What difference does it make for you to know it? Are you a holy person? What is there about you that verifies that it is true what you think about yourself?

Holiness is a life lived apart from sin, a life that strives to submit to and obey the standards of God as revealed in His Word. Some of the characteristics of holy living are found in today's verses. Take another look at them. Do they describe who you are? You may not have it altogether, but you should see some of them in you. How you treat others is a good barometer on how you are doing. If you are growing into a holy person, you will have a compassionate heart that treats people with kindness and love. Your first response to others will be that of love. You will not let anything they do or say keep you from loving them.

If you find it hard to love someone, you will flee to the Lord and ask Him to love them through you. He will change your heart into a heart of love if you will let Him. You cannot consistently pray for the good of someone without the Lord giving you a heart of love for them. You cannot become whom the Lord wants you to be, and created you to be in Him, until you do.

Love is what binds us together and love can only be found at the foot of the cross. Jesus takes away all that keeps us from loving each other and binds us together in perfect harmony. When we don't get along it's because we haven't lingered at Calvary long enough for it to impact our souls.

God commands us to be a holy people characterized by loving grace towards others. He treated us that way and demands that we pass it on to others.

OUR NEW NATURE

 

OUR NEW NATURE

Col. 3:9-10 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. NLT

What have you taken off? What difference has the Gospel you profess to believe in made in your life? What don't you do that you did before? What do you do now that you didn’t do before? What attitudes do you have now that you didn't have before about life and people? The reality is that if nothing noticeable has changed in you, then what you believe with your head is not what you believe in your heart. When Jesus is in us, we no longer can live in sin or maintain sinful attitudes. He won't let us. His Spirit convicts us of sin and moves us to confess sin and change.

In the place of our old way of life, Jesus gives us a brand-new life. It is a life built on the foundation of godliness. It is a life that never quits becoming more like God in character. It is a life that is never satisfied with what is, but is aware of the need for constant growth and change. When Jesus lives within us, we have a constant hunger and thirst for more of His life. We want who He is to be who we are.

Let the Lord renew your heart today by striving to learn more and more about Him in all His glory and honor as God within you. The old you has to go and the new you has to be your new norm.

It may take a while, in fact, the transformation into the new you will not be done until you get to heaven, but if you are indeed a child of God, progress will be seen in you and you will feel it.

PUT TO DEATH

 

PUT TO DEATH

Col. 3:5-6 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. NLT

Putting to death is to no longer let sinful things be a part of who you are. It is no longer living under the influence of sinful desires. It is refusing to participate in sinful things or practices. It is walking away from sinful temptations. It is squelching sinful desires. It is changing the course of our natural way to live and instead strive to live to honor and please God.

There are many things that the world deems to be good. There are many things that appeal to us and cause us to want them. We need to keep our desires under control. When what the world offers us become the driving force in our lives, it's greed. It causes us to want the world's offerings more than we do a healthy relationship with God. It is sin and we must be concerned about this. If we are not careful, we will develop greater priorities in life than God. We will be led away from God and into sin.

Paul warns us that those who do not put away from them their sinful desires and greed will face God's wrath. God will not fight for our allegiance; He lets us choose whether or not we will serve Him and love Him more than anyone, or anything, else in life. You cannot love the Lord and hang onto worldly desires or participate in worldly activities. You cannot love Him and desire something else more than Him. God commands all of our heart’s loyalties. We cannot live in Christ with earthly attachments.

Do not be lulled to sleep thinking God will not exercise wrath against those who live ungodly lives. He is holy and will NEVER let that which is ungodly near Him. The hammer will come down on everyone who lives in sin instead of Christ’s righteousness.

DO YOUR PART

 

DO YOUR PART

Col. 3:5a So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. NLT

Notice, we have a responsibility to put out the life of sin in us. We have to do our part if we are going to live in victory. God does not take away from us our desires. We still tend to want to sin and we must gain control over those desires. We must stand up to temptation and say no to it. We must resist the urge to pursue the things on earth that draw us away from God.

In order for us to be strong enough to put to death our sinful desires, we must take control over what we do in life. We must be students of God’s Word, which means we become more than casual readers of it. We must read the Word with a need and desire to learn its hidden treasures. We must be disciplined enough to spend daily time in it. We must be willing to listen to what it says and seek to apply it to our living. The more we study the Word, the stronger our faith becomes.

We must also put into practice what we learn. Knowledge alone does the soul no good. We must keep striving to develop the kind of life God says we should be living. Becoming holy in practice should always be our goal.

Strength of faith is found on our knees. We must discipline ourselves to be a people of prayer. It takes more than a casual thought to be a people of prayer. We need to discipline ourselves to wait before the Lord, spending quality time with Him on a consistent basis. Sunday morning prayer time in church is not going to cut it. Daily we need to spend time alone with the Lord, sitting at His feet, waiting before Him.

It is the strong in faith who will be able to put to death the sinful, earthly things that attract us and lure us away from God.

Satan is lurking, waiting for an opportunity to attack and devour you. Do your part and work out your salvation and you will be able to resist him and live in victory.

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

 

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

Col. 3:1-2 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. NLT

One of the biggest reasons why there is such shallowness in our spiritual lives is that we have allowed our thoughts to be dominated by earthly things. We are primarily concerned by the things we find on earth. We thrive on the rewards found in the world and pursue the earthly pleasures available to us. We listen to the many voices of the world to the point where we scarcely hear the voice of God.

We will never grow into a godly people until we accept our actions and take responsibility for them. We must understand that in order to be the people whom God created us to be in Christ, we must get our priorities straight.

As children of God, we must retrain ourselves to set our sights on the realities of heaven. We must learn all we can about Christ and heaven. We must keep our thoughts focused on what is before us, not on what is around us or behind us. We are not citizens of earth; we are citizens of heaven. We invest our lives in the things of heaven, not the things on earth.

The more into Christ we become, the less attachment we will have for the things here on earth. Only when we become heaven-minded do we find ourselves and something worth living for.

Christ is in heaven seated at God’s right hand, watching over and sustaining creation, working to make and keep us holy, and preparing a place for us in heaven. Think on these things for a life worth living for.

SATAN DISARMED

 

SATAN DISARMED

Col. 2:14-15 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ. NLT

Make no mistake about it; God knows our sin and will hold us responsible for it. No one gets away with sin. No one. But, when we humble ourselves before Christ, admit our sins, and seek His forgiveness, God destroys all the evidence. He puts on the cross our just punishment. He forever washes away our sins. We no longer are condemned to die for our sins; instead, we are given new life in Christ.

In Christ, we are freed from the hold Satan has on us. He is rendered powerless. He may nag us to death, but He cannot lead us unwittingly into God’s judgment. We are given in Christ the power to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God. We no longer are victims; we are victors in Christ.

At Calvary, Jesus publicly put to shame all the forces of evil. He put Satan in His place. He forever is known as the enemy of God, the object of His wrath. Satan, and all those who are his, are doomed to spend eternity in hell. There is no hope for him or any who would reject the love of Christ and follow him.

In Christ, all of our sins are gone. We inherit the righteousness and holiness of Christ. Forgotten is the condemnation we deserved for our sins. We now have eternal life in Christ. We will someday be in the presence of God with Him if we do not get weary and give up the good fight. In Christ, we will not faint; we will make it home. Satan is disarmed; it is about time we lived like it.

CHRIST IS LORD

 

CHRIST IS LORD

Col. 2:9-10 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe. NLT

The fullness of God lives in Christ. There is nothing of God lacking in Christ. All that God is, Christ is. He is fully God who lived on earth in bodily form. Jesus is able to do all things, for He is God.

What Jesus does for us to save us is complete, there is nothing lacking in our salvation. We are made acceptable to God. There is nothing else Jesus can or needs to do to make us presentable to God. We can with confidence approach God in Christ without fear of being harmed because of our sinfulness. Jesus makes us righteous and holy before God.

In order for us to be able to continue to be safe as we approach God, we must stay connected to Christ. If we ever stray from Christ and attempt to approach God, we will be rejected by Him. He will not allow us near Him with sinful hearts. He is merciful and does not immediately condemn us, but neither does He waver in His refusal to allow sin into His presence. Only in Christ can we draw near to God. It is imperative that we understand this truth. We must never allow sin to draw us away from Christ’s protective care.

Jesus stands alone in His power and authority. He is ruler over all things and every authority on earth. They were made by Him and for Him. He has no equal. He is in control of all created things. He is the only reason why we are still here. He has the authority to save or not save our souls. He knows our hearts and saves all those who sincerely come to Him for salvation. All who are in Christ please God and shall live with Him forever and ever.

TELL EVERYONE

 

TELL EVERYONE

Col. 1:28-29 So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship with Christ. I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me. NLT

We are part of the persona of Christ. Everywhere we go we are telling people about Christ by the way we live our lives. What we say and do sends a strong message about who Christ is. It is imperative that we live so that Christ will be seen for who He really is.

We are part of the proclamation of Christ. We have been given a very clear and strong message of God’s redeeming love. We must warn and teach others about Christ and His ways. Where people will spend eternity may very well hinge on whether or not we obey the Lord and share our faith with them. God gives us wisdom so that we will know what to say when it is time to speak out, so if we fail to share the Gospel message it is disobedience; it is sin. Speak frequently about Christ and our redemption to everyone you can and if words fail you, let your life speak for you. The Gospel does no one any good if it is not freely shared. It must be seen in action and heard.

It should be our heart’s desire to present to God souls ready for the Kingdom of God. If we have God’s love governing our hearts, we will long to help others be prepared for heaven. Love compels us to promote healthy relationships with Christ.

It’s not an easy thing to do, and it requires a lot of work on our part to be a help and not a hindrance to the faith of others. We can do it if we are dependent on Christ’s power and not our own. Let us commit ourselves to the task for the glory of Christ.

ENEMIES NO MORE

 

ENEMIES NO MORE

Col. 1:22b You were his enemies separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. NLT

You were an enemy of God. Your evil thoughts and actions kept you separated from Him. No one can claim otherwise. We were born into sin and stayed in our sins until we opened up our hearts to Christ. If you haven't done that yet, you are still a sinner, an enemy of God. If you have turned to Christ and sought His forgiveness for your sins, you are now a friend of God. It's not something you have done; it's what Christ has done for you.

Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God took on our humanity, lived a sinless life on earth, went to the cross of Calvary, took our sins, guilt, and shame upon His own heart, and died for our sins so that He could bring us into the presence of God. When Jesus died, He broke down all the barriers that keep us from God. He went back to heaven and now serves there as our way to God, our righteousness, holiness, intercessor and advocate. In Christ we are made holy and blameless, able to draw near to God. In Christ, and only in Christ, are we able to stand before God without fault.

Do not let Satan deceive you. If you are living a sinful life, you are an enemy of God. It makes no difference at all if you once professed faith in Him; if you are not living a life that reflects your profession, you are an enemy of God.

We are then compelled to stay in close fellowship with Christ. We must strive to let Him always be Lord of our lives. We must stand guard over our souls and quickly confess our sins to Him when we do sin, and we do. We must stay in God's Word so that we will recognize our sins. We must understand our constant need to live in Christ. Otherwise, we will not be able to draw near to God. We cannot approach God on our own; our sins keep us away from Him; we need Jesus.

JESUS, OUR FRIEND

 

JESUS, OUR FRIEND

Col. 1:21b-22 You were his enemies separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. NLT

How many friends do you have now who once went out of their way to make your life miserable? Maybe they said things that were hurtful or damaging to you. Maybe they did things to you or against you that made your life miserable. Maybe there were people that you had preconceived notions about because of their race, social, or economic class that you shut out of your life without getting to know them. Can you identify some people in your life like that?

If so, what happened to make them now your friends? How did you overcome your negative impressions or feelings about them to get to know them well enough to now call them your friends? Was it an easy process?

Friendships happen in the heart. We open up ourselves and let others in. We listen with our hearts to what others are saying. We accept people for who they are and not for who we think they are. We reach out and strive to build a relationship built on trust. We learn not to listen to what we hear others say about them and instead learn to know them. The process takes time and investment of our hearts.

While friendships can be developed without Christ in the mix, they are made much easier with His help, especially when it involves those whom we might call our enemies. Jesus makes the heart right with God so that we can relate to others in a godly way. He enables us to listen with our hearts instead of our heads. He melts down our defenses and strips down our self-righteousness. He gives us hearts of compassion that embraces all people.

If you have people in your life whom you cannot call your friends, I challenge you today to draw near to Christ and let Him change your heart and mind attitudes towards them. Let Him work in you to fill your heart with His love for them. Let Him move you to pray for them. Let Him help you to have the heart of God for them. Who knows? You just might find an awesome new friend in your life!

RECONCILED

 

RECONCILED

Col. 1:19-21a For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from God. NLT

God in all His fullness lived in Christ when Christ lived on earth. Jesus was the fleshly embodiment of God. He limited himself to life on earth and would not display all of His godliness while here, but it does not change who He is. Jesus is God and God is Jesus. There is no difference whatsoever between the two.

It pleased God to live His life on earth for a season. God did not take on human life reluctantly or begrudgingly. It was something He chose to do and it brought Him pleasure to do it.

While on earth, God made everything right. Sin had distorted, divided, and destroyed the life that God had intended man to enjoy on earth. Everything and everyone was a mess. There was no way for man to live in peace with God and enjoy the blessings of God upon him. Jesus took care of the problem we had created by our disobedience. He restored the way to fellowship with God. He gave us a peace with God that the world can never understand.

Through His dying on the cross, all people now have access to God. No one is without hope. If we want to be restored to a right relationship with God, we can be. No one is beyond the reach of God's love. Jesus forgives the sins of all who come to Him in faith, trusting in Him alone for forgiveness.

Even though no one deserves God's forgiveness, for everyone is guilty of sin and deserves an eternity spent in hell, all are forgiven who come to the cross, confesses their sins, and trusts in Christ as their Savior and Lord. Jesus does the impossible; He reconciles sinful man with holy God.

CHRIST IS THE HEAD

 

CHRIST IS THE HEAD

Col. 1:18 Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. NLT

Do not be confused about this. Christ is the head of the Church. No one can take away from Jesus that which is rightfully His. No one has the authority to run the church except Jesus. No one has the authority to set himself up over others and act as if everything revolves around him. Christ is the head of the church---not the pastor, not the lay leaders, not the powerful, nor the rich. Christ does not need help on knowing how to run the church. Therefore, we must all submit to Him and let Him run things. How do we do that?

Jesus made it very clear that His house is a house of prayer. In all things, we unite our hearts together in prayer. We pray for one another continuously. We all need to pray. We pray that the Lord will keep each of our hearts pure and focused on Him. We pray for strength to resist the temptation to put ourselves, or others, as head of the church body. We pray that those who lead us will do so through prayer, submission to Christ, and love. We pray that the body of Christ will not be driven by jealousy or envy because we have different functions in the body. We pray together that we will never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is our head and each one of us is an essential part of His body.

Jesus is THE way and anyone who tries to lead without Christ leading him will lead the church away from God, not towards Him. Without His input and instructions, we will lose our way and no longer be a spiritual impactor in the community or world.

Are you praying consistently over and with your church family? Are you praying for your spiritual leaders, as well as those who follow them? Nothing of eternal worth will be accomplished through the church until we are united as one on our knees before God's throne.

THE GREATNESS OF CHRIST

 

THE GREATNESS OF CHRIST

Col. 1:15-17 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see---kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together. NLT

Do not minimize the greatness of Christ. Pause and think about these things. This same Jesus who saves us is God our ruler and creator of all things. He is God and beside Him there is no equal. He has absolute authority over all things we see and don't see. He holds everything together, both great and small, and if He were to remove His hand from His creation, nothing would remain in place or in order.

Have you ever stopped to consider how interdependent creation is? Everything God has created has a purpose and place. Every detail of God's creation exists for the whole. We may not know why every detailed part of creation is necessary, but God does and in His wisdom He put it in its place to fulfill its purpose.

Jesus is the embodiment of God in the flesh so that we can better understand Him, His great love, and our purpose and place in created life. Jesus has made God known to us. He is the majestic glory of God. He has all power and authority over creation. Don't minimize for one moment the greatness of Christ and take Him for granted. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is absolute in His power and authority over all things. He alone has the right to be worshiped and served. Every knee will bow before Him and proclaim Him Lord.

Our worship of Christ today is our preparation for worship throughout eternity. The more we worship Him now, the better prepared we will be for eternity. The more we feast on creation, the work of Christ at Calvary for our salvation, and His work on our behalf now in heaven, the more our hearts swell up in praise and adoration.

If we were to focus more on Christ we would be less prone to get down and depressed by the world we live in. Don’t take our Lord for granted. Begin and end each day thinking about these things.

PRAYER WORKS

 

PRAYER WORKS

Col. 1:9 So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. NLT

There are several important things we need to focus on in this verse. First, Paul told the Colosse church that he (and his companions) continued to pray for the church. It wasn't a one-time deal, or even a short time deal. The church at Colosse was on Paul's heart and he kept praying for her. I suspect that things would be quite different in most of our churches and lives if we were to not give up praying for one another.

Paul asked the Lord to give the church a complete understanding of what God wanted to do in their lives. So many of us are simply confused about what the Lord wants to do in and through our lives. We need to work on understanding the work of God in us. We need to stay out of the Lord's way and let Him do His work in us. We need to be able to see measurable changes in our lives. We need to understand that the Lord is with us; He is always at work in us to make us holy servants.

Paul also asked the Lord to make the church wise with spiritual wisdom. He wanted them to be able to rightly apply God's Word to their lives. He wanted them to think and act Biblically. He wanted them to live by do what was right before God as they lived amongst man.

Paul prayed from his heart of love and his utmost confidence in God’s ability to hear and answer prayer. He knew from personal experience that prayer works. He lived close to the heart of God and it showed in his concern for others and what he prayed for them. His only goal for the church was for them to take hold of their faith and grow in it. He wanted them to grasp the truth, live it and share it. He had a true pastor’s heart for the church.

We ought to pray this prayer for ourselves and for those we fellowship with. I believe that the Church is spiritually deficient when it comes to asking the Lord to help us become who we ought to be in Christ. We won't get much better on our own; we need the Lord's help and prayer is the key.

PAUL'S GODLY EXAMPLE

 

PAUL’S GODLY EXAMPLE

Col. 1:9 So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. NLT

The Apostle Paul was my kind of a godly leader. He had a real interest in, and compassion for, the Church. He was very strong on developing godly character in people. He did his very best to promote holiness in the Church. He encouraged people to stand up for Christ and to stand strong against evil.

Paul was a man of prayer. We find him praying for the Colosse church. His interest in the spiritual development and well-being of the body of Christ came from his prayers for them. We cannot expect to love others if we don't ever pray for them. In fact, we can't love others without prayer, and we can't pray without loving others.

Paul asked God to give the church a complete understanding of His will for their lives and to make them spiritually wise. God's will can be many different things, but the bottom line is God wants us to be holy before Him. There are many different things that must happen for us to be, and stay holy. It is imperative that we discover them and put them into practice in our daily living.

Spiritual wisdom doesn't just happen. It takes a fully surrendered and humbled heart before God. It takes spending much time in God's Word and prayer. It takes applying to life the things God makes known to us through His Word. It takes time, work and patience to know how to apply Biblical truth to life. There has to be a real desire to make it happen before it happens.

It is my prayer for you that you have a complete understanding of God's will for you and that you become wise with spiritual wisdom.

SUFFICIENT GIFTS

 

SUFFICIENT GIFTS

Phil. 4:18-19 At the moment I have all I need---more than I need! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling aroma to God and pleases him. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever. Amen. NLT

Gifts given in love are a sweet-smelling aroma to God and He is pleased with them. Gifts can be anything we have that another person doesn't. Whenever we use what we have to bless others, it is a gift. Gifts are given to please others. Worthwhile gifts come from the heart and requires thought and effort on our part. You can usually tell when a gift is given insincerely.

When gifts are given, they should be received with thanksgiving. There is nothing crueler to the giver of gifts than to have his gifts scorned or rejected. We must learn how to accept gifts with thankful hearts.

God blesses those who give cheerfully out of hearts of love. He will take care of all of our needs from the abundance and richness of His resources that are made available to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. God will never let a giver who pleases Him go without what he needs in life. Never.

Gifts are never given to be hoarded. Use what you need and pass it on so others can be blessed too. Gifts are given so that we might serve the Lord with them. He blesses those who bless others with their gifts. When we bless others with our gifts, we are investing in eternal life, both ours and theirs.

Whatever gifts you have been given, use them wisely and lovingly for the glory and honor of our Lord. And, thank the Lord for the gifts He provides. No one deserves anything but judgment from God so when He graciously gives, we need to not take it for granted and give Him thanks for the gifts given.

.LEARN TO BE CONTENT

 

LEARN TO BE CONTENT

Phil. 4:11-13 ...Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. NLT

The world tells us we need more than what we do. It tells us that we need what we want, when in reality we don't. The world exploits our wants for its own selfish purposes.

The Lord helps us to know the difference between what we want and what we need if we listen to Him. He does not withhold from us what we need, but He does withhold from us what we don't need. One of the most important and valuable lessons of faith that we can learn is how to be content with what the Lord provides for us. We must learn that quantity of blessings is not the key to joyfulness of salvation. We can be just as content and joyful in Christ if we lived on the streets as we could if we lived in mansions.

The key to victorious faith is knowing that we can do absolutely anything the Lord gives us to do when we let Him live in us and work through us. The Lord never asks us to do anything that can't be done with His help. He never asks us to do anything that is contrary to His character or will. He guarantees to take care of our every need when we live submissively before him.

Let our prayer always be to live happily where we are at the moment we are in regardless of our life's circumstances. The Lord is with us where we are at and will never leave or forsake us. He will never overlook any need we have, and He will always enable us to do everything He calls upon us to do.

WHAT WE CAN DO

 

WHAT WE CAN DO

Phil. 4:13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. NLT

There is nothing you can’t do if Christ is your helper. He gives us adequate strength for every task He gives us to do.

A couple of things we need to be reminded of today. The Lord will never give us a task to do that is outside of His will. He will never direct us in a way that is contrary to His nature. He will not give us a task that will glorify ourselves and not Him. He will not direct us to do things that will oppose His Word in any way. He will not help us to do things we devise to do. He will not help us to fulfill our selfish plans.

The Lord expects us to discern wisely what it is we are to do. If we act contrary to Him, don’t expect His help or strength. Anything we do that honors and glorifies Him will be blessed by Him. He enables us to serve Him well. He helps us to accomplish whatever we set out to do to serve Him and not ourselves.

Satan wants us to believe that we are not up to the task, that we simply are unable to do what our hearts are set on doing for Christ. It is a lie straight from hell. Jesus is more than able to help us to do what we desire to do for Him and He gives us the strength to do it, without fail.

Set your mind firmly on this wonderful truth. You can do what the Lord gives you to do. Do not be afraid to step out in faith. He will not let you fail. Do not let naysayers persuade you. Do not let the size of the task concern you. Do not hinder the work Christ wants to do through you by holding back. Step out boldly and follow the leading of the Lord. You can do anything through Christ who gives you the strength to do it.

If you don’t know what it is the Lord wants you to do and He doesn’t reveal it to you clearly through prayer or His Word, then boldly step out and do what you desire to do. If He is your Lord, He will not let you stray from His will. He will bless whatever it is you do for Him as long as He is your Lord. He honors those who honor Him, no matter what it is they do in life.

NO CRUSING TO HEAVEN

 

NO CRUISING TO HEAVEN

Phil. 4:9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. NLT

Notice that Paul says we are to keep on putting into practice the things we learn. Walking in faith is a moment-by-moment, step-by-step way of life in Christ. There is no slacking off time. If we are going to be at peace with God, we have to pursue Him all the time. We must always be aware of God and what He is doing to help us live lives that are pleasing and acceptable to Him.

The Lord speaks to us through the teaching and preaching of others. We hear things that increase our understanding of God and His Word. We are exposed in many different ways to the Word. What we hear and read should never be dismissed. We need to meditate on what we hear so we can apply it to our lives.

The Lord sometimes speaks to us through the living of others. We watch those who are living the walk of faith victoriously and discover that we too can do it. We need to imitate the faith of those whom we respect. And, if we don’t know how they do it, we need to ask them. We need to know that if others can do it, we too can do it. In fact, because others are doing it, we have no excuse. We can learn much if we pay attention to those around us. We MUST live godly lives if we are going to be right with God.

The wonderful news is that as we keep on learning and growing, the Lord himself will always be with us. He will always be at our side to encourage and help us. His presence will give us peace in the midst of the chaos of life around us.

There is no cruising to heaven; we must keep on living out faith each and every day of our lives.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

 

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Phil. 4:9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. NLT

Coming to faith is not a one shot deal. It begins at Calvary, but does not end there. Faith is an ongoing process; it's a way of life. For many, faith ends at Calvary. The idea is that once we put our faith in Christ, we are home free. We accept Jesus as our Savior and then get on with the rest of our lives. We get the idea that it doesn't matter how we live because we are now covered by grace. We are careless about sin and think that it's okay because we said some words at the foot of the cross.

The clear admonition of Scripture is that we must continue to put into practice our faith in Christ. It is more than words; it is a life we live. We must keep putting into practice the things we learn about. We can't let the teachings of the Word go in one ear and out the other. We learn from the Word so we can live the Word. The key to successful living in Christ is to learn from Him and apply what we learn to life. When we do this, the God of peace will be with us. God gives us peaceful and contented hearts when we live out His Word by faith.

Are you learning and living the Word of God? There is no end to what we can and need to learn from God. Study to show yourself approved by God, a child whom He never needs to be ashamed of. Let others see what you have learned by how you live.

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

 

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

Phil. 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter; Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. NLT

Most of us are familiar with this verse of Scripture. We quote it to each other and agree that it is true. Yet, so many of us don’t put it into practice. We let our thoughts be occupied by so many other things. We relegate our spiritual thoughts to set times and places in our lives. We wait until it is time to focus on spiritual things before we seriously consider them. Is it any wonder that so many of us struggle to live godly lives?

We should always be controlled by thoughts that build us up. We should be dwelling on those things that help us to grow in faith. We should be blocking out those thoughts that hinder us from growing. We should consistently be exposed to helpful things. We should give careful thought to helpful insights and learn from them how to better live out our faith. We should not take lightly or dismiss those things the Lord shows us that will help us. Thinking about edifying things should be a normal part of our living.

There is so much to learn about ourselves, faith and the Lord. We need to be observant and take note of God’s revelations throughout our daily lives. He speaks to us in a wide variety of ways. Wise is he who notices those things and learns from them.

If you are a slow learner and find that you are not growing in faith as you should, ask the Lord to open up your eyes that you might see, your ears that you might hear and your mind that you might think about the things He wants to teach you today and every day of your life.

PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING

 

PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING

Phil. 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ. NLT

Before I speak about these verses from a spiritual perspective, I want to address the physical. Sometimes the tendency to worry is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. When there is a constant compulsion to worry over everything, I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about it. Sometimes medications will help immensely by supplying what is lacking in the brain. If you cannot control your tendency to worry, please see your doctor. It is important that we don't ignore the physical causes of things and spiritualize everything. Our bodies are fragile and sometimes simply lack what it takes to act and think "normally." We must be discerning and address our physical needs when we recognize them. With this in mind, let me now address the spiritual application of these verses.

Are you a worrier? Do you spend too much time stewing over things that have not happened yet, or things that you simply have no control over? If you are, cut it out! Today's text is quite clear; don't worry about anything. Worrying robs you of the joy of living. It robs you of the Lord's fellowship. It makes you a prisoner of circumstances instead of a victor over them. Worrying causes you to stop trusting in the Lord and His ability to handle things. When we worry, we are assuming that we are in control and can do something about things that we can't control.

Instead of worrying, we need to pray about everything. Turn to the Lord and let Him handle things. He alone knows what to do. He knows how to work things out for the best. He knows the right timing for things to happen. The Lord does not need our help. He is able to do what we can't do. Tell Him what concerns you and then trust Him with it. Thank Him for taking the load off of your shoulders. Thank Him for He always does that which pleases God. We don't always get it right, but He does. Thank Him for all He has already done and know that He never changes and will continue to do things right.

When you let God carry the load and determine the outcome of things, you will know the peace of God. You will experience a peace in the midst of the uncertainties and concerns of life that no human mind can grasp. It may not make any sense at all how it can be so, but there will be a peace that floods the soul and protects the mind from falling into the bottomless pit of worrisome living.

Jesus is able to calm your mind and soul and give you peace in place of your worries. Will you let Him?

THE KEY TO PEACE

 

THE KEY TO PEACE

Phil. 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. NLT

The key to peace with God is simple: don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Simple, but not very easy to do. Have you gotten to the point yet where you never worry? Let’s be honest; worrying is our natural response when we face the unknown with no control of the outcome. We have to really work hard to get to the point where we are able to totally trust in the Lord and not worry. Being connected to the Lord consistently through prayer helps us to trust Him unconditionally. The more time that we spend with Him, the better we get to know Him. And the better we get to know the Lord, the more likely it is that we will not worry about things but simply trust Him.

There is no getting around this truth. Peace with God comes from humbly waiting on God. We take all of our needs to Him. All means all. Whatever your need may be, God is able to meet it. No matter how big or small of a matter it may be, tell God about it and let Him take care of it.

When you pray, do it with thanksgiving. Thank the Lord for all He has already done in your life. The more conscious you are of God’s faithfulness in the past, the more apt you will be to trust Him today and in all your tomorrows. Thank Him for your present and thank Him for your future. God is with you always, so give Him thanks.

The peace that comes from trusting God with all your needs is something that cannot be adequately expressed in words. It has to be experienced to be understood. It is a peace that can only be known by those who trust in God.

When God’s peace captivates the soul, it protects our hearts and minds as we walk with the Lord. We become so enamored by God that we do not chase after those things which lead us astray and rob us of peace and joy. When we are Christ-filled and centered, we have peace that anchors the soul in the midst of the worst storms of life. It is a peace that the world cannot take away.

ALWAYS BE FULL OF JOY

 

ALWAYS BE FULL OF JOY

Phil. 4:4-5 Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again--rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. NLT

ALWAYS be full of joy in the Lord??? Sounds like something that is impossible to do, doesn’t it? We have occasions when we are joyful, but always? I don’t know of anyone who can say honestly say that they are always joyful. But, wait a minute. Is that what Paul is saying here? Reread his admonition. He says to always be full of joy, not to always be joyful. There is a difference.

To be full of joy means that we are always mindful of our salvation, that we always appreciate what the Lord has done for us. We lose our joy when we lose our sense of what Jesus has done for us. It means that we are aware that our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God for all of eternity.

To be full of joy means that we don’t take for granted God’s mercies and grace. It means we are staying in fellowship with the Lord and not letting worldly influences rob us of fellowship with Him. It means we value highly the life we have in Christ and our sights are set on heavenly things. No one who is Christ-centered and Christ-focused will be anything but full of joy.

Sure, there are times in which we won’t feel joyful, but that doesn’t change a thing. Emotions come and go depending on circumstances, but circumstances should never determine our gratitude and focus. We must choose to be appreciative when things are going bad.

An attitude of gratitude is contagious. Others will notice in us something that is different and wonderful when we are Christ-focused. Our lives will be witnesses for Him because very few people have such an attitude in life. Jesus is coming soon. Let us redeem the time while we have it and let others see Christ in us. Let the world see our joy for our salvation regardless of the circumstances we are in.

BE CONSIDERATE

 

BE CONSIDERATE

Phil. 4:5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember the Lord is coming soon. NLT

Are you a considerate person? Another word for considerate is kindness. It is being aware of how others feel and acting accordingly. It is treating others with respect. It is being willing to sacrifice for others. It is the willingness to alter your own agenda for the sake of others. A considerate person cares about others.

Is it even possible to live in Christ and not be a considerate person? I don't think it can be done. The very nature of Christ is to reach out and touch others. He is always seeking to involve himself in the lives of others and help them simply because He loves them. Jesus is working hard to lift people up and not tear them down. Jesus is compelled by love to do all He can to save us.

The more we let Christ become our Lord, the more like Him we become. God's goal is not to save us and then move on to the next person. His goal is to save us and then become our Lord. We are to grow into maturity of faith and become like Jesus, and that means that we will become considerate in all we do.

We dare not mess around and wait before we let Jesus be Lord of our lives. He is coming back soon and then it will be too late. Our opportunity to become like Jesus and do that which is good is now. Let Jesus be seen in you. Show the world that you are a child of God by the way you treat others while there is still time to do it.

Show them the Savior and perhaps by your example some will be saved before Jesus comes.

ALWAYS?

 

ALWAYS?

Phil. 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again---rejoice! NLT

Always be full of joy in the Lord. Always? Is it possible to always be full of joy in the Lord? It must be, otherwise why would the Word tell us to do it? Perhaps then we need to consider what it means to have joy in the Lord. Maybe our understanding is messed up. Joy and happiness are not the same thing. Joy is much deeper than happiness. Happiness is more of a momentary feeling of elation. It depends on what is happening at the moment. It is a sense of gladness that we are in the moment.

Joy has more to do with an abiding contentment. It is the sense that all is well with us regardless of the moment. It has more to do with wellness of life. Joy is gladness that we are in life’s moments, regardless of whether the moment is good or bad. Joy is the knowledge that all is well because God is in control of life and us in it. It is the resting in God's presence. It is keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and not our momentary circumstances. It is knowing it is well with my soul.

Growing up we used to sing the song, Constantly Abiding. To me, that is what real joy is, constantly abiding in Christ through all that life brings us.

It is possible to always be full of joy in the Lord. We can be so connected to Him that we are not swayed by life's circumstances. We can abide in Him and know we can trust Him to be with us and see us through anything we encounter. We can live without having to struggle to maintain control of what is going on in or around us. We can live content to accept the ebbs and flows of life without worrying about them. We can enjoy life because we know the Lord is with us in it. It is joyful living.

Joy can only be a reality when we live in close fellowship with the Lord. The more we abide in His presence, the more joy will fill our souls. Jesus is our song to sing. Let us always rejoice in Him.

BE A PATTERN MAKER

 

BE A PATTERN MAKER

Phil. 3:17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. NLT

Can you honestly encourage others to pattern their lives after yours? Are you confident enough in the righteousness of your heart that you would recommend to people you love and know that they become like you?

I believe that every believer in Christ should be able to encourage others to follow in their footsteps. I believe that we should be pursuing the things of God in such a way that we are examples of how it is done. I believe that our lives in public, as well as in private, should be worthy of being imitated. We should have no secrets to hide from the public eye. We should be consistently faithful to the Lord and always striving to please Him. Our conduct and conversation should back up what we proclaim.

We teach others by the way we live about faith, good or bad. Those who observe us will draw conclusions about faith based on what they see and hear. Our lives will either inspire others to take seriously faith or to consider it not worth doing. Some souls will make eternal decisions for Christ based on how we live. It’s a sobering thought that we must take seriously. We never know who is watching us.

Learn from those who are living godly lives and teach others by your godly living. Be a pattern maker. Show others how it is done. Let Christ always be seen in and through you.

STAY FOCUSED ON CHRIST

 

STAY FOCUSED ON CHRIST

Phil. 3:15-16 I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must be sure to obey the truth we have learned already. NLT

Paul's emphasis has been on our setting our hearts and minds on Christ who is before us and letting go and forgetting all those things which are behind us. Our priority as Christians is living in Christ alone. He should consume us to the point where we no longer have the time or desire to live in the past. We must learn that the more time we spend in the past takes away from the time we spend in Christ in the present. Living in the past drains us and robs us of the joy of our salvation today and the anticipation of our completed salvation in the future.

We must strive to always live in the truth of God's Word as He reveals it to us. We shouldn't get caught up in what we don't know and understand. We just must be sure to obey that which we do know already. And what we do know is that Jesus has washed away our past sins from His memory. He has shown us how we can overcome our sinfulness today. And, He is in heaven waiting to embrace us after we have run the good race and fought the good fight of faith.

These basic truths of the faith bind us together. Let us not let ourselves become distracted by other things. Let us agree to move forward together for the glory of Christ and not our own. If we do these things, we will not get bogged down by our sinful behavior and all that distracts us. We will move forward as one for the glory of Christ on earth. Together we will make a difference for Christ, divided we will make little impact.

God has made it very plain; our rallying point is at the foot of the cross. He unites us together in Christ. We must not forget that this is the central truth of the Gospel. Everything else is the fine print. We must always strive to obey the simple truth of the Gospel, Jesus is Savior and Lord of all.

BE YOUR BEST

 

BE YOUR BEST

Phil. 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. NLT

We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to admit that we are not yet all that we should be in Christ. No one has reached the point where he cannot be a better person in Him. The Lord is never done with us. We will never be finished projects while on earth.

Instead of focusing on who we might already be in Christ, we should focus on becoming more like Christ. It doesn’t matter how far we have come; it only matters how far we are yet going. We slow up our progress when we dwell on our past growth. All of our energies need to be put into reaching our goal, which is to finish well the race of life in Christ. Our goal should always be to be more holy today than we were yesterday. We should always put our best efforts into being faithful and true to our calling in Christ. We will be rewarded for our faithfulness, not our past achievements.

The more we let go of our past, the less trouble we will have moving forward. Whatever was in your past needs to stay there. Christ forgives us for our past and it is wiped from the memory of God. We would be wise to do the same. We are not who we were; we are who we are in Christ. Let us keep our eyes focused on our future in Christ and do our very best to become all that we can be in Christ.

We should take an honest look at ourselves and identify those areas where we need to continue to grow. We all have them. Ask the Lord to help you work on them. You can grow and become a better child of faith if you will let the Lord help you.

If you have a hard time identifying what you need to work on, ask a trusted friend to tell you. It may be awkward, but if he is a true friend, He will tell you in a loving way what you can do to be a better servant of the Lord. A true friend won’t judge you, he will lovingly encourage you as you grow in Christ.

And, if you are a true friend, you will return the favor. You will lovingly help another to know what they need to work on without being judgmental of them. No one has it altogether without areas to work on in their walk with the Lord.

It takes all the effort we can muster to stay true to Christ and grow in Him. Let us not slack off but work hard so that we will be ready when the Lord comes to call us home.