Philippians 3:17-4:1 "Enemies of the Cross"

            “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!”

            The new school year is upon us! Whether we go to school or not, every day we encounter many people living as enemies of the cross of Christ. Though they may seem to have their life altogether, and everything seems to be work for their good—popularity among peers, money, good looks, a good job, grades in school, etc.—we know that such a path only leads to destruction. Their god is their stomach. Their mind is focused on what would make them happy, what they want, what will bring them pleasure. None of the things they strive to achieve will ever bring them lasting joy, but yet they still seek to fill their stomachs with temporary pleasures. What glory they think they have found is empty, meaningless, because they find glory in the shame of their sin. The man with a pretty girlfriend may pride himself on always having a pretty girlfriend, but he treats them as disposable, leaving broken hearts behind him. A young woman may pride herself on being a part of the “popular” girls a school, but the burned friendships she left behind loved her more than her “friends” do now. Where those who are enemies of the cross live with their mind on earthly things, our minds should be firmly fixed on the things of God. Let us stand firm this year in the Lord, looking not to the enemies of the cross as an example, but to others following the Lord.

Psalm 73:2-3, 16-17, John 16:33 "Life Isn't Fair"

            “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

            “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destination.”

            It is very likely that someone has told you before that, “Life isn’t fair.” Things happen to use that we feel we don’t deserve. Though we are following God, it still seems like those who aren’t have easier lives than we do. It is when we begin to envy those with earthly ease and wealth, however, that we begin to stumble. Christ tells His disciples in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If we are following God, we will be in direct opposition to the things of this world, and it will bring us hardship. However, we have God-given peace that we will be taken care of –that God is in control and has control of everything. Though, “life isn’t fair,” we have eternity in the presence of God to look toward. But the prosperity of the wicked will not last.

Psalm 27:4, Matthew 6:33, 6:10 "Seeking"

            “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

            “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

            Once we accept the free gift of grace purchased by Christ’s blood and begin following after God, there is one thing we ought to be seeking above anything else. The kingdom of God may often seem like some far off end goal in our lives, something attainable after we have lived out our lives, but the Lord’s prayer teaches us to pray for, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” If we are constantly seeking His kingdom, to dwell with Him and desire His will in everything we do, delighting in His power and glory, everything else will fall into place as we become more like Him. The more we spend time with Him desiring what He desires for our lives, the more we begin to reflect Him in our actions and speech. When we seek God’s kingdom, we are seeking Him and His will.

John 15:19, Isaiah 66:17-23 "New"

            “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

            “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…”

            We do not belong to this world. Like the rest of God’s creation, we were made for His glory, so that He could love us and we could love Him. Our earthly home is imperfect and the people in it sinful. Because we have God’s love living in us, all the pain and suffering around us should break our hearts on a daily basis. Children die before they even have a chance to live. Cancer often takes people much sooner than the family they leave behind could wish. People lose their jobs and families go through divorce. People lie, cheat, and steal from others. But we still have hope! “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Though this world may break our heart, and life seems unfair, though we cry now for the people we have lost, the Lord says, “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”

Hosea 13:14, Matthew 28:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:26 "Resurrection"

            “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

            “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

            “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

            …but He has risen from the grave, having conquered death.

Isaiah 53:4-6, Matthew 27:51, Romans 5:25 a "Death"

            “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has gone his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

            “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

            “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood…”

            …taking our sins upon Himself, being separated from God so that we could have access to Him…

Psalm 22:16, Mark 15:25-26, Romans 5:8 "Crucifixion"

“Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”

“It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Christ died for every single person…

Acts 2:4 "Not Our Words"

            “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

            When we witness, we often times put so much pressure and stress on ourselves that witnessing becomes a chore instead of our genuine desire to tell others about the person who gave His life to save each and every one of us. The truth is that we are not the ones speaking anyway, but the Holy Spirit speaking through us. Our job is to tell others about Christ, to boldly share what He has done in our lives, but He will supply us with the words. We just have to be willing to share. Yes, we might be scorned, we might be mocked, or laughed at, or spit upon. But Christ was first scorned. Christ was mocked, laughed at, and spit upon. When we trust the Holy Spirit to give us the words to say, we know when they reject what we say, they reject Christ. Our responsibility is not to force them to believe, but to plant the seed. God will help it grow, as long as we are willing to simply step out in faith and boldly share.

Proverbs 4:14-17 "The Wicked Path"

            “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the ways of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your own way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.”

            It is very easy to step off of the path of righteousness and step onto the path of the wicked. The path of the wicked is tempting –anger, jealousy, hatred, and pride are all a part of our sinful nature and every time we experience one of these emotions we are tempted to act upon them. But once you step onto that wicked path, it is hard to step off again. This wicked path is the exact opposite of the attitude we should have. We have to replace anger with patience, jealousy with contentment, hatred with love, pride with humility. The wicked man’s desire is to see someone else fall. But the righteous man’s desire is to build someone else up.

Proverbs 16:32 "A Patient Man"

“Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”

            In this day and time we often forget what characteristics God is pleased with in light of the characteristics the world glorifies. To the Lord, patience is a far better trait to be had than the strength, cunning, and skill of a warrior. A patient man is one who knows how to wait on God to fulfill His plans and promises instead of trying to fix things his own way. He is a man of prayer, who seeks the Lord’s guidance before he embarks upon any endeavor. A patient man knows how to control his temper, how to keep from lashing out in anger, saying things that he does not mean, things that he will later regret. He knows not to jump to conclusions, but to instead give others the benefit of the doubt.

When you compare those attributes to the so called “heroes” and “role models” of society today –the celebrities, movie characters, political figures—we see them to portray not a patient man, but the warrior. A warrior who is ready to fight for things on his own strength, who will lie, cheat, steal, and trick to reach his goal, regardless of the cost. The warrior may take the city in a blaze of glory, but that is the only reward he will receive.

Proverbs 9:7-9 "Rebuke"

            “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.”

            This passage of scripture is very revealing. It lays out for us the response of both a wicked man and a wise man when they are rebuked. Their reactions give us an excellent description of where their hearts are at. The mocker, or wicked man, displays an arrogance and pride, gracelessly refusing to consider the correction they have been given. The wise, or righteous man, in comparison accepts the rebuke with thankfulness, humbly taking the correction into consideration and altering his ways. However, we cannot be so quick to apply this knowledge of how a wicked man and a wise man will react to correction to our view of others without first using it to examine our own lives. Are we accepting rebuke arrogantly or humbly? Are we listening to the correction others give us? It is often hard for us to see some of the sin in our lives that others see clearly because we rationalize the sin until we no longer realize we are sinning. When we accept rebuke humbly, we reflect wisdom and the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

Deuteronomy 30:15-18 "Internal Battle"

Deuteronomy 30:15-18

            “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other Gods and worship them, I will declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.”

            The choice is simple: do the right things or do the wrong thing, do the good thing or do the bad thing, do the Godly thing or do the sinful thing. If it is such a black and white thing, and we know that following God will lead to prosperity and refusing to follow Him brings us destruction, why do we continue to sin? Our sinful, worldly nature wars inside our mind with our righteous, Godly nature.  Every single decision we make is a reflection of that battle. Our natures are jostling for position, screaming for us to make a good choice or a bad one. We counteract our sinful nature by feeding our Godly nature. Reading the Word, praying, and serving others –spending time getting to know God better—all strengthen our Godly nature, enabling us to make God-pleasing decisions in our lives.

1 Thessalonians 2:2 "Opposition"

            “We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”

            Just because we face worldly opposition does not mean that we can just give up on a task God has set before us. Because we are no longer of the world when we accept Jesus as our Savior, the world will offer us only temptation and opposition when we follow God’s plan. However, we do not face this opposition and temptation on our own strength. When we face these challenges in our lives it is God’s strength that brings us through and allows us to continue on with His plan.

Philippians 1:27-28 "Conducting Yourself"

            “Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved –and that by God.”

            Our attitudes and out reactions are one of the greatest witnessing tools we have in our possession. Every time we react to a situation or problem in a manner worthy of the gospel, we act in a way most people would not expect. God’s ways are not the world’s ways. In the same way the customs of a foreigner may seem strange to us, so do our actions seem strange to a person who has not accepted Christ. When we act in a way worthy of the gospel, we stand with the body of Christ as if we were one person in Christ. But even this witnessing tool “we possess” comes from God. Our actions in whatever we do ought to reflect God’s grace because He is the one who will save us. All of this, our ability through God to act in a way that is worthy of the gospel, will be a sign to those who do not know God.

"Trust and Wait" Acts 1:7, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11

            “He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’”

            “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.”

            “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

            God loves each and every one of us and has a plan for our lives, “plans to prosper [us] and not to harm [us], plans to give [us] a hope and a future.” He is working for our good because He loves us. However, unfortunately though it may sometimes seem, His plan for us is on His perfect time table, not ours. Sometimes when we are praying and waiting to see God’s plans revealed in our life, we can forget that we are waiting on His perfect plan. We forget that He knows what is best for us and that sometimes, that answer we are looking for is just around the corner, instead trying to manage our lives ourselves. But we are not God, and our plans cannot even compare to His. We worry over what we cannot control, forgetting that He has everything under control, that we can trust Him.

Deuteronomy 8:10-14 "Do Not Forget"

            “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

            It is very important that we never forget how God has blessed us. If we are not careful to remember all of the gifts He has given us, we easily fall prey to the trap of thinking we can accomplish things without God. We cannot do anything without Him, and when we try to take the credit for the amazing things He has done in our lives, when we fool ourselves into thinking we can do it all on our own, we forget the Lord and His commands. We become prideful as we think of all of the things God has done through us, forgetting that it was not through our own power that we accomplished them. We forget His grace and love that saved us from our sins that would condemn us to death.

Numbers 11:1, Philippians 2:14-15 "Standing Out"

            “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when He heard them His anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.”

            “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

            When we complain, to us it may seem like just words, but the words we speak reflect the attitude of our hearts. The world does not condemn a person who complains as they would a murderer because complaining is the norm. People complain, it is as simple as that. They complain because life is hard, because it isn’t fair, because they’ve been wronged in some way, so when you find someone who does not complain, they tend to stand out. It may not seem like they have a reason to always have a smile on their face or a cheerful attitude, but their attitude is a reflection of Christ’s love. We have every reason to celebrate in the glory of the Lord, yet we waste our time focusing on the bad things in our lives instead of seeing the beauty in the day God has made and the opportunities to show other’s His love.

Numbers 13:28-30, Matthew 17:20, "Mountain Moving"

            “But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea along the Jordan.’ Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’”

            As we go through this life, we will encounter much opposition and many mountains that may seem to be immovable. When most of the Israelite spies that were sent into the Promised Land saw the land the Lord said He would give them, they were fearful because of the mighty people who lived there. In their fear they wished to abandon the land God had given them. Caleb, however, knew they could take the land because he knew the Lord was with them. He had faith that the mountain in front of him could be moved by God. Matthew 17:20 says, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” When we have faith in God, faith that He can do the amazing things He has promised us, we can be ready to see miracles.

John 12:26-28 "I Will Follow"

            “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

            If we say we want to serve God, we will follow Him and go where He tells us to. And with that, we will actively seek His desire for our lives. Where He goes, we should go also. We should want to do and go where there is a need. It may not gain us any love from the world, and even if we do, that is not what we should be trying to gain. Instead we should be trying to go where we are called, despite the odd looks and laughs at the faith we show when we follow God. We should not shrink away when faced with the head shaking of the world. Instead we should look at such attention as a chance to glorify God’s name. Even if they look down on us for following God, we can still use that as an opportunity to share the good news with someone we might not have been able to otherwise.

John 12:25, Matthew 10:39 "Lose Your Life"

            “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

            “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

            Because this world is all we have ever known, it is easy to focus on the earthly things and forget that this life is not all that is in store for us. When we live in this world where people are focused on themselves and what is happening in the here and now, it is hard to fix our eyes on heavenly things instead of earthly things. We fall into the trap of grasping onto this life too tightly, living life to the fullest extent of earthly possibilities. We do what we want to do in the time we have been given instead of dying to ourselves and using every second we have on this earth to bring glory to God, waiting expectantly for the day when He will bring us to live with Him in paradise for all eternity, basking in the presence of God. If we find our life on this earth, we will lose it, because it is frail and worthless in the tapestry of time. But if we lose our life on earth, we will find it, because the gift of life God offers is eternal and everlasting.

"In the Presence of a Holy God" Leviticus 10:1-2, Romans 6:23, Numbers 18:22, John 14:6

            “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

            “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

            “From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.”

            “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father in heaven except through me.’”

            Many times people have a hard time understanding how God could seem so unforgiving in verses like Leviticus 1 and 2, but still love us enough to send his Only Son to pay the price for our sin. But, “[we] will bear the consequences of [our] sin…” and “the wages of sin is death.” By all rights each of us does not deserve life. We are sinful people and if we were to be judged at this moment, we would not deserve to live on our own acts. Only because we have an intercessor on our behalf can we stand before God without being struck down for the sins we have committed. God has given us the gift of eternal life through Christ, “…the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].” We have been given a great gift, the gift of grace, so that we can stand in the presence of the Lord without fear.     

Psalm 19:14, Matthew 12:24 "Overflow"

            “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

            “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

            We may not think that what we think is very important, but the mind is where everything we do begins. The sin we struggle with does not just all of the sudden spring up in our lives. It starts in the mind, festering and growing until it overflows in our lives. If we are sinning, we can know that sin has its start in our hearts. But, the focus of our hearts works both ways. If our focus is on God, if our hearts are turned to God, our words will reflect that as well. If we are filled with the love of God, the little inconveniences like having a bad hair day or being cut off while driving will not affect our attitude. If complaining is a reflection of discontent, a loving and cheerful attitude reflects the content that only God brings. Our daily prayer should be that our words and thoughts be pleasing to the Lord. We must be aware of our thoughts and what they say about us even though no one else can see what we think.

Titus 2:11-14 "Eager to Do Good"

            “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope –the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

            We are a people set apart from the wickedness of the world. We are Christ’s very own people, set apart and purified so that we might do what is good. His grace He showed us by dying on the cross to redeem us teaches us to refuse to give in to the evil desires of our flesh, guiding us to live godly, upright lives following the Lord instead of lines of passion. We are to live self-controlled lives, free from the whims that govern the sinful nature, instead living loving and serving others instead of ourselves. Then we live our lives in a way that truly matters. Then we become eager to do what is good.

1 Peter 1:13-16 "Be Prepared"

            “Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”

            We must be ready, we must be constantly prepared for our daily battle with sin. When we open our eyes, we must prepare our minds to fight off the evil influences of sin we will encounter that day. As we talk with the first other human we come in contact with, we must remember to excuse self-control in our interactions with others. And we must put all our hope in the grace God has given us so that, even though we fail, we are not condemned for our sins. Because we have the knowledge of Christ we are called to a higher standard than when we lived in ignorance. We are called to be like the One who called us. We are called to be holy in all that we do, in every breath we take and every day we live.

Ephesians 6:5-8 "Our Earthly Masters"

            “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not man, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

            In this life we have many people in roles of authority over our lives. Our parents, teachers, bosses, people who rank higher than we do in the workplace, and anyone in a position of leadership over us count as an earthly master. We may not be their slaves, but they are still in power over us. It is these people in our lives, these people that we often groan and complain about having to listen to that we need to respect most. We are told to respect them even when they are not looking, not to win any favor for ourselves, but so that we would do God’s will. We are to serve with all our hearts, giving the job our best efforts as if we are serving the Lord. Really, in the end, when we give our authorities our very best work, we are actually serving God who rewards those who do good.

1 John 3:1-3 "Children of God"

            “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

            How completely amazing is it that we, sinners, doomed to die both physically and spiritually, can be called children of God? We cannot love the world or anything in the world because the world does not know God. If we desire to know God and to be His child, the world will not know us. The world does not know God, so it does not know us who are becoming more and more like God. The world, however, does not matter. We may not know all that the future holds for us, but we know Him and we know we are His children. When He returns, we shall see Him in His entirety, seated on His throne. Then, as His children, we will be like Him, pure as He desires, in awe and worship of His name.

1 John 2:15-17 "Love of the World"

            “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world –the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

            We cannot be a Christian actively pursuing a strong personal relationship with God cannot love the world. Everything we know to be evil is of the world. When we boast of the things we have, not in the love God has for us we love the world. When we lust after the sinful things of this world instead of searching for God’s desire for our lives we love the world. When we love the world, we cannot love Christ as we should. Everything of this world will perish. This world and its pleasures are only temporary. But when we do God’s will we will live forever in paradise. Our time on this world is short –let us use it for His glory, not ours.

"The Body of Christ" 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 11-12, 14-19, 29-30, Mark 16: 15

            “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of workings, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…

            “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 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…

            “Now the body is not made up of one part, but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…

            “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?”

            “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’”

            Everyone has their own talents, their own God given talents. Everyone is unique –everyone has their own skills and abilities to offer the world, usually to help themselves. But, what about using those talents to help the church? Each of us is a part of the body of Christ. We do not all play the same role, but each of us is important in our own role. Together the talents we have been given complement each other to accomplish God’s plans and fulfill the needs of those around us. Each of us has gifts, talents, and abilities that can be used to preach the good news. Be open to God’s call on your life, because He calls each and every one of us to, “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation”. He calls us to use the gifts He has given us to glorify His name.

1 John 2:9-11 "Hate Blinds"

            “Anyone who claims to be in the light, but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him.”

            Any kind of hate in our lives hinders our ability to walk with God. However, when we hate our brothers, we are still living in darkness. “We love because he first loved us.” If we are not showing the love we were shown, we are not living in the light. When we love our brothers, showing the love we were shown when Jesus died on the cross, taking on the sins we had committed so that we can have a relationship with Him, we will not stumble. When we hate our brother we walk through our life in darkness. We cannot see where we are going because we do not have love to light the way.

1 John 2:1-6 "Walk in the Light"

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense --Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for owls, but also for the sins of the whole world. We know we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him," but does not follow his commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

When we become a Christian, we can no longer measure ourselves by the world's standards because Jesus has given us the standard of perfection. The Bible is God's Word that He gave us so that we might not sin. Because He is Holy and Righteous, He cannot look upon sin, so desiring to have a relationship with us, He desires for us to be sinless. But, because God knows we are not perfect, He gives us one to speak in our defense --Jesus Christ, His Only Son.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "Sin and Temptations"

            “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

            Sin starts in our minds. It wriggles its way into our lives sneakily, in the dark, when we are not paying close attention. When we are most vulnerable, sin strikes, so we must strike back at temptations and sin before they have a chance to take root. Our weapons,  however, aren’t necessarily what the world calls weapons because we cannot fight our sinful nature on our own. Instead we must, “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:130. With these weapons we demolish the strongholds sin has made in our lives. We demolish every argument sin gives for itself and every bit of the false appearance of worth sin claims that wars with the knowledge of God. We stop sin before it even gets started by focusing on Him and making all of our thoughts obedient to Him.

1 John 1:5-10 "Walking in the Light"

            “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

            When we become a Christian, we make a commitment to live our life following God. Since God is light, we know following God will be the path of light, not darkness. However, walking in the light does not mean we will never sin. If we did not ever sin, we would have no need of the salvation He offers us. By claiming to be without sin we reject that gift of grace. Walking on the path of light is to be willing to follow God in every aspect of our life.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is an Action"

         Valentine’s brings with it all of the declarations of love between two people in a relationship. However, are these declarations what we should be looking for in a relationship? 1 Corinthians gives us a list of the attributes of true love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” Just stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What am I looking for?” whether it is in a relationship you are currently in, or in a relationship you are looking for. Then ask yourself, “Am I showing these attributes to the people I love?” Love is more than just a lovey-dovey feeling and butterflies in your stomach. Love is an action.

Romans 14:7-8 "God's Plans"

Romans 14:7-8, Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 19:21

            “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

            We do not belong to ourselves –our lives are not our own. We owe everything we are to God. Every breath we take, even our very existence is because of what he has done. And though we may not always be able to see it, God has a plan for our life. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11) Many times, however, we cling to our own plans and ideas of how things should be done instead of considering God’s plan for our lives. Perry Noble once said, “We need to allow our dreams to die to allow God’s plan to be fully alive.” This life is not our own and it is God’s plans, not our own, that we should focus on. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

2 John 1:6 "This is Love"

2 John 1:6

            “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

            Though it seems like a bit of circular reasoning –love is walking in obedience to His command and His command is to walk in love –we cannot let ourselves become bogged down by the repetitive words and miss what the words mean. If we love God we will show our love by walking in his commands. His command is that we walk daily in the love He has shown us. If we love God and we desire to follow Him that love will overflow into every part of our life. We will follow His commands and show His love to those around us because we love Him.

1 John 4:16-18 "God is Love"

1 John 4:16-18

            “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

            God is love. Everything that He is embodies true love. 2 Chronicles 20:21 says that, “His love endures forever…” We know we can rely on His love. Love is so much a part of God’s character that we cannot be of God if we do not love. If we do not show love to others, how can we claim to be of God? “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 3:19) God sent His only son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. After being shown such amazing love, how could we keep from wanting to share that love with others? God’s love for us is perfect. We should nt love Him out of fear of punishment, but because He is love.

2 Timothy 1:7 & 8 "Spirit of Power"

2 Timothy 1:7 & 8

            “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

            Every day we have many opportunities to share about Christ. Every single person we come in contact with is a person to whom we can witness to, whether through our actions or our words. We were not given a spirit of timidity. We were given a spirit of power to boldly preach the gospel to those around us. We were given a spirit of love so that we might be an example of God’s amazing love for us. And we were given a spirit of self-discipline so that we might not fall captive to the sins of this world, to lead by our example.

            “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God…”

Acts 28:30-31, Romans 8:28 "Without Hindrance"

Acts 28:30-31, Romans 8:28

            “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

            For two years, Paul was under house arrest in Rome, unable to leave his home to preach the gospel. However, he did not let that hinder him, instead using the resources he still had available to him to preach the gospel. Many of the letters preserved in the Bible were written by Paul during this time, such as his letters to Ephesus, Colossi, and Philippi. His hands were not idel –though he was unable to visit these places himself, he continued to be a source of encouragement and a teacher for the early Christian Church. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” God can use any circumstance we are in for good, we just have to be willing to live a life unhindered by this world.

Galatians 5:2-6, Hebrews 8:13 "Being Made Right By Love"

            “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor circumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

            When Jesus came down to earth, he completely fulfilled the old covenant, replacing it with a new one. “By calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13). Though the rules in the Old Testament are certainly helpful and good to follow, we should not be following them out of the belief that we must do so in order to be made right with God. Jesus came to earth in order to make us right with God –we cannot do it ourselves. However, when we try to follow the law in order to try to attain justification, it does not have any worth at all. Only when we act out of the love we are shown by our Lord and Savior, by the One True God, is it worth anything.