Stay The Course

Galatians 5:7 "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth"?

We should always admit and praise that which is good that you may effectually rebuke the evil.Paul did not hesitate to praise  the Galatians and say,"ye did run well". It brings great joy to christians to see others running this race well. To do this, we must run on the right road, straight forward, with our eyes on Christ. It is great grief to see the many who are hindered or lead off the road. The way is the truth, and the running is obedience. We are hindered when we cease to obey the truth. It will do us good to check and see who and what has tried to hinder us in our race.
 

This Christian race is by no means easy. We are hindered in running the race which is set before us, because of our sinful nature still remains in the holiest of us.The entanglements of the world, like heavy or tight fitting clothes, hindering the runners ability to run. Our weakness and infirmities, wear us out, because the race is long and the road can get rough. Some are to busy to run this race. Some run to fast at the start and are soon out of breath. We have fallen off in the areas of  reading God's word, and family prayer. We have lost God's word in the mist of other books about the bible that seems to occupy so much of our time, we find no time to read the truth of the bible. Many have read biographies, and commentaries written by religious leaders and famous preachers, but have never read the biography of Jesus Christ, the bible. Many are hindered by the many worldly friends in our lives, none can help us in this race but those who are themselves running it; every one else is a hinderance. When a Christian forms a intimate relationship with a ungodly person, from that moment all progress is at a standstill. See the ungodly person is going in a different direction, so to walk with them you must turn from the direction of God.
 

A man's course in religion may often seem to be right and progressive, but the undercurrent of his besetting sins is driving him contrary to where he is striving to get to. Let us run on to the end.

The Unfaithful Bride

Hosea 1:2 "And the Lord said to Hosea,Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms:for the land hath committed great whordom,departing from the Lord.

The church of the living God. The bride of Christ, purchased with the blood of Christ, and yet she has turned to a woman of whoredom. Choosen to be a spiritual beauty, she has become material girl to be sold to the highest bidder. She has become more interested in making money than she is about saving souls, giving birth to children of whoredom. She profess to love the Lord, but she prostitutes herself for the things of this world.

The Church of the living God, built upon the foundation of Peter confession to Jesus, that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God, but this message has gotten lost. Jesus gave His life for the Church, He paid for it yet she has wandered into the way of a harlot. The message she preached has changed from one of soul saving to one of fund-raising. The church of God revelation has been replaced with the many ministries of mans imagination. So much of the world has been invited into the temple, the temple has been turned from a house of worship, to a worldly prostitute, following what ever will bring in the most money. The under shepherds have turn from servants of the Lord, to servants of self. Like a dime store pimp they use the church of God to line their pockets, and fill their lives with the toys of this world, preying on the flock instead of praying over the flock.

The Love of God, His church, has turned away from the truth of God's word, to the empty promises of this world. But God is faithful and He stands with His arms stretched wide open awaiting her return. Let us go back to God, let the church get back to the business of saving souls. Let the men of God be servants of God, that they might be better leaders to the people of God

In Obedience to God; Love Him

John 14:15 " If  you love me, keep my commandments".

If we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments. Obedience is not optional for believers. Jesus stated a simple fact that must be clearly understood. If  you love me keep my commandments. Jesus is not giving an optional commandment. He is saying that the man who truly loves Him will keep His commandments. So for the born again believer there is no option. He loves Jesus; therefore, he keeps His commandments. In this we the true believer is not claiming perfection, but we are claiming to love Jesus and to believe with all our heart that Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore we must diligently seek Jesus, and seek to please Him in all that we do. To Love Jesus is not an emotional thing. It involves emotions but it is not based on emotions. It doesn't change according to the situation. It is not a rational or mental commitment. It involves the mind but it is more than deciding and following some rules. To love Jesus is a matter of the heart and the spirit. It is a heart thing, from the inter most being of man.

The heart is the seat of man's affections, and devotion. The heart attaches and focuses our  affection, will, and devotion to an object or person. The heart causes a man to will, or to give himself either to good or bad. To love Jesus means that a man focuses his heart, affections, and will, upon God by giving and receiving the love of God. We must give all we have and all we are to Jesus Christ for him to do as he will. We must deny our self daily, not deny our self of things, but deny self, we die to self and our will that we might live in Him for His will. This should be the action of our love for God.

Obligation!

1 Corinthians 9:16 " For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel!

As Christians,we have made a commitment to work on growing in our walk with God. The mission is ongoing, it doesn't stop after we have attended church a certain number of Sundays or read through the entire Bible a certain number of times. Of course, those things are important to being a disciple, but a bigger charge is that we not only believe in the Lord, but also believe the Lord and have unwavering faith in Him.  

Once we learn the Gospel, it is our responsibility to share it with all we see.We will want to share it, because it is such good news to us and everyone else. The Gospel is bigger than our failures, even when we fall short of perfection, we must remain steadfast and determined to believe the gospel and share it. To a dying world we might be the only glimpse of Christ they will see. We are ambassadors for Christ, there are no days off and there is no lunch break. Once you have been born you cannot be unborn, so we are to be a living witness for Christ at all times. When we minister to non-believers, we will sometimes be met with resistance, as Jesus and the apostles were. This should not discourage us from our unwavering loyalty.

With the weekend now upon us what  will we show the world?Will our weekend life bear witness to the Savior, or will we give in to the lust ,will and desires of the flesh? will we be a lighthouse or a stumbling block to a lost and dying world. Regardless of what challenges we are met with, or what failures occur, we cannot save others, only God can do that.We are only responsible for remaining true to our commitment to the gospel, and sharing it with all that we see.

Worthy To Follow

Matthew 10:38 "Ye that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, Is not worthy of me".
Before his crucifixion our Lord has a foresight of it,and does not hesitate to realize himself as bearing his cross. With equal prescience he foresees each true disciple receiving and taking up his own personal cross. He sees none exempted.Picture a procession led by Jesus bearing His cross, and His disciple making up a cross bearing train following behind Him. This is a real march of suffering which reaches through all time. The chief requirement of a disciple is to follow Jesus in all things, in cross-bearing as in all else. We can't rejoice with the risen Savior if  you are  not  will to suffer with the crucified Lord.

 

Cross-bearing is trying, laborious, sorrowful, and humiliating, but it is inevitable to all who will follow Jesus. We are bound to take up our own personal cross, I can't carry and yours and you can't carry mine. Your cross might be giving up certain pleasures or indulgences, or any thing that might hinder your walk in complete obedience with Christ. Be it to live in poverty to proclaim the good news to the less fortunate, or enduring hardship and punishment for the good of others, what ever your cross, you must take it up voluntarily and follow Christ. We are to deliberately take it up, not to choose a cross, not to make your own cross, not to complain about the cross given you, not to faint under it, fall beneath it or run from it, but to patiently endure it, for Christ is carrying the heavy end.

 

We ought to be thankful that we only have to bear it, and that it doesn't have to bear us. It is a royal burden, a sanctified burden, a sanctifying burden, a burden which gives communion with Christ.  let not the righteous dread the cross, for it will not crush them: it may be painted with iron colors by our fears, but it is not made of that heavey metal; we can bear it, and we will bear it right joyously, for he reward is glory. Are you worthy to follow?

Jesus Saves

1John 4:14 " And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world".

We have been called and separated from this world to be ambassadors for Christ. Called to live a life that bears witness to the truth of Gods' word that Jesus saves. Called to let our light so shine before men that they might see our good works and glorify God in heaven. We have been given all that we need to live this life and tell a dying world Jesus saves.

Jesus was made in the image of sinful man that man could once again take on the image of a Holy God. We who know the goodness of God, must lift up Jesus to a dying world. We must lift Him up by living a life that shows a dying world that our savior lives, and He has the power to save all who look to Him. All who are saved owe their salvation to the work of Jesus on the cross. We are then obligated to elevate Jesus, it is because He lives that we can have life. Let us lift Jesus and save a lost world. It is not about us being saved, it is about the savior who can save.

Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to ever creature that all might be saved. Equipped with the truth of His word, the power of  His spirit, and the testimony of our witness, we are to lead a world lost in darkness, to Jesus the light of the world. We are to take up the fragments of broken lives and bring them to Jesus that none should be lost. Jesus saves, let us pass it on...

Not By Sight

Matthew 14:29 "And He said Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to come to Jesus."

We walk by faith, it is a walk that cannot be seen by the physical eye or understood with the carnal mind. It is a walk where we don't see and believe, but we believe and see. It is a journey traveled uphill on a road paved with the promises of God, and we are guided by the truth of God's word.

In our story today we have what some would say is a impossible feat. We have Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. But understand, many today with the carnal mind believe this holy walk we have been called to is impossible. Peter desires to come to Christ, it is a great thing when we have a desire to come to the Lord. Christ told him to come. We must trust that when Christ calls us, that He will prepare and equip us to make the journey. Our Faith in Jesus allows us to walk on the waves of our life. Our faith in Jesus allows us to walk above the things and pit falls of this world. Our faith keeps us from being over taken and over whelmed by the things of the evil one. We must trust that we are being upheld by His everlasting arms.

But as we see, it was when Peter's focused was no longer on the strength he has in Jesus, in his own weakness he began to sink. But God is the Lord of mercy, Peter didn't sink like a rock, like most of us would have, Jesus allowed him to sink slow enough for him to be able to cry out "Lord save me". If you find yourself starting to sink in sin because of unbelief remember to cry out to Him who has the power to quiet any storm, and continue this walk of faith..