"Not in word, but in Power"

I Corinthians 4:20
"For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."

It seems that God reminded me through this verse that it matters not what I can say. After many years of living the Christian life, I can learn just the right things to say that make me sound 'ultra-spiritual.' These words are spoken for the glory of man and have no lasting affect on my life and the lives of those I influence.

What matters most is whether or not the power of God rests on my life. The old hymn quotes, "All is vain unless the spirit of the Holy One comes down." My dear sweet great grandmother, Ruby Byrom, used to sing this sweet hymn, "Brethren We Have Met to Worship." What a dear sweet saint she was and what a great truth she sang!

God, I invite you into every area of my life no matter how small it may seem. I need You as the center of all I do. Thank You for this great reminder You sent my way!

Not Quick to Judge...

I Corinthians 4:5
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."

Isn't it amazing how we always seem to know the intents of the heart in others around us?! We certainly act is if we do so often, I know I am guilty. But, the truth is, I cannot possibly know all the thoughts and intents of man's heart around me, even though often they may appear to be as open as a book.

Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that only the wisdom of God can see through the exterior of a man to really know the 'thoughts and intents of the heart.'
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

I cannot judge man's intents; I ought to leave this in the hands of the Lord. I have enough to worry about in keeping my own walk with God as it should be. Thank You, God, for this reminder not to be quick to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart in others around me.

Giving No Offense...

II Corinthians 6:3 "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:"

This small verse packs such a POWERFUL truth!

As a Christian, I ought to be willing to let go of anything in my life that might cause another to stumble or walk away from the ministry of Christ. There may be things that I do not believe are necessarily sinful, but they might cause someone around me to take offense towards God and blame the ministry.

I believe God makes it obvious in His Word that there are areas where He does desire for me to take a stand; but I need not be offensive in my demeanor towards others. I believe God is reminding me here that I must be willing to let go of some menial things, some that I might enjoy, if they might possibly be  a stumbling block to another Christian who is watching my life.

If I truly want to be used of God, I must care more about the influence my life has on others than I do about my own selfish wants and desires.

Thank You, God! This is a great reminder to live my life today one step above reproach.

Sanctification...What's that?

This is the Dictionary definition...

Sanctification - To make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate. To purify.

I Corinthians 1:2
"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,"

Paul seems to be commending these Christians, as well as us today, and encouraging us to be sanctified (or set apart--different).

Yes, I think it is important that we as Christians are able to easily converse and identify with any person we meet. I think we ought to be constantly working on our "people skills" and our ability to carry on friendly conversation with all those that cross our paths.

However, the word "sanctify" is mentioned 65 times in the Word of God. Apparently it is very important to God that we as Christians live a life set apart from the "norm."

In today's society, we are attempting to bring our churches, religious standards and lifestyles down from God's level to the world's level. When people walking into our churches feel they are in the same atmosphere as the rock concert they attended the night before...how is this set apart or sanctified?

Thank You, God, for reminding me the importance as a 21st century Christian to rediscover the word Sanctification in my daily life and not be embarrassed about it! What a privilege and great responsibility to be an "advertisement" for God.

Confident and Willing...

II Corinthians 5:7-8 "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

Confident and Willing...These 2 words are so often left out of the description of a life of faith and yet are so key to its existence in our lives.

Without a confidence in God and a willingness in our hearts, it is next to impossible to have abiding faith in our Christian walk especially one that is lived by trust and not sight. We cannot always "see" God's way; we often have to walk on in faith--trusting His promise to lead us.

Do I really confidently believe in the power of God and the truth of His Word in my heart? Am I really willing to do whatever God wants me to do with my life and go wherever He wants me to go?

I, like Paul, must be a Christian with a strong confidence in the existence and power of God and a true willingness to do what He wants in order to truly live my life by faith and not by sight.

Trying Times...

II Corinthians 4:17 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

The trials we face here on earth may seem extreme to us as we are walking through the valley of sorrow. However, God gently reminds us here through Paul's letter to the Corinthian people that our affliction is light and temporal in view of eternity.

Have you ever put together a very large jigsaw puzzle? Aren't there always some strange looking pieces that don't seem to fit anywhere? It is almost impossible to figure out a large puzzle without the big picture on the outside of the box.

My son enjoys putting puzzles together; but sometimes he needs the help of a parent to figure out where a funny-shaped piece fits the picture. In the end, every piece is needed to complete the picture.

Our lives can be very similarly compared. There will be moments (or pieces) in our lives that look strange to us and do not seem to fit. We would love to just toss them out of our lives altogether. However, our "Dad" up in Heaven can see the big picture. He knows what pieces are needed to make the picture of our lives complete.

We must learn to trust that God's ways will actually create a far more beautiful picture for eternity than we could ever hope to create on our own.

This is an easy truth to write, but a much harder one to live by! Thank You, God, for this wonderful reminder today!

Can We Have Joy or Not?

II Corinthians 2:1-3 "But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all."

I refuse to believe that we as Christians "in this day and age" cannot have joy because of all the religious oppression and negativity!

It seems God is reminding us through Paul's writing in this passage of Scripture that we are often the ones who "squelch" our own joy.

How?

...By speaking of so many negative things with other Christians. We discuss every problem known to man and then we wonder why our joy is affected. We are depressing the very people who can help make us happy! Just because something is true does not mean we always need to discuss it.

God offers so many promises that should add eternal joy to our lives! However, it seems God is reminding us here that the level of our joy can be affected by the things we choose to dwell on and talk about with those around us.

God, I need the building spiritual fellowship of other happy Christians. Therefore, remind me today to find the positive in every situation and spend more time talking about it! What a great reminder You have given me this morning.

The Right Kind of Spiritual Leadership...

II Corinthians 1:24 "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand."

Being a spiritual leader is such a huge responsibility. Men, women and young people are trusting us to help them with their future decisions. However, according to this verse that Paul wrote to the Corinthian people, it does not seem that God has called us to be spiritual dictators.

According to the words Paul penned here, it is not the job of the spiritual leader to attempt to have dominion over the faith of the follower. Our job is to be "helpers of their joy" so they can "stand by faith!"

God's words in Hebrews 11:6 come to mind, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him:"

If we teach our followers to obey God "because we said so," we have failed! That is not faith. According to God's Word, we are to teach them the truths of God through evident joy in our own lives. This in turn will help them have the faith to choose to stand for God on their own.

I am reminded of the old saying, "Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime."

It is so important that I teach my followers how to make the right choices in life rather than trying to make all of their choices for them.

WOW! Thank You, God, for reminding me of this great and needed truth in my life!

Hate?

Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

Hate is a strong word that the world wants to do away with. It is, however, a biblical concept, IF it is used God's way. God NEVER asks us to hate people--He only asks us to hate the sin and evil that hurt people's lives.

If we loathe sin for its consequences we will be much less likely to give in to Satan's temptations than if we live life with an indifferent attitude.

Is it wrong to hate?

Well...God asks us to "hate" several times in the Scriptures. He NEVER asks us to aim our hate towards people. Leviticus 19:17a "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart:" God loves every man.

He does ask us to hate sin and evil so we will not fall prey to Satan's temptations. God does not recommend living life with an indifferent attitude!

Thanks, God for this truth.

DESIRE!!

Proverbs 18:1
"Through DESIRE a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom."

Ahhh...the words of my junior high Bible teacher, Mr. Bass, ring through my mind."

"What's the key word, class?" he would say.

"DESIRE!" we would answer loudly, knowing if we did not repeat the word with gusto he would make us say it again.

This was usually the dialogue to start our class every single day for an entire school year, actually 2 school years--7th and 8th grade. We usually repeated these words several times each class period.

We may have thought him to be a bit odd, but I bet any junior higher that went through his Bible class could tell you the "Key Word."

Back then I thought him to be quite the eccentric; however, according to this verse he was RIGHT!

The first ingredient to growth in any area of our Christian lives is DESIRE. We have to "want to." Do I want to be a better mom? Then I have to have enough desire to get out of bed in the morning to read my Bible and spend time with God to glean wisdom.

What an amazing truth found in 2 little words, "through desire." Please, Holy Spirit, convict me when I even begin to lose my desire to please my Lord!