HAPPY TUESDAY!
Today’s scriptures are about putting in the work that goes with the faith we have in God. I know I remind us almost every day of the ultimate commandments—to Love God with all of our heart, and to love each other. I do that because it truly is all God requires from us, in order to live in peace, above the world and its problems. I also do it to reaffirm the fact that to love God is an action. To believe in Him is the first step, but with that faith we must work to help strengthen the Kingdom of God. The same goes for loving each other; we must work to make sure that people can see Christ in us. The bible teaches us that faith and works are to be in unison.We’re here to serve God, so we must do what we could to spread the Gospel of Christ. There are millions of people, all over the world, who don’t know Jesus Christ. As we learned yesterday, we each were chosen to be children of God, and He has a will for our lives. We each may have a different calling, but ultimately the talents we’ve been anointed with all play a role, which is to ultimately lead people to Christ. God is amazing, and He has several ways to get through to people.
Jesus referred to us as “the church”. Before He died, He asked one of His disciples Simon who he thought that He was. Simon answered correctly by saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16-19) The fact that Jesus was the Messiah meant that He was rebuilding the children of God, making all believers one with Him. We are now a great and Holy Church, which requires the assistance of each member, in order to function properly.
I think of my physical Church, and all of its functions, jobs, and responsibilities. It takes more than just prayer and a belief in what we stand for, but it takes work to keep it running. It wasn’t until I became a little more involved in my current church, that I realized this. Our Pastor is the leader of the flock—he was chosen by God to teach us His Word, and to care for His sheep. However, the Pastor cannot run the church by Himself, hence the need for Elders, different committees, ministry leaders, Deacons, day care service provides, etc. We each have to come together as a family, and work to keep our church afloat. Each job is as important as the next. All efforts work in unison, to offer the precious Word of God, to any and all who comes. For most Christians, the only “Word” they get is on Sunday mornings at church.
I hope this analogy helps you understand that God needs you. He’s chosen you for a reason, so it isn’t enough to just believe that He exists, but you must work to follow His will for your life. We must come together as a unit, and work on helping others see the light that is Jesus Christ. We must hunger and thirst for the Lord, which will lead us to work to find out everything there is to know about Him. We must work on making ourselves better, in union with the Lord. How many of us are stagnant in the Lord, and don’t feel like we’re growing? How many people want to change, and have it in their heart to be a good person, but find themselves falling short? That may be caused because you believe in Jesus Christ, have your mansion all ready to go, but you haven’t committed to serving the Lord. There are also those who have over committed themselves to service, and work so much that they completely miss out on their personal relationship with God. If that’s you, remember that even Jesus took time out of His busy schedule to spend some quiet alone time with the Lord.
As of today, I want you to commit to telling at least one person about Jesus each day. Try sharing a testimony or two with them, or just letting them know how much you love Him (Twitter and Facebook is allowed too, God allowed its creation for a reason). Work to achieve God’s will for your life. He will show you step by step what’s required of you, so be willing to completely listen. Working for God doesn’t always require a lot of busy work, or some elaborate ministry. If you clean homes for a living, clean those homes as if you were cleaning for Jesus Himself. If you’re a doctor, use extra care with your bedside manner, to make sure that people can feel God’s love through you. Remember, don’t rely solely on saying, Tweeting, or Facebook’ing about how much you love God, but let’s show Him by our works.
If you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you especially need this message today. Before you can be a part of the church, you must first conquer the “faith” portion, and become a believer. It simply requires you confessing your faith in Jesus, and then inviting Him to be a part of your life, as Lord and Savior. Once you confess your sins and repent, you’re all set. If you want more information, take the God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455553&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/audio-archives
http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional
I love you!
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