REMEMBER YOUR LEADERS

REMEMBER YOUR LEADERS

Heb. 13:7 Remember your leaders who first taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and trust the Lord as they do. NLT

Take a couple of minutes and think about those who played a significant role in your spiritual development. It may be a Sunday School teacher, pastor, friend, or family member. Think about the things in their lives that stand out to you as being good. What is there about what they taught you about God that stuck with you? What is there about them that makes you want to be like them?

As you think about those special people in your life, thank the Lord for their role in your life. It isn't an accident that they were a part of who you are today in Christ. The Lord brought them into your life when you needed what they could offer you to help you better understand the things of God.

As you think about them, consider your own life and the impact you are having on others. Ask the Lord to help you to do your part in the good in others' lives. Ask Him to help you be a good example that others can see and appreciate, a life worthy to be followed.

Each of us plays a significant role in the life of others. Let us always strive to be good role models, a people that please the Lord in all things. Let it be said of us that we have been faithful servants of the Lord, both in public and in private. We may not ever know the good we have done, but God does. Live faithfully and obediently and let the Lord use you in His own way for His glory. Great will be your reward in heaven if you do.

BE SATISFIED

 

BE SATISFIED

Heb. 13:5 Stay away from the love of money, be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you." NLT

We are not instructed to stay away from money. Money is neutral. It is neither good nor bad. It is the heart attitude of the person that makes it good or bad. Money can either be our servant or our master. Whenever we make money of greater importance to us than people or God, it has become our god and master. God alone has the right to be our god. He alone deserves and commands our worship and allegiance. He alone has the right to rule our lives. Rather than go after money and what it may provide, we must trust in the Lord's provision and be satisfied with it.

Whatever the Lord provides, it is enough to meet our needs. If He gives more than what we need, we are to be good stewards of it and use it for His glory, not hoard it. When we hoard it, it is in essence saying to God, "I am not sure that you will be there for me tomorrow so I am going to save it and be sure I have enough." While I have no problem with saving, and I do recommend it when we can, I believe we need to be willing to put what the Lord provides to good use today as well. We have no promise of life on earth beyond today. Our future may only be as long as today.

We must be generous with what the Lord provides and trust Him for tomorrow's needs. He has promised to be with us in our tomorrows to take care of our needs. He is not going anywhere. He is not going to abandon us when we get there. He will make sure that we have enough tomorrow to take care of tomorrow's needs.

So, don't fall in love with money or what it can provide. Rather love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul, and trust Him to supply all of your needs both today and tomorrow.

HONOR MARRIAGE

 

HONOR MARRIAGE

Heb. 13:4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. NLT

This instruction is timeless and never more needed than today. We live in a time in history in which the sacredness and importance we place on marriage is quickly fading. We are driven by selfish interests and desires to the point where we are quickly losing our sense of integrity. Moral right and wrong are no longer absolute truths that guide us. We are driven more by our passions than our souls. The ways of the world are in the Church and gaining a greater influence over us.

God takes marriage as He designed it, seriously. He makes it clear in His Word that marriage is defined as a committed relationship between a man and a woman that is for life. He does not approve of divorce and in a godly marriage there is no escape clause. He holds us accountable for our faithfulness to our vows of fidelity. He commands us to honor marriage, which means as well that we take an invested interested in our relationship with our spouse and strive to make it a good one.

To honor marriage means as well that we don't cave into the world's thinking on marriage. God sets the rules and definitions, not man. Marriage is not what most people say it is. We must examine our understanding in light of God's Word. Like it or not, God's definition of marriage is today what He declared it to be from the beginning, that of the union between a man and a woman. He who disagrees has to convince God He is wrong.

God promises to judge all who are immoral and establish marital relationships outside of marriage. By that I mean getting emotionally or physically involved with someone other than one's spouse in a way that should only be reserved for one's spouse. It is morally wrong to forsake your vows of fidelity to your spouse. It is sin and God will judge it. Period.

We must protect our hearts and minds and refuse to entertain thoughts that would jeopardize our moral integrity in marriage. We alone can say no to the temptations that surround us. If you are struggling in this area of your life, you must confess it before the Lord, seek His forgiveness, and ask Him to help you. If you don't, you will face God's wrath for it someday.

Also, in order for a marriage to be what God created it to be, there has to be a legal binding of the relationship. Laws vary across cultural boundaries, but nevertheless, as long as the law of the land does not violate God’s standards of morality, there must be a legal binding together of the relationship. In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as a common law marriage.

The marriage institution is the most sacred relationship amongst mankind. It behooves us to take it seriously and honor the Lord in it. A couple who takes lightly marriage will answer to God for it.

CONTINUE IN LOVE

 

CONTINUE TO LOVE

Heb. 13:1 Continue to love each other with true Christian love. NLT

Why is loving each other in Christ so hard for us to do? There are so many divisions in the Church today that are the result of our inability to love each other that it is scary. What is our problem? I know that sin breaks the bond of fellowship, but shouldn’t we be able to overcome our sin if the love of Christ is in us?

True lovers of Christ find a way to love those they disagree with. There will always be things that we don’t agree on, but they should never hinder us from loving the redeemed. We often use our differences as an excuse to not love and fellowship with other believers. We take a holier-than-thou attitude towards those who are different than us in understanding instead of embracing them. Why? Doesn’t Jesus love all His children? How can we say we love Him and not love those for whom He died and redeemed?

Loving each other is a lifelong process. We are to continue to love. There is no time limit on when we can stop loving each other. There are no conditions given as to who we are to love, only a command. When we fail to love the brethren, regardless of the church family they may be a part of, we are sinning against God.

Loving others involves grace and forgiveness. You cannot love someone you are not willing to forgive, regardless of what they may have said or done to hurt you. Think about it. I know that it is hard to love someone who may have hurt you, but in Christ it is commanded and made possible through Him.

Consider how the love of Christ can be fleshed out in the Church and then do it. Begin in the church you are a part of and then branch out to all of God’s children. If you do, you will please God.

OUR INDESTRUCTIBLE KINGDOM

 

OUR INDESTRUCTIBLE KINGDOM

Heb. 12:28-29 Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire. NLT

The Kingdom of God cannot be destroyed. Therefore, let us approach God with thanksgiving always. Consider this great life Christ has given us in Him. Meditate upon it until you are overwhelmed by it. Let this mysterious life of God’s love fleshed out in you capture your heart. Think much about what it means to have your sins forgiven and forgotten by God. Consider the horrible life Christ has saved you from both here on earth and in all of eternity. Take in the wonder of the workings of God’s grace in you until your soul rises up in great thanksgiving.

We are receiving the Kingdom of God. We don’t have it yet. We are moving towards that day in which it will be ours to claim. The life of faith is a process requiring us to daily walk with the Lord. As long as our hearts are open vessels that can receive the things of God, we will lay hold of the Kingdom someday.

With gratitude in our hearts, let us always strive to please God by living with a worshipful spirit of holy fear and awe. It is good for the soul to live with a deep sense of God’s holiness. We should respect the holiness of God, knowing that no sin will ever enter into His presence. Let the awareness of God’s holiness move you to diligently guard your soul from sin. It is good to have a holy fear of God. If we don’t fear God in His holiness, we will not stand guard over our souls and we will let sin creep in.

We should never lose our sense of awe over who God is. It is good for the soul to dwell on the glory and majesty of God. It is good to consider the greatness of God in power and love. It is good to feast on the absolute perfection of God in all that is good and holy. It is good to feast on the unfathomable mind of God and His eternal life. God is beyond all of our imaginings.

We have no real sense of who God really is in all His glory. He gives us only a little glimpse of himself because the human mind cannot comprehend Him. It is good for us to never lose our sense of awe of Him.

God is a consuming fire and all will pass under His fiery gaze. No sin will be kept hidden from Him. He will not be deceived by our righteousness. Only those whose righteousness is Christ will survive His searching gaze. He will not misjudge any soul. All who are in Christ will be with Him forever and ever and all who aren’t in Christ will be in the cesspool of His wrath forever and ever with all those who are cast into the lake of fire where there will be ceaseless pain and agony of soul and body.

Don’t mess around with your soul. Choose Christ today because no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. All that awaits you in your tomorrows is eternal hellfire if you die without knowing Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord.

BE A WATCHMAN

 

BE A WATCHMAN

Heb. 12:15 Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison. NLT

Each of us is a watchman in the household of faith. We are to look after each other so that none of us miss out on God’s favor. God favors those who live in Christ, so we need to be aware of each other’s walk of faith and if we notice things aren’t right, we need to get involved and redirect the soul back to Christ. We tend to ignore each other’s progress in faith. Out of fear of being perceived as judgmental, nosey, or better than others, we don’t say anything. We are afraid of offending someone so we keep quiet. But, it’s not what the Lord wants us to do. We are to show love and concern for each other and that means we sometimes need to point out to others a need to get back on track spiritually. Many problems could be avoided if we were to do this.

We must be aware of those amongst us who are not saved. Some people attend church simply because they like to hear what is being said. Some attend because they believe with their heads but not their hearts. Some attend because of the expectations of others. Some attend for personal gain in the sight of man. Whatever the reason, not all who attend church do so because they are saved. We must be careful that we don’t allow those who are not saved to poison those who are. There are those in the church who will lead others astray. They will preach and teach another Gospel. They will convince others that sin is no big deal, that a loving God will never allow anyone go to a place called hell.

Scripture warns us that in the last days there will be much unbelief in the Church. People will be persuaded by those who will tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth. Keep your soul in a good, godly condition and you will recognize these deceivers in the Church. Stay right with God and you will not be poisoned by their teachings. Stay in the Word so that you can recognize truth from error. Stay on the lookout and help protect each other from these false teachers. Keep your eyes peeled lest anyone amongst you miss out on salvation because they have believed a lie.

HOW TO HAVE PEACE

 

HOW TO HAVE PEACE

Heb. 12:14 Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. NLT

Notice first of all that we are to try. We cannot live with peace with those who refuse to live peaceably. We have to do what we can on our part, but we can't make others do what is right if they are determined not to. That being said, how are we live a peaceful life?

We live a clean and holy life before God. We do what is right before God. We don't ignore our sins. We don't neglect our time in God's Word or prayer. We don't shrink away from opportunities to serve the Lord. We don't rest on our laurels and coast along in faith. We always strive to learn more about the Lord, His ways, and how to apply them to our lives. We seek excellence in our walk with the Lord.

Satan wants us to believe that it's not necessary and really doesn't matter. He wants us to believe that all we need is to confess Jesus as our Savior and we are home free. But, those who are not holy will not see the Lord. It's a sobering thought isn't it? We don't hear this truth being taught much anymore. But, it does matter to God how we live. Our lives must match up to our teachings. God does not play games with us. Those who are not living in holiness will not see Him. Christ is our holiness so we must live in Christ and become more and more like Him. There is no getting around this truth.

How about it? Are you looking like Christ, or is your Christ looking a lot like you? Are you acting and thinking like Christ is in you and controlling you? If not, you need to bow before Him right now and let him straighten out the mess you are making with your life. We are created by God in Christ to be holy and unless we are, we won't see the Lord. God's words, not mine.