We will be faced with it from the moment we wake up till our heads are laid upon a pillow late at night. It will come in all forms. Here are just a few; lustful looks, ungodly speech, impulsive reactions of anger in tense moments, impatience with trying people, even family members, coveting eyes, and evil thoughts. The “it” I am referring to is temptation to sin. There will not be a moment this side of heaven free from temptation. It never rests, takes a vacation, or cuts us slack. It also will never just roll over in its intensity to draw us to commit sin. And when it comes to temptation, it only applies to the Christian. Unbelievers are dead in sin and are immune to temptation. All they do is sin, but not the believer.
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Luke 10:38-42 – Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care…
Every Christian wants to serve the Lord Jesus and leave an imprint of His Presence everywhere they go and upon everyone they encounter. However, not every Christian is willing to pay the cost to do so. Many Christians are eager to be used and bear fruit for the Lord, but few are willing to go through the only path do so. The path to being a fruitful servant of the Lord in His harvest involves taking up a cross daily (willingness to suffer), denying oneself (refuse to be self-centered), and following Him (radical obedience to His Word). But something must occur in the life of a servant of Jesus before these three necessary elements for fruitfulness will be lived out in our lives. We must be broken of self-will, self-sufficiency, and self-interests. And that brokenness only comes from walking the same path of servitude Jesus did; a path of suffering.
As summer kicks into high gear and vacations unfold, it’s time for our seasonal book recommendation for your encouragement and growth in the Lord. This summer’s selection is titled LOVING JESUS MORE. It is a paperback consisting of 145 pages and includes a nice study guide for personal or group studies. The author is Phil…
Every person has mannerisms. One is found in how we walk. Take some time in a public place and notice the various gaits put forth from people. Some are fast-paced; others at a snail’s pace. Others may walk with a limp while others seem to just glide along. The word “walk” is used extensively in the New Testament to describe the life of a Christian. So, how’s our walk with the Lord today?
There are times, perhaps more than I want to admit, that I wish the Christian life would be easy and not so demanding. Let’s face it. We cannot honesty read the New Testament and come away with a description of following Christ as easy, requiring little effort and not demanding the surrender of our entire bearing to His Lordship. Yet, equally so throughout the New Testament we find the Christian life defined as spiritual freedom, liberty, delight, full of joy, and providing true contentment to the soul. I can see where a person may say, “Okay, which one is it?” The Bible teaches the Christian life is hard, yet, easy. The way to harmonize the two is found in the illustration Jesus uses in today’s scripture and that of the yoke.