Encouragement
DAILY/EVENING REFLECTIONS
1 John 5
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.-NASB
"Children, don't drag your feet in this!
GOD has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship - this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well."
2 Chronicles 29:11 MSG
I was recalling a passage of scripture where Christ said, “by their fruits you will know them.” This made me think of how we can check our own “fruits” and see where we are in Christ. You see, it is so easy to look at others and point fingers at the glaring inconsistencies of their thoughts or approaches, but we tend to be lily white in our own minds in this regard.
Such silliness! We are all sinners and all have come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no not one.
So, I came up with a checklist that I refer to see if I am on the right path when it comes to God and His purpose. I by no means have mastered them all, but I am trying! Even if the path is years in the distance, I won’t get there if I am on the wrong road or driving without directions. It’s good to take stock at oneself and make sure that, despite it all, we are headed in the right direction.
Top ten ways to know if you are walking in the will of God.
1) Accepting Christ. Okay this is a no brainer. Many know that the Christian faith is based on this concept. It is through this very act that our new lives begin and we are set on the road to becoming a “new creature”.
2) Inexpressible joy. It’s the kind of thing that’s hard to describe to others-it’s like trying to detail how someone kisses. You can’t really know unless you experience it yourself. If life experiences are keeping you from obtaining this God given joy, pray, seek the Lords face, repent of any wrongs and sins and get back on track with his will.
3) Christian Love. There is no love like Christian love, it is divine and forgiving, scoffed at by the world, and oft times, not even fully practiced out of a fear of being perceived as weak. Christ was no door mat. He spoke His mind-he avoided danger-and yet even the Pharisee and Sadducee he loved (he died for them too). Christian love is unconditional, and while discerning, not judgmental or self righteous. It is kind and courteous-it is patient and long suffering. Any thing good and decent can be attributed to Christian love-if you find yourself angry, bitter, full or resentment or hate then you have certainly lost your way-you must pray to the lord to recapture this important aspect, for this is yet another indication you may have wandered off your path.
4) Faith. Yes, I believe even our faith is a gift from God, bestowed upon us the second we accept Him-and we are then responsible for keeping it fed and well nourished. Faith fuels Christian love and joy-without it you may spiritually flatline and disconnect with the Father. Now it is possible to lose faith from time to time, but I am talking about constant nagging and pessimism akin to the Israelite’s shameful faithlessness after their rescue from Egypt. God was so upset with them, that they wandered 40 years off their goal of reaching the promised land. If you find this important nugget missing from your life, pray that God restore it before you too find yourself in the “desert” of faithlessness.
5) Spiritual Growth. We become new creatures in Christ seeing things that are hard to teach unless one has newly opened spiritual eyes. The Holy Spirit is a counselor and guides us through scripture and our quest to understanding God and our purpose. Now some things God will not allow you to know early in your walk, and I think it is because he wants to slowly guide us to truth. Can you imagine the burden of knowing everything there is to know at once? No, in His wisdom He gives us bits and pieces. If you have a hard time with this aspect pray to God to open your eyes to His will.
6) Prayer and Meditation. As the above scripture says, those who desire to be with God and live for God do not find their “chores” burdensome, but rather prayer, meditation and reading are a pleasure, because we thirst to know more about this Being who is so good to us and who loves us enough to send His son to die for us. Every time I read I come closer to understanding more of the nature of the Spirit that is walking beside me. However, some things are veiled to me-but this is good. I have learned to stop questioning and just accept that God reveals things in his way according to his own time table. Remember, prayer is just not a wish hotline to ask for things we want, but it is a communication line, a way to talk to the Divine which leads me to number:
7) One on One with God. The relationship Christian’s have with God is just that. A relationship. We can talk and relate to Him, bearing in mind He is a Spiritual Entity and therefore deserving of reverence even in our casual speak. It is the most wonderful thing in the world to be in His care and to have Him guide you. I have avoided a lot of turmoil listening to God’s wise counsel-and of course it has been to my shame and ruin when I have not listened. A personal relationship with Christ is a gift of the Walk, and thereby it signals a wrong turn if you don’t have this crucial relationship.
8) Wisdom and Strength. Solomon asked for Wisdom and God gave it to him. Ask and the Father grants, and He is pleased by children who desire to know the truth behind our existence. Strength is gathered from understanding that someone bigger than the world is in our corner. I see far too many Christians allowing themselves to get caught up in the problems of this life-so much so that they cut off their blessings. Blessed are those who have both the knowledge and the strength to understand that “if God is for us, who can be against us.” And if things don’t happen as we desire or just as fast as we would like, there is a reason.
9) Works. As it was pointed out, works alone do not save you, and if given in the wrong spirit, is null and void. Works are an extension of the love we have for God and for fellow man. We don’t seek out works as a “requirement” but rather “because” we love-this is what is meant by “faith without works is dead.” It means if you don’t have works, you don’t have love and no love-NO Christ!
10) Obedience. Now most of us don’t understand what this truly means, and it may be the hardest thing to resolve within us seeing as humans are such willful beings. So many times I have done the opposite of what I was told, to my own peril. Even Paul said that the things he does not want to do he does. The flesh is a terrible thing indeed. But God let us know how important this is to him when he had Samuel tell Saul
"What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?
Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. 23Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols.” 1 Samuel 15, NLT
We need to always keep in mind that obedience is the corner stone of our walk-those who fail to heed the Father suffer for such foolishness (as I have in the past to my great regret). It has made me more apt to listen to that “still small voice” and to do what is pleasing to him only, despite what the world at large thinks.
Welp, that’s it brethren-this is my own personal checklist-you may borrow from it or make your own. The concepts above are fairly close to my main idea, which is simply this: WE must take stock so we do not lose our way-know what we are doing, why we are doing it and above all-if we are capable of doing it. To whom much is given much is required, and it won’t always be pleasant, but I guarantee it will always be rewarding.-ARN under the direction of THS 2004
EVENING REFLECTIONS-FURTHER MEDITATION
Think about your own personal walk-take stock, and if there is some place or area you are weak, pray for God to Strengthen you! Love you!
Galatians 5
22But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,--NIV
FUNNY BONE YARD
Minister Billy Graham
The Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven."
"I don't think I'll be there," the boy said. "You don't even know your way to the post office."
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