Servant of Christ: Can Outsiders See Christ in You?

Scripture: Ephesians 3: 8-13

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Scripture Commentary: Jesus had the heart of a servant; Make yourself available to God as his servant

God will give you opportunities to tell others about Christ. It doesn’t matter if you’re an apostle or an evangelist. With opportunities he will provide ability, courage, and power. Make yourself available to God as his servant.

You may feel your role is minor. You may be right. Don’t forget the difference God makes. Draw on his power and do your part. Faithfully perform the special role God has called you to play. God has chosen us to be Christ’s representatives on earth. Paul challenges us to live lives that are worthy of being called Christ’s very own.

People are watching your life. Can they see Christ in you?

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Ephesians Chapter 3

Avoid Sexual Sin: Steps to Take

Scripture verses from Proverbs 7

Proverbs 7: 1

My son, keep my works, and lay up my commandments with thee.

Proverbs 7: 4-5

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

Proverbs 7: 7

And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding.

Scripture Commentary: Steps to Avoid Sexual Sin

People argue it’s okay to break God’s law against sexual sin if nobody gets hurt. Somebody is always hurt; spouses devastated, children scarred. Partners can escape disease and unwanted pregnancy, but they lose their ability to fulfill commitments, feel sexual desire, trust, and be entirely open with another person. God’s laws are not arbitrary. They apply to all.

There are definite steps you can take to avoid sexual sin. First, guard your mind. Don’t read books, look at pictures, or encourage fantasies that stimulate the wrong desires. Second, keep away from settings and people that tempt you to sin. Third, focus on the future, not the present moment. God’s law doesn’t forbid good clean fun. God warns us against destroying ourselves through unwise actions or running ahead of his timetable. Running ahead means running into the timetable of Satan.

Read the entire chapter:
Proverbs Chapter 7

Where is the Wise? Search for Wisdom

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1: 19-20

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Scripture Commentary: Knowledge vs. Wisdom

We can spend a lifetime accumulating knowledge attending school, memorizing facts, and learning to apply data to our daily lives. We can do all of this yet not gain the wisdom that comes from a personal relationship with God.

Our society worships earthly power, influence, and wealth. Jesus came as a humble, poor servant. He offers his kingdom to those who have faith, entering into a personal relationship with him. Faith is more important than all of our good deeds and worldly things.

Come to the crucified and risen Christ to receive eternal life and the joy of a personal relationship with our Savior. Others often refer to people as “foolish” when they simply accept Christ’s offer. These “foolish” people are actually wisest of all. They alone will live eternally with God.

Skill and knowledge do not get a person into God’s kingdom. Simple faith does this. No one can boast that their achievements earned them eternal life with Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; we need only accept what Jesus has already done for us.

Read the entire chapter:
1 Corinthians Chapter 1

God Knows You in Your Entirety

Scripture verses from Isaiah Chapters 29 and 30

Isaiah 29: 15

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

Isaiah 30: 1

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.

Scripture Commentary: God Knows You – He Cares About Who You Are and What You Do

If you go about your life doing good or bad and think God will not know what you are doing, you are making a big mistake.

Our God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. God knows who you are, what you do, and why you are doing what you do.

We are told in Psalms 139 that God has examined us and knows everything about us. Do not be like the obstinate people of Judah, who rebelled against God. The people of Judah sought advice from =everyone but God.

When we are driven by fear, we tend to search everywhere for comfort, advice, and relief, hoping to find an easy way out. All we have to do is to put our concerns in God’s hands and he will take care of it. When you give over your concerns to him, leave them there. Doing anything else says to God that you do not trust him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 29
Isaiah Chapter 30
Psalms Chapter 139

Repent and Be Baptized

Scripture: Acts 2: 38-40

Then Peter said unto them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”

Scripture Commentary:

Peter said repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. He will pardon our sins so that we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

If we do not ask God to forgive us, how can we do the work for him? God knows our weaknesses. He is willing to forgive. If we go to Jesus, ask for forgiveness and repent, He will remove the yoke that we have been carrying.

We must turn to Christ and depend on him for forgiveness, mercy, guidance, and purpose. We cannot save ourselves, only God can save us. When we are baptized we identify ourselves with Christ. We become part of a community of believers. We are saying, “I am a child of God. He is my Lord and Savior.

Go into the world and tell your story of how God has worked in your life. He is using you to build up His church.

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Acts Chapter 2

Trust God Who Can Do All Things

Scripture: Jeremiah 17: 5-7

Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

Scripture Commentary: Trust the Lord and Flourish Like A Tree Planted By Water

When you are doing well, and your life is bubbling over, do you thank the Lord Jesus Christ or do you take full credit and thank yourself? Do you rely on God or only on yourself? Why are you here, and what are you doing with your life?

God tells us “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man.” When you trust yourself or another person to do for you, it will be short lived. The only trust you can have is in God. Trust in the Lord and you will flourish like a tree planted by water.

Do not be like a fool and continue to cherish sin knowing the eternal consequences of it. A sinful life is short, a sinless life is for eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When you put your life in His hands you will see all the good in life. When you put your trust in human man, impoverishment and spiritual weakness will be upon you when trouble comes.

We are weak and have a deep tendency to sin, but God’s love can redeem us. Trust in the Lord and have abundant strength, not only for your needs, but others, and God will remove temptation when it comes.

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Jeremiah Chapter 17

Believe … Even Thomas The Doubter Believed

Scripture: John 20: 29, 31

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.

Scripture Commentary: Blessed Are They Who Believe Without Seeing

Believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is in every breath we take, and in every day we live when we are living for him.

When you want to talk to Jesus, open your Bible. By opening your Bible and reading the Gospel – His Gospel – He talks to us. He will answer you every time.

Some people think they would believe in Jesus if they could see a definite sign or miracle. Jesus says we are blessed when we can believe without seeing. When you have doubts, as Thomas did, Jesus will not be hard on you. He loves you and will wait for you despite your skepticism.

Some people doubt before they believe. If you are in doubt, ask questions. Questions lead to answers. When those questions are answered, and you accept those answers, your doubt has done a good work by bringing you to Christ.

It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a lifestyle of doubt that harms your faith. Let doubt deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answer. When you study the Gospel of Jesus you will find answers to your questions . God will be there for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
John Chapter 20

Don’t Be Afraid To Speak About God

Scripture: Ezekiel 2: 1, 6

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

Scripture Commentary: Don’t Be Afraid to Do What God Asks of You

Is God telling you, as he told Ezekiel, not to be afraid and rebel, but to speak his words whether or not people will listen?

It is amazing that God chooses to work his divine will on earth through finite, imperfect beings. God addressed Ezekiel by calling him son of man, emphasizing the distance between them.

God made us from the dust of the ground. He chooses to place his life and breadth within us, and he asks us to serve him. God doesn’t expect us to understand everything about him. He asks that we be his willing and obedient servants. He wants us to be faithful to what we know is his will.

We can lay aside our fear of rejection or ridicule when God’s Spirit is within us. God’s strength is powerful enough to help us live for him, even under the heaviest criticism. God always gives us the strength to accomplish what he asks us to do.

What is God asking you?

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Ezekiel Chapter 2

When I Want to Do Good, Why is Evil There With Me?

Scripture: Romans 7: 21-24

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Scripture Commentary: We Cannot Overcome Our Sinful Nature and Do Good Without Christ’s Help

We have all said something like this at one time or another: “The devil made me do it.” “I didn’t do it, the sin in me did it.”

Even though these sound like good excuses, we are still responsible for our actions. We must never use the power of sin or Satan as an excuse because both are defeated enemies.

The “law at work in the members of my body” is the sinful nature deep within each of us. This is our vulnerability to sin. It refers to everything within us that is more loyal to our old way of selfish living than to God.

This inward struggle with sin was as real for Paul as it is for us. Whenever Paul felt lost, he would return to the beginning of his spiritual life, remembering that he had already been freed by Jesus Christ.

Without Christ’s help, sin is stronger than we are, and sometimes we are unable to defend ourselves against its attacks. That is why we should never stand up to sin alone. Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin, promises to stand by our side.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Romans Chapter 7

Thank Jesus For His Goodness … and Talk About it!

Scripture: Psalms 107: 1-3, 5-9

O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.(1-3)

Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainteth in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and fillets the hungry soul with goodness.(5-9)

Scripture Commentary: We need to thank Jesus for what he’s done for us … and tell others about his goodness

When was the last time you told anyone what Jesus has done for you? Did you thank him and praise him when you were distressed and needed help and he rescued you?

We, who have been redeemed, need to thank God and tell others how he saved us. Jesus wants us to tell our story of how he has taken us out of darkness and put us in the light.

This is our declaration, that when we live in God’s presence we will not be able to keep this glorious experience to ourselves. We do have a lot to be thankful for, so tell someone.

We are free from sin because God sent his son to free us. If God did this while we were captive to sin, how much more merciful is he now that we are his followers?

We are no more wanderers or prisoners, and we are not sick. How wonderful is that? What has Jesus Christ done for you? Is there someone you can tell?

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 107