Love God 2

1 Peter 1:14-15

In one of my teaching assignments part of my duties was to escort a classroom full of children down a long hallway, down a staircase, down a second hall, all the way to the cafeteria at lunch. It was the rule of the school that students should be quiet as they went to lunch so as not to disturb other classes.

I explained to my students that if they made noise no one would say this student or that student was noisy. They would say that Mr. Emerson’s class was noisy. I explained that in this they represented me, and since I am obedient to the rules they must also be obedient to the rules.

In the same way when we claim the title of “Christian” we are telling everyone that we represent the Son of God. As representatives of Christ we must behave in ways that give honor to the Lord. If we will grow in faith we must be faithful in our beliefs and add to our qualities of being Christian.

Peter has some instructions to faithful believers. What are we to do? What behavior should we live out? Why?

If we are to be obedient to God we must suppress our desires and tendencies to get caught up in the sinfulness of the world. We must avoid and suppress our sinful desires. We no longer live in ignorance. We have been shown the way of living out faith by Christ himself.

But more than simply being obedient to God, more than just having faith, more than just adding goodness to our faith, we must aspire to be holy in our behaviors. We are to add godliness to our faith, goodness and knowledge. We are to be holy in the same way that God is holy.

It is a difficult challenge. It is a high ideal to work toward, but we are children of God and we are challenged to be as holy as God.

And we are not called to be holy now and then. We are not called to be holy in private. We are called to be holy in all that we do.

If we are able to add holiness to our faith we will be one more step closer to being the great Christians we are called to be.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What must you do to be holy?

Patient in Affliction 3

Luke 12:35-37

No matter how tired I am I can not rest unless I am prepared for what needs to be done. I can not relax on Saturday night unless I am sure that I have all that I will need for Sunday’s service. Weeknights are the same; I can’t rest until I at least have a list of what must get done the next day. Knowing that I have gathered all that I need or have prepared myself and gotten organized to the best of my abilities helps avoid anxiety.

We can avoid fear by being spiritually prepared. In this passage from Luke Jesus is giving an example of how we are to be watchful for the Lord. What are the instructions? To whom is Christ compared in verse 36? What twist is presented in verse 37?

The image of Jesus as the bridegroom is common in the Gospels. It presents a picture of a loving relationship. It also creates a comparison that most of Jesus’ listeners were familiar with. Those attending the groom had to wait patiently for him. They had to be ready so that whenever the groom appeared they could serve him. To be unprepared meant to risk the success of the wedding.

So it is with our faith. We need to establish that relationship with God now. We need to work on perfecting ourselves in Christ now. We are not supposed to wander blindly through life turning to God only when things get desperate. Nor can we abandon our faith when things get tough.

We need to be patient with our faith. One way to be patient, to avoid fear and worry, is to know that our faith is strong. We should be spiritually dressed and ready for service to God. Is your heart in a place where you are prepared to help God’s kingdom even when society seems to be in turmoil?

We need to keep our spiritual lamps burning. We should be a beacon of light and hope to others who do not have the depth of faith we have. Is your spiritual light of hope and love shining in these dark times?

How can we dress our souls for service? How can we keep our own lights burning? We do so by applying ourselves to our faith – by examining the word of God, by searching for understanding in the teachings of Jesus, and by holding firmly to our faith. We also need to be persistent and diligent in our prayer life.

We also dress for service by watching for need in others. We should be observant to the troubles others may be going through and be prepared – physically, emotionally and spiritually – to step in with help and encouragement. We can also be an example of strength and confidence, exhibiting that faith in God which keeps us joyful in hope and patient in affliction. When we do that we shine our lights for others to see.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do now to keep your spiritual lamp burning?

By Faith 3

Hebrews 11:13-16

It is a painful and difficult thing to lose a loved one. It hurts to see a person we care about pass on. But as I grow older, and the longer I am in ministry, the easier it is for me to accept these times. As much as we will miss those we lose we can take comfort in knowing that they have moved on to their reward, a glorious welcome in heaven surrounded by the love and mercy of God.

The author of Hebrews is speaking of such things in these verses. What did these faithful people NOT receive? What did they do? How did they see themselves? What were they looking for? How does God feel about these faithful people?

There are so many people in our lives who have lived out their faith, and in so doing they have handed this example on to us. Through their witness and example we now know how to live a life of faith.

The faithful believers who have gone on before us were keeping their eyes fixed on heaven. Their thoughts were thoughts of Godly things and not earthly things. They did not see the second coming of Christ. They did not see the end of days as we know them, but they knew in their hearts that these things were coming, are still coming.

They were aware that we are on this earth for only a short time in comparison with eternity, and they were content in knowing that a better place awaited them.

We should follow their example and live a life of faith ourselves, knowing that the earthly things are temporary and fleeting. We should keep our vision fixed on the eternal God.

In living a life of faithfulness, of following God’s commands and living out the instructions of Christ, we are setting an example to those who will follow us. In living a life that longs for God’s kingdom we are pleasing God. He is not ashamed to call Himself our God. He has prepared a place for us as well, a heavenly city far better than the life we live.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What does living a life of faith require of you?