Category Archives: Action
The Progression
John 8:31 “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” [with emphasis]
Jesus lays out a progression for us in today’s Scripture reference and it is – Believe > Obey > Know > Release. There is the believing, then there is the obeying, then there is the knowing and then there is the releasing.
Act!!!
Rom.8:13 “For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live” [with emphasis]
To overcome temptation, the second thing you need to do is to take action. Act in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in your strength, not in your flesh.
Virtue
Keep
Isa.43:13 “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”
There is a huge difference between sustaining a life that God has taken and taking a life that God is sustaining – huge difference! If God wants to take a person’s life, He alone reserves the right to do so. Read the rest of this entry
Phase II
Ex.20:12 “Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Yesterday, we established that the command, “honour your father and mother” translates to different things in different phases of life. Honour your father and mother to children simply means, do what they ask of you.
Gift Rest
Matt.11:28 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Helping another person find rest actually gives glory to God. There are people around you that need rest; locate them and take practical steps to help them find rest. Single parenting in my opinion is one of the toughest jobs on earth.
Resting?
Ex.20: 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God…”
Traditionally, the Sabbath day falls on a Saturday. This is the reason the Jews still go to the synagogue on Saturday. But the early church moved their day of worship to Sunday in honour of Christ’s resurrection and the headship of Jesus.
Regard Him
Ex.20:7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
How you use someone’s name largely is an indication of what the person is to you. You and I must be watchful because the enemy consistently tries to make God’s people commonize His Name.
Worship vs. Idolatry
Ex.20:4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”
Augustine of Hippo defines idolatry as, “…worshiping what should be used or using what should be worshipped” God says we must not commit idolatry. Read the rest of this entry
Get Wisdom
Prov.1:5 [ERV] “Even the wise could become wiser by listening… They gain understanding and learn to solve difficult problems. 7 Knowledge begins with fear and respect for the Lord, but stubborn fools hate wisdom and refuse to learn.”
C. S. Lewis in his book, The Screwtape Letters described the concept of “My”. He explained how we misuse or are misled by the concept of “My.” Read the rest of this entry