Joshua 24:15 reads, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” Maybe you’ve heard the old saying, You’ve made your bed, now sleep in it. Unfortunately, we all live with the consequences of bad choices we’ve made in the past, for our days are filled with choices…some good, some not so good… but with the Lord’s guidance, He can help us make the best choices for us. Wise and good choices that will have eternal consequences.
Tag: church
House Rules – If it rings…Answer it.
The next House Rule deals with listening and then obeying. The Scripture comes from Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.” If you examine the famous painting depicting this verse, you’ll see that there’s no doorknob on the outside. Jesus stands knocking, but can’t open the door Himself…we have to. All throughout our Spiritual journey with the Lord, He’ll knock at certain doors…doors of opportunity…doors of ministry…doors that are so foreign, scary, and frankly, so far-fetched, that we can’t put our heads around what He’s calling us to do. It’s at that point that we must make the decision to obey…to open that door and allow Him and His plan for us to come in.
Matthew 3:10 ” The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Healthy trees produce lots of fruit, so when they don’t, the orchardist looks deeper. The trees may look perfect from the outside, but hide disease within. Their roots may be withered and gnarled from lack of water or fertilizer. We too can look good on the outside, but be stunted within. We can act very spiritual in Church, say all the right things at Bible Study, and still be very withered inside. The Lord wants us healthy and productive – inside and out, for just like strong, hardy trees that produce lots of fruit… so should we.
Proverbs 14:9 ” Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.”
When those of the world get caught doing wrong, they’re sorry…sorry that they got caught. And the rest of the world will scorn them for doing so. What’s happened to doing the right thing…to owning up to our mistakes, and with authenticity, making restitution for it?
Luke 4:3 ” The devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ “
Satan was questioning Jesus’ authority. Satan knew who Jesus was – but used intimidating language , wanting Jesus to falter. Never allow Satan to force you to question if you’re saved or not…if God really loves you or not… or if He can heal you or not. For if Satan can get you to waver in your belief and trust even a little, fear and doubt will rush in and take over. And when they do, God’s plan and purpose in your life will be stymied.
James 2:1 ” My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”
Last night our small group Bible study had quite a lively discussion on discrimination within the Church. We tend to be most comfortable at Church when everyone looks and acts like us. Our prejudice surfaces when someone outside that “mold” ventures into the Sanctuary seeking the Lord. Yes, they may not look like you…they may not have the same values or mores…but they are still a Child of God searching for the truth. We need to extend to them the same love that Jesus did…not judging, but supporting and encouraging as the Holy Spirit moves in their life.
Proverbs 26: 28 ” A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”
Words can cut deep…and if they’re deceitful on top of that, they’re deadly. Why then do we choose to lie? It’s simple, if the truth doesn’t serve us well – we lie. If we want to get back at someone we dislike – we’ll lie. If we want our way – we sweet talk and flatter…saying what we know the other person wants to hear. Lying can become a way of life – where no two stories are ever the same, and we say whatever will get us the results we desire.
Revelation 20: 1-2 ” And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”
God could have sent the archangel, Michael…who was a mighty warrior. He could have sent the angel, Gabriel…who had announced the birth of Jesus. But instead, He sent someone else. An angel that not only carried the keys to the Abyss, but wrangled the devil, hog-tying him up in a chain and tossing him headlong into the bottomless pit. God didn’t need to send Michael or Gabriel to subdue the devil…He just needed some unknown angel to do the job.
I Chronicles 26: 12 ” These divisions of the Gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the Temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had.”
Have your parents always been active in Church, but you’ve held back…maybe thinking it’s not for you? Look around your Church and assess the age of those who serve the most. Are they in their 20’s or 30’s…or is it more like 60’s and 70’s, or older? The sad fact about many Churches today is that the vast majority of those ministering and volunteering are the elderly of the Church, not younger adults. In this verse, it speaks of the Gatekeepers being chief men…men who were strong and in the prime of their life…charged with guarding and protecting with self-discipline and integrity. The Church is only as young as the people who serve. And when those precious Saints of the Church are gone…what happens next? Who will fill their shoes? Will you?
I Corinthians 12:12-13 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Here Paul is comparing the human body with the body of Christ…the Church. Just as the many parts of the human body work together in complete harmony…each with its own unique purpose, the body of Christ – the Church and its many parts need to come together in like-mindedness also. And just like the human body, one part cannot work in isolation from the rest. That would be like one Sunday morning your heart getting up and deciding not to be part of your body that day! You may think that your presence at Church doesn’t matter…but it does…the whole body suffers when one part is absent.
Safetypinlove 