I Cor. 15:33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for bad company corrupts good character.
Bad company corrupts good character. We need to come to grips with this truth. We become victims of the company we keep. We tend to adapt ourselves to the standards of the company we keep. Rather than jeopardize friendships, we fail to live by what we know to be true while we are with them. We go along with things that we know we shouldn’t. We begin to talk similar to the way they talk. We often develop similar attitudes they have about people and things. We find it far more comfortable to hide our light under a bushel instead of letting it shine.
We need to be discerning about this. We need to befriend sinners, but we dare not let sinners drag us down into compromising our faith. We need to be careful how deep of a friendship we allow ourselves to develop with sin-controlled people. We need to pay attention to what they say and not be persuaded by things we know to be contrary to the truth.
Surround yourself with people who will support and encourage you in your faith. You need people in your life that you can have heart fellowship with, people who you can talk freely to about the things of the Lord. For your soul’s sake, invest your heart in those people who will edify your soul and not tear it down.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
LIFE'S MOST IMPORTANT EVENT
I Cor. 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins.
The resurrection of Christ is the most important event in all of history. The Gospel message does not exist without it. If Jesus did not overcome death, there is no saving grace. We are still victims of sin. The Jews are the only ones who could make it to heaven and that would only be if they followed all of God's laws and sacrifices. It would be utterly useless for us who are not Jewish to even try to please God.
If there is no resurrection then God becomes only an inaccessible force in the universe. We would have nothing to put our faith in. God would not be knowable to us as one who knows and understands what it is like to be us. There would be scarcely anyone in heaven. We would have very little hope. There would be no victory over sin.
If there is no resurrection then there is no Bible to turn to for guidance and instructions in living. The Bible would be a book of lies that we could never trust. It would be merely a story book to be read and discarded. No one would be willing to live by it or die because of it.
Yes, the resurrection means everything to us. It is God's exclamation point on His love for us. It is God giving us something worth living and dying for. Because Jesus lives we can get rid of our sins that condemn us to hell. Because He lives, we have hope for this life and all of eternity. Because He lives, we can have a relationship with God and tap into all of His blessings for us. Because He lives, we no longer live under sin's condemnation; instead we live in the freedom of Christ's righteousness and holiness.
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; no man comes to the Father except by me. Do you believe this?" Do you? Live your life like you do. Heaven awaits.
The resurrection of Christ is the most important event in all of history. The Gospel message does not exist without it. If Jesus did not overcome death, there is no saving grace. We are still victims of sin. The Jews are the only ones who could make it to heaven and that would only be if they followed all of God's laws and sacrifices. It would be utterly useless for us who are not Jewish to even try to please God.
If there is no resurrection then God becomes only an inaccessible force in the universe. We would have nothing to put our faith in. God would not be knowable to us as one who knows and understands what it is like to be us. There would be scarcely anyone in heaven. We would have very little hope. There would be no victory over sin.
If there is no resurrection then there is no Bible to turn to for guidance and instructions in living. The Bible would be a book of lies that we could never trust. It would be merely a story book to be read and discarded. No one would be willing to live by it or die because of it.
Yes, the resurrection means everything to us. It is God's exclamation point on His love for us. It is God giving us something worth living and dying for. Because Jesus lives we can get rid of our sins that condemn us to hell. Because He lives, we have hope for this life and all of eternity. Because He lives, we can have a relationship with God and tap into all of His blessings for us. Because He lives, we no longer live under sin's condemnation; instead we live in the freedom of Christ's righteousness and holiness.
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; no man comes to the Father except by me. Do you believe this?" Do you? Live your life like you do. Heaven awaits.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS
I Cor. 15:3-4 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me----that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.
We have different aspects of the truth that we consider important. Every church body has strong convictions about what is and what is not a right understanding of the truth. We become so set in our ways that we develop strong feelings against those who don't see things our way. We like to stay within the circle of those whom think the way we do. The reason why there are so many different types of church bodies is this very thing. We pick out certain truths within the truth and make them absolutely essential to our faith.
However, we need to get back to the basics. Our greatest need is rally together at the cross. Our message is nothing else but this--that Jesus died for our sins, was put in the grave, and on the third day rose from the dead. Jesus, who lived a sinless life on earth, became our sin sacrifice. He laid down His life so that all who believe in Him would have eternal life. This is the truth we must proclaim. We must set aside our differences in understandings and stand as one on the sure foundation of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have nothing to say to the world if we don't proclaim salvation in Christ. The world doesn't care about our differences. It doesn't need to know what we think we know to be true about certain Biblical teachings. The only thing the world needs to know is that God loves us and is our Savior and Lord.
It is way past time for the church to dwell on that which is most important. Our message is clear and the mandate to proclaim it is clear. When we fail to stand together at the foot of the cross, look up to see our Savior who died for us, bow before Him in worship, and let the world know about Him, we live in disobedience. It is not about us; it's about Him and Him alone.
We have different aspects of the truth that we consider important. Every church body has strong convictions about what is and what is not a right understanding of the truth. We become so set in our ways that we develop strong feelings against those who don't see things our way. We like to stay within the circle of those whom think the way we do. The reason why there are so many different types of church bodies is this very thing. We pick out certain truths within the truth and make them absolutely essential to our faith.
However, we need to get back to the basics. Our greatest need is rally together at the cross. Our message is nothing else but this--that Jesus died for our sins, was put in the grave, and on the third day rose from the dead. Jesus, who lived a sinless life on earth, became our sin sacrifice. He laid down His life so that all who believe in Him would have eternal life. This is the truth we must proclaim. We must set aside our differences in understandings and stand as one on the sure foundation of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have nothing to say to the world if we don't proclaim salvation in Christ. The world doesn't care about our differences. It doesn't need to know what we think we know to be true about certain Biblical teachings. The only thing the world needs to know is that God loves us and is our Savior and Lord.
It is way past time for the church to dwell on that which is most important. Our message is clear and the mandate to proclaim it is clear. When we fail to stand together at the foot of the cross, look up to see our Savior who died for us, bow before Him in worship, and let the world know about Him, we live in disobedience. It is not about us; it's about Him and Him alone.
Friday, November 27, 2015
LOVE THOSE YOU DISAGREE WITH
I Cor. 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.
I believe it is important for us to remember this truth. No matter what we may think we know and understand, we only know partially what is true. There is far more to truth than what we think there is. Because we don’t see things as God does, we often draw conclusions that simply are not completely accurate. We don’t think the way God does about things. His mind is way too complex for us to always be on the same page as Him.
We must strive always to understand truth, and there are certain things we can be confident of that we get it. However, there is always the reality that our ability to understand things is limited by our capability to understand. What we must always understand is that there is room for other interpretations and understanding on some things. Where we may disagree with other believers on, we let the Lord take care of it. It is His business and if He wants to change the thinking of someone, He will do it.
What this means to me is that I must always strive to be gracious about what I know to be true and gracious towards those who I may disagree with. When we get to heaven we will all understand things clearly. We will know everything we need to know; faith will no longer be necessary because we will live in the presence of Truth forever and ever.
Let us always strive to love each other, not just those who agree with us on the truths of Scripture. On those things which God has clearly spoken, let us stand as one on them. On those things which are not clearly spelled out, let us not get hung up on them and let them divide us.
I believe it is important for us to remember this truth. No matter what we may think we know and understand, we only know partially what is true. There is far more to truth than what we think there is. Because we don’t see things as God does, we often draw conclusions that simply are not completely accurate. We don’t think the way God does about things. His mind is way too complex for us to always be on the same page as Him.
We must strive always to understand truth, and there are certain things we can be confident of that we get it. However, there is always the reality that our ability to understand things is limited by our capability to understand. What we must always understand is that there is room for other interpretations and understanding on some things. Where we may disagree with other believers on, we let the Lord take care of it. It is His business and if He wants to change the thinking of someone, He will do it.
What this means to me is that I must always strive to be gracious about what I know to be true and gracious towards those who I may disagree with. When we get to heaven we will all understand things clearly. We will know everything we need to know; faith will no longer be necessary because we will live in the presence of Truth forever and ever.
Let us always strive to love each other, not just those who agree with us on the truths of Scripture. On those things which God has clearly spoken, let us stand as one on them. On those things which are not clearly spelled out, let us not get hung up on them and let them divide us.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
WHAT LOVE IS
I Cor. 13:4-8a Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.
These verses depict love at its finest. There is no greater love than this, the love of God. We need to take a serious look at each characteristic of God's love and take a serious look at ourselves in light of it. No one perfectly loves like God does, so there is work for each of us to do. In fact, I believe that there is a lot of work for each of us to do.
We profess to be children of God. Therefore, we should be loving each other with the love of God. Yet, we have to admit we don't. Seldom do we let God's love rule our relationships. We do not practice what we preach like we should. If we did, we would not have church spats and divisions. We would be working together for the cause of Christ and we would not let our differences divide us, but we do. We fail miserably in this area of our lives.
We have no control over how others live out godly love, but we do control how we do it. You can do better than you are doing. Where you are failing, try harder. Ask the Lord to help you be a better lover than you are. Ask Him to love through you. Start at home and practice loving those in your family until they notice that you are different. When loving others at home becomes more natural to you, you will find that loving everyone else will become more natural as well.
Set the example for others to follow in love and see just what kind of difference it will make in you, on your job, in the church, and in all your relationships.
These verses depict love at its finest. There is no greater love than this, the love of God. We need to take a serious look at each characteristic of God's love and take a serious look at ourselves in light of it. No one perfectly loves like God does, so there is work for each of us to do. In fact, I believe that there is a lot of work for each of us to do.
We profess to be children of God. Therefore, we should be loving each other with the love of God. Yet, we have to admit we don't. Seldom do we let God's love rule our relationships. We do not practice what we preach like we should. If we did, we would not have church spats and divisions. We would be working together for the cause of Christ and we would not let our differences divide us, but we do. We fail miserably in this area of our lives.
We have no control over how others live out godly love, but we do control how we do it. You can do better than you are doing. Where you are failing, try harder. Ask the Lord to help you be a better lover than you are. Ask Him to love through you. Start at home and practice loving those in your family until they notice that you are different. When loving others at home becomes more natural to you, you will find that loving everyone else will become more natural as well.
Set the example for others to follow in love and see just what kind of difference it will make in you, on your job, in the church, and in all your relationships.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
DESIRE HELPFUL GIFTS
I Cor. 12:31 And in any event, you should desire the most helpful gifts.
The Apostle Paul had just reminded the church of what some of the gifts God had given the church were. The list was not all-inclusive and the list was not intended to be for everybody. There are a lot of ways that God molds and equips His children for service. Paul lists some gifts the Spirit had given the church of his day that many today still argue over as to whether or not they are valid expressions of worship. Churches have been divided and even destroyed over them. Our convictions will continue to divide and even destroy fellowships for as long as Jesus tarries. Because we are who we are we tend to box God into our belief systems. We get defensive and close our minds to whether or not there is room in the body of Christ for other ways to worship and serve the Lord than our own. No one is going to change the minds of those who abide by a different understanding of Scriptural application. That is a matter between the Lord and His children.
The important truth for us to grasp today is that no matter what your God-given gifts are, they are to be used for the nurturing and well-being of the body. God does not give gifts to be hoarded; they are to be used. Whatever your gift(s) is, use it for the common good of the body. If no one is being built up in Christ, then use discernment on your usage of your gift. There are numerous ways you can help to strengthen and spur the body of Christ on for service. Our goal is to be positive contributors to the body, not dividers. Do what you do for Christ and not to be seen by man.
The Apostle Paul had just reminded the church of what some of the gifts God had given the church were. The list was not all-inclusive and the list was not intended to be for everybody. There are a lot of ways that God molds and equips His children for service. Paul lists some gifts the Spirit had given the church of his day that many today still argue over as to whether or not they are valid expressions of worship. Churches have been divided and even destroyed over them. Our convictions will continue to divide and even destroy fellowships for as long as Jesus tarries. Because we are who we are we tend to box God into our belief systems. We get defensive and close our minds to whether or not there is room in the body of Christ for other ways to worship and serve the Lord than our own. No one is going to change the minds of those who abide by a different understanding of Scriptural application. That is a matter between the Lord and His children.
The important truth for us to grasp today is that no matter what your God-given gifts are, they are to be used for the nurturing and well-being of the body. God does not give gifts to be hoarded; they are to be used. Whatever your gift(s) is, use it for the common good of the body. If no one is being built up in Christ, then use discernment on your usage of your gift. There are numerous ways you can help to strengthen and spur the body of Christ on for service. Our goal is to be positive contributors to the body, not dividers. Do what you do for Christ and not to be seen by man.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
YOU ARE IMPORTANT
I Cor. 12:27 Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.
Here is a message I wish that we could all get. There is only one body of believers and we belong to Christ. All who are living in Christ by faith are connected to each other. We have no right to exclude any believer from our fellowship. We are to embrace in love all who are in Christ. We don’t have to agree on all things, but we do have to love and support each other. The church has segregated herself over things that don’t have anything to do with our salvation. It is not God’s way.
Every member of the church is a vital and necessary part of it. There is no such thing as an insignificant part of the body of Christ. We all have roles to play. When we deny each other the opportunity to fulfill our role, we are hindering the work of God amongst men. We must find ways to involve every believer in the work of the church. We must learn to appreciate our distinctiveness and work together for the common good of the church.
We must get rid of the idea that everyone has to be like us in order for us to embrace and work with each other. We must learn how to disagree agreeably for the glory of Christ. As long as the church remains divided, Satan is going to gain the upper hand in the world.
Here is a message I wish that we could all get. There is only one body of believers and we belong to Christ. All who are living in Christ by faith are connected to each other. We have no right to exclude any believer from our fellowship. We are to embrace in love all who are in Christ. We don’t have to agree on all things, but we do have to love and support each other. The church has segregated herself over things that don’t have anything to do with our salvation. It is not God’s way.
Every member of the church is a vital and necessary part of it. There is no such thing as an insignificant part of the body of Christ. We all have roles to play. When we deny each other the opportunity to fulfill our role, we are hindering the work of God amongst men. We must find ways to involve every believer in the work of the church. We must learn to appreciate our distinctiveness and work together for the common good of the church.
We must get rid of the idea that everyone has to be like us in order for us to embrace and work with each other. We must learn how to disagree agreeably for the glory of Christ. As long as the church remains divided, Satan is going to gain the upper hand in the world.
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