“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1-2
Many times our spiritual life is a yo-yo experience. It is God’s desire for us and design for us to go on making progress. He calls on us to go on becoming more mature in our spiritual life. Our problem is that we often cannot see our immaturity. We can easily recognize immaturity in others but are blind to the same weakness in ourselves. One man said, “My wife sure is immature. Every time I take a bath, she comes in and sinks my boats.”
Of course, the need for Christians to grow and mature in their faith and practice has always been a problem. We see this when we read Hebrews 6:1-2. The writer to the Hebrews saw the danger of laziness, lethargy, and apathy as a great danger to the Christian life and the mission of our Lord to save the lost. No generation in history has had as many forms of entertainment, nor as much time for leisure as ours. The call of God to each believer is for us to mature, to grow up, and to be all that God means for us to be. We will go on in time until God calls us to Himself, but will we go on in maturity to be more of what our Lord saved us to be?
The great questions are, “Am I now all that the Lord saved me to be? Do I know His Word as I should? Do I live in close communion with Him as I should? Am I the witness that I should be? Is my moral life reflective of His Lordship in me? Is my faith in Him pleasing to Him? Is it possible for me to grow in all these areas?” Most of us know that we are deficient in many of these areas. I don’t point this out to make you feel guilty. That is not the purpose of the Lord. The purpose is to help us see the opportunity available for us to grow in our relationship to the Lord and His purposes in and through us. God bless and have a great week.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3-10
One of the greatest problems I have seen in the lives of Christians while serving as a pastor, is the difficulty so many Christians have with their attitudes. It is so easy to allow a sour or bad attitude to ruin your testimony and cause unsaved people to believe that Christians are hypocrites.
Sometimes a person’s attitude is so bad it seems beyond repair. A little boy was visiting his grandfather’s farm. His grandfather was a rather stern, old-fashioned Baptist. The little boy went out to the barnyard and saw the chickens pecking on the ground and running around playing. He said, “Nope, they ain’t got it.” Then he saw a little colt running around in the corral kicking up his heels. The little boy said, “Nope, he ain’t got it.” They he saw the donkey with a long, furrowed and sad face. The little boy said, “Yep, he’s got it.” The grandfather asked, “Son, what is it that the donkey has that the chickens and the colt didn’t have?” The boy answered, “That’s easy to answer granddad. Look at that donkey’s long, sad face. He has the same religion you have!”
If our attitude is not in keeping with the Lordship of Christ, others will assume that our faith is sad and empty. Jesus shared the Beatitudes to ensure that we know the kind of attitudes we ought to have in our lives.
Eight times in these verses Jesus tells us that He wants us to be blessed and happy. It is important to remember that Jesus came to bless us; yes, and to bless all who will trust and follow Him. Remember Jesus loves you and I pray you have a blessed week.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,” Matthew 28:19
“All the nations” speaks to the universality of the Gospel. We don’t get to choose with whom we share our faith. Jesus expects us, as the body of Christ, to go evangelize the world. The Bible clearly states that He died for the whole world, leaving no room for prejudice and discrimination. We have the greatest news the world has ever received, that Jesus lived, died, and has risen as our all sufficient Savior. The poet Annie Johnson Flint wrote:
Christ has no hands but our hands, to do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet, to lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongue, to tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help, to bring them to His side.
“The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7
It is easy to say “the Lord is good” when everything is going well. My health is good, got a good paying job, my family is well, and God is good. But we know things can change quickly. You just lost that good job, you or a family member are experiencing a health crisis, can you still say the Lord is good? If God is good, why did He allow these bad things to happen to me? This truth, that God is good, will help remind us that His ways are not our ways, He sees things we cannot. Many times what we deemed to be a horrible event, turns out to be a blessing. Knowing that God is good will sustain us when the tough days come. How comforting it is to know that you can call on Jesus in the day of trouble. He wants to be your stronghold, that place you find strength and hope. He knows when you are trusting Him, He also knows when you are not. For example, during those times when you are trusting in your own knowledge and devices. When you feel like He has forgotten you, know that He is good and faithful. He knows you and loves you, trust Him today.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
With all of the uncertainty that a new year brings, we can be sure that God has already seen all of our tomorrows. Will we have troubles in this coming year? Yes. Will there be hard days? Yes. Will there be days when we think that we can’t go on? Yes. Remember each day, that no matter what the circumstances may be, God has a plan and wants you to persevere through each trial. He has not promised to remove the difficulties of life, but He has promised to be with you through each of them. God’s thoughts for us is about our holiness, not necessarily our happiness. May the New Year find you faithfully trusting and following God’s will for your life. Happy New Year and God Bless.
