Friday, December 10, 2010

True Ambassadors For Christ

I think that this translation of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 is amazing and truly speaks to what we should be doing with our life and truly allowing God to live through us.

"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized - whoever.  I didn't take on their way of life.  I kept my bearings in Christ - but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view.  I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.  I did all this because of the Message.  I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!"

Immediately after reading this I think of two questions:
1. Am I living my life like this?
2. How can I live more like this?

Take some time to reflect on this passage and these questions.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Obedience Is A Necessity For Spiritual Success

"Without God’s instructions, Joshua would have failed at leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. The first step was to “be strong and of good courage” (Josh. 1:6). Next, he was to continually meditate on the Book of the Law, and finally, he was to do everything it said. As long as Joshua followed the directions, God promised him “good success” (v.8).
God’s “recipe for success” can work for us too, but His idea of success has little to do with money, popularity, or even good health. In the original Hebrew, “then you will have good success” means “then you will act wisely.” Just as God called Joshua to walk in wisdom, He wants us to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15).
As we take courage in the Lord, feast on His Word, and obey Him, we have a recipe for godly success that’s better than anything we could cook up on our own.


You will surely find at the journey’s end,
Whatever the world may afford,
That things fade away, and success is seen
In the life that has served the Lord. —Anon.
Obedience to God’s Word is the recipe for spiritual success."