Justified by Faith

Romans 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

The Apostle Paul is explaining two very important Bible doctrines in one verse in the Scriptures.  The term "Justification" is a legal term it means "A showing to be just or conformable to the law."  In theology it has a dual meaning of "Remission of sin and absolution from guilt and punishment; or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous, on account of the atonement of Christ."  Once we have trusted Christ's finished work on the cross on our behalf we stand justified before God.   When God looks at us He sees us through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is through Jesus' sacrifice we stand innocent before a Holy God.  We literally have peace with God through Jesus Christ.  He is the propitiation for our sins.  A propitiation is " the atonement or atoning sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath and render him propitious to sinners."  Christ's sacrifice appeased God.  We are no longer at enmity with God if we have exercised faith in Christ.  We have been reconciled by faith.  Do you have peace in your life?  There is a source of eternal peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am the Good Shepherd

John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Jesus is teaching His Good Shepherd message in John 10.  Jesus is pointing out the differences between the Good Shepherd and the hireling.  The motive of the thief or hireling is clearly explained.  Their goal for the sheep is to steal, kill and destroy.  Jesus has much better plans for the sheep.  Not only does he give life through salvation, but once salvation has been obtained he provides an abundant life for those believers that walk with Him.  We don't have to be satisfied with an average Christian life.  Jesus came that we might know the abundant life that He can provide.  Jesus reminds his disciples that he is the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.  Jesus would literally lay down his life for the lives of his sheep.  Where is your faith today?  We can trust the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the good shepherd.  He wants what is best for the sheep.

Resist the Devil

James 4:7  "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

How do we do battle against the devil.  The devil is as real as God.  The Scriptures have much to say about this individual.  We know from the Bible that Satan had his beginning in Heaven with God.  He rebelled against God and sought to have God's throne as His own.  When Satan rebelled against God he was cast out of Heaven along with a third of the angels that took his side in the rebellion.  Satan must have been quite charismatic to be able to convince a third of the angels of Heaven to come over to his side.  If the devil could convince the angels to risk heaven then he has no trouble convincing men to follow him today.  The bible teaches us that the devil is subtil.  He is sly and sneaky.  He works daily to try to deceive men about the way of salvation and the nature of God.  What should we do when the devil tries to deceive us and get us to come over to his way of thinking.  The bible gives us the specific steps to follow.  1)  Submit yourself to God.  Realize that God has unlimited power to help us in time of need.  2)  Resist the devil.  Actively resist, use the power of theWord of God to resist him.  3)  When we submit ourselves to God and actively resist through God's Word the result will be a fleeing devil.  Do you feel as though the devil has you in his cross-hairs today?  Follow God's plan of resistance and breathe easier!

Not of this World

John 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
John 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Jesus was teaching His disciples to not be surprised by the hatred of the world.  Jesus reminded them that the world hated Him first.  We live in a world system that, for the most part, is totally opposed to the things of God.  Jesus told the disciples if they were focused upon the things of this world the world would love them.  If they kept their focus upon the things of God they would earn the world's hatred and animosity.  Jesus knew that His disciples would face persecution in the years ahead.  Jesus told them not to be surprised by it.  As His followers they could expect no less than He had to face.  Jesus explains the basis for this hatred by the world in the fact that the world doesn't know God the Father.  The world has their own Father and it's not the Heavenly Father, but the god of this world.  John 8:44  How is the world treating you today?  If your answer is rough, then don't be surprised.  Keep your eyes focused upon Christ and His soon return and remember He is always with you!

Faith is the Substance!

Hebrews 11:1  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I once asked a group of young people in a children's church to define the word "Faith" for me.  One little girl tentatively raised her hand.  I called her name and she gave her definition of "Faith."  "Faith is believing in something you can't see."  That was a great definition for a child of eight years old.  As Christians we long for the day when we get to inherit our heavenly home.  We've never seen it, but we know that it is beautiful beyond compare.  We've never seen our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, face to face, but we know that one day we will get that opportunity.  The Christian life is a life that is not to be lived by sight, but by faith.  The objects of our faith and hope are as sure as the promise contained in the Word of God.  The objects of our faith, though we can't see them, have a very real substance because they are based upon the sure Word of God.

The Right Type of Gossip!

Acts 4:20  "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

When Peter and John were commanded by the enemies of Christ to hold their silence, they responded in the way that we should respond in the same situation.  When we look back at the miracle that God wrought in our life.  When we see God's miraculous, transforming power in the lives of others we can't be silent about what God has done.  We have witnessed lives that have been supernaturally transformed by the power and presence of God.  We can't keep it quiet!  We need to tell it everywhere we go.  Share the things that we have seen and heard, the things that bring honor to our God.

The Joy of Trials

James 1:2  "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"

It seems an impossible task, to be joyful when going through trials.  How can God expect such a thing of believers?  When we understand that we serve a sovereign God and a providential God we can begin to understand how it is possible to be joyful in trials.  Nothing happens in the life of the child of God except God permits it to happen.  God has purpose behind the trials in our life.  His desire is that we become more like the Lord Jesus Christ.  God uses the trials to grow and develop us as believers, to grow our faith.  When we begin to see the trials as part of God's plan for us we can become joyful in trials knowing that God is turning us into what He wants us to be.

Be Content!

Hebrews 13:5  "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

God calls us as Christians to be content with such things we have.  Discontentment leads to all kinds of sin in the life of believers.  Covetousness is a sin directly against God.  Covetousness is saying that what God has provided to us isn't sufficient.  We need to learn to be thankful for the things that God has blessed us with.  We may not have everything that everyone else seemingly has, but we can be grateful for what God has provided.  The way we can do this is by recognizing that God is with us.  He will care for us.  He will never abandon us and leave us to make it on our own.  We live in the midst of a society that is going crazy to have the latest and greatest technology device that changes every four months.  There is a real danger of discontentment among people.  Don't fall into the trap!  Thank God for every blessing He has provided.  He is with you and will never leave or forsake you.  

Jesus Christ...The Way!

John 14:6  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Modern religion would tell you that there are multiple ways to get to Heaven.  Jesus Christ closed the door on such ideology during His earthly ministry.  There are not multiple paths to Heaven.  Every road does not lead to eternity in the presence of God.  Jesus declared Himself to be the way. It is the singular way for lost man to enter into the presence of a holy God.  Jesus not only declares Himself as the way, but also the truth.  If Jesus Christ is Truth incarnate can we not trust His message?  His message is that He is the way, the truth and the life.  He is the life, the eternal fountain of life springing up in us by faith.  Jesus goes on to declare that no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  Jesus, God manifested in the flesh, declared that there is no other way to the Father except by Him.  Have you noticed in our modern day the assault that is taking place on the name of Jesus.  The world doesn't want Christians mentioning or praying in the name of Jesus, but it is the name of Jesus that gives us entrance into Heaven.

Act 4:12  "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

If your heart's desire is to spend eternity in Heaven in the presence of God you must get there through Jesus Christ.  There simply is no other way!

Preparing a Place for Us!

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Is your heart troubled today?  God instructs us not to allow our hearts to be troubled.  If we firmly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we don't have to be controlled by worry.  When Jesus left earth to return to Heaven He went to prepare a place for us.  If God built the earth in six literal days, we can't even begin to imagine what He has prepared for us over the last two thousand plus years.  It must be beyond our wildest imagination.  God creates simply through a spoken Word.  When God speaks He has absolute authority over time, space and matter.  When the Creator speaks the creation responds.  Jesus completes verse three with an astounding promise for us as believers.  If He went away, which he did, then He would come again and receive us unto Himself.  We can be with Christ.  That is a wonderful promise from the Scriptures to encourage our hearts today!

Giver or Taker?

Acts 20:35  "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Paul was reminding the Christian brethren of the need to support the weak.  If you watch a pack of wild animals they will withdraw themselves from a member of their group that is weak or sick.  Christians are to do exactly the opposite.  When a brother or sister in Christ is sick or hurting we're to draw close to them.  We are to be there to pray with, console and encourage one another.  We are to bear one another's burdens.  We are to remember the Words of our Saviour, it is more blessed to give than to receive.  What a blessing it is to minister to another in need.  When we serve others we forget our problems and concerns.  It is honoring to God when we put others before ourselves.  God the Father put us before His own precious Son when He allowed Jesus to bear our sins on the cross at Calvary.  The question today is, "Are you a taker or a giver?"  God wants you to give as He has given unto you!

The Ways of Death

Proverbs 16:25  "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

Many people have a mistaken notion of what they must do to inherit eternal life.  Many think that when they come to the end of this life God is going to take a balance scale and put all of their good works on one side and their bad works on the other and if the good outweighs the bad then they make it into Heaven.  There is a tendency to think that sincere people that live good, honest and upright lives are going to be a shoo in to make it to Heaven.  Unfortunately both of these viewpoints are dead wrong.  We don't get into Heaven through our good works.  We don't get into Heaven by living good, honest and upright lives.  Though these ways both have an appearance of being right or correct, they are the ways of death.  The Bible makes it abundantly clear that no man gets to Heaven by works.

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Salvation comes through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary.  We must recognize that we're sinners, repent of our sins believing that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and that He was raised from the grave on the third day.  This is the Gospel.  It is the good news of the offer of the free gift of eternal life.  Are you trying to get to Heaven your way or God's way?  Be saved by faith today and secure Heaven as your eternal home!

Crucified with Christ

Galatians 2:20  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

We all have our own desires, plans and aspirations for our life, but once we've trusted Christ we need to realize that our life is no longer our own.  We've been crucified with Christ.  Our life should become His life.  Our plans have to be surrendered to His plans.  He has a perfect plan and purpose for us.  All we have to do is allow God to lead us into His perfect plan.  We accomplish this by faith.  Faith in a God that knows the ending from the beginning.  Let God take control of your life today.  Wave the white flag of surrender to His will!  He will do a far better job with your life than you will!

God Exalts in His Time

1Peter 5:6  "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"

We live in a generation that is obsessed with self-promotion.  Everyone wants to get the big promotion or get exalted above their co-workers.  It's a natural desire to want to excel and to get recognized for our hard work and effort.  I Peter 5:6 reminds us that if we will humble ourselves under God, He will exalt us!  We all have a tendency to want to take the reins of our own life, but God wants us to turn our life over to Him.  Let Him take control and He will take care of promoting us when we're ready.  He will not forget you, but will promote you in due time.  When Joseph was falsely accused in the Scriptures by Potiphar's wife and ended up in prison there may have been a tendency for Joseph to think that God had forgotten him, but we never see Joseph doubting God!  In God's timing Joseph not only was freed from prison, but he was exalted to second in command over all Egypt.  Quit worrying your self to death over that promotion, God will exalt you in due time.

The Lord of the Harvest

Luke 10:2  "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."

There are approximately eight billion people on planet earth.  God commanded us in His Word to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.  On the face of it, it seems a monumental task, a task that is too great for us to accomplish.  How can we carry the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ into all the world?  God tells us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest.  God is the Lord of the Harvest, apart from Him and His power we can accomplish nothing.  If God doesn't accompany us, then the mission truly is futile.  God alone can convict the heart of sinful man and make him realize his need for a Saviour.  God uses us as labourers to carry the message, we preach the Gospel and the Holy Spirit draws men unto the Father.  We are to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest.  There is a world to reach and our time is growing short.  Pray for God to send labourers to carry the Gospel to the uttermost part of the earth!

Darwin Had it all Wrong

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Darwin had it all wrong!  The Bible declares that man was made in the image of God, after His likeness.  If you read carefully you'll notice the pronoun "Us" in the statement, "Let us make man in our image."  That little pronoun consisting of just two letters speaks volumes about the God that we serve.  He is one God manifested in three distinct personalities.  God presents Himself to us as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Trinity.  We are monotheists as Christians not polytheists.  We worship and serve one God.  The best illustration I've ever heard to describe the character of God is the illustration about water.  When we see water in its liquid form it is water.  When we see liquid in its gaseous form as steam it is still water.  When we see an ice cube in its solid form it is still water.  God is one, but manifested to us in three different fashions in the Holy Scriptures.  Praise God that we're made in His image and not the image of a monkey!

Prescription for Spiritual Prosperity

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

We live in the midst of a society that is searching for happiness and contentment.  Every book store has hundreds of titles telling us how to find joy for our lives.  The Bible contains a solid, time-tested prescription for obtaining joy and prosperity.  Verse one of Psalm One tells us to avoid the counsel of the ungodly.  We're not to take our counsel from those that don't seek after God's wisdom.  We're not to live and act like sinners or sit with the scornful.  Negative attitudes are contagious.  They will drag you down to a place of discontentment.  The Bible tells us clearly what to avoid and it also tells us what to embrace.

The man that would prosper in his Christian life must delight in God's Word.  He must take time to read and study the Scriptures every day and allow God to use them to speak to his heart.  The Bible tells us that this type of Christian will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.  The spiritual "roots" of that Christian will run deep.  That Christian will bring fort fruit in their season.  Other people will come to believe on Christ through their faithful ministry.  The Lord will continue to bless and prosper that Christian in everything that he does.

How is your life today?  Are you in a place of contentment and joy?  God's Word is waiting to help.  Spend time in God's Word and allow Him to speak to your heart and guide you on His path today!

The Devil's Doom!

Hebrews 2:14  "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;"

When a child is born he is born into the family of all mankind.  He is born a partaker of flesh and blood.  Jesus Christ took on the same attributes when He came to earth to fulfill His earthly ministry.  Jesus Christ who was fully God was made in the likeness of men according to Philippians 2:7.  He shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary for all mankind.  While Jesus was saving man on the cross at Calvary He was declaring a death sentence on the devil.  The devil had tried to keep Jesus from the cross.  He tempted Jesus in the wilderness trying to get Him to sin against the Father and disqualify Himself as the perfect lamb of God that came to take away the sin of the world.  We know that Satan failed.  His fate was sealed at the cross, an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  The devil isn't there yet, he's doing everything he can to take others with him.  If the devil is troubling you today take heart, his doom is sealed. 

Where Two or Three are Gathered

Matthew 18:20  "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The immediate context of the above verse is within the context of church discipline, but we can draw tremendous practical application for our Christian lives from the verse.  There is strength when we gather together with other Christians.  When we come together to worship God is there in our midst.  We can encourage and strengthen one another by spending time in each others presence.  It gives us opportunity to be made aware of things that are going on in the lives of other believers.  As we become more aware we have a great opportunity of ministry to others.  When the early disciples were dispersed because of persecution what a comfort for them to know that God was there with them, no matter where they gathered.  This verse offers great comfort to our Christian brethren around the world that are being persecuted for their faith.  Take heart Christian God is there with you, dwelling in the midst of you and He is the God of all Comfort!

Wisdom is Better Than Rubies

Proverbs 8: 10-11

"Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."

The Bible places great emphasis upon acquiring wisdom.  It's not the wisdom that comes through some advanced college course or worldly philosophy.  It is the wisdom that comes from a personal relationship with the source of all true wisdom.  When we receive our wisdom from God it is a wisdom that transcends earthly wisdom.  The bible declares the wisdom of man to be foolishness with God.  God has given us a book, the Bible, to meditate upon and to grow in wisdom accordingly.  God reveals that acquiring godly wisdom is better than silver, gold and rubies.  It should be our chief pursuit.  Nothing else compares to the wisdom that God offers.  The reason God places such a high emphasis on wisdom is that we live in a generation that seems devoid of wisdom.  The whole world seems to have gone crazy in its deification of man.  Man has attempted to lift man up to the place of God and that truly is foolishness.

How is your wisdom today?  Are you studying and meditating upon God's Word and allowing God to instruct you in His wisdom?

The Worth of a Soul

Matthew 16:26 "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

There are some wealthy men and women on earth today.  The annual Forbes List of the wealthiest people in the world lists many millionaires and billionaires.  We've probably sit around daydreaming about what it would be like to have such considerable wealth.  The Bible declares to us that there is something worth far more than the wealth of the entire world.  That is an incredible statement when we think of the vast treasures that are owned throughout the world.  Think of all of the gold of ancient Egypt, the crown jewels of the U.K. and the oil riches of the middle east.  The Bible declares that the human soul is worth more than all of these riches combined.  God declares through His Word that one solitary soul is worth more than all the riches of earth.  What a sad thing it would be to spend your life acquiring the wealth of the world and neglect the salvation of your own soul.  The Bible teaches us that this type of attitude is profitless.  What's more important in your life today?  Are you expending all of your time and energy trying to acquire more goods.  Have you taken care of your most valuable possession, your soul?  You can lose all of your wealth and have a chance to earn it back, but if you lose your soul you'll never have a chance to win it back!

Dwell in Unity

Psalm 133:1 "A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

I hope the Lord has blessed you with a wonderful Lord's Day today.  It is such a tremendous blessing to be able to go to the house of the Lord and worship with the brethren.  Our church should be a safe haven, a sanctuary from the world.  It should be a place where each Christian prefers others better than themselves.  What a wonderful atmosphere for worship when all the brethren are working for the same goal.  The goal of our church should be to train and equip Christians to reach the world for Christ.  When we focus our energy and effort on God-honoring goals we spend less time fighting and squabbling over things that really aren't that significant!  The church should be a place of forgiveness.  A place where we forgive others by remembering how much Jesus forgave us!  I hope you enjoyed worshiping with the brethren this Sunday.  Thank God for the blessing of a church family that dwells together in unity.

Exhort One Another!

Hebrews 3:12 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."
Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."

We are surrounded by sin in our modern society.  The sin that we are exposed to daily impacts our lives in a multitude of ways.  One of the ways that sin affects our life is that it leads us to an evil heart of unbelief.  We begin to doubt God and His care for us.  The tempter would come along and whisper to us during times of trial that God doesn't love you.  If He loved you how could it let something like this happen to you?  If we're not careful, if we're not taking heed that evil heart of unbelief will lead us on a path away from God.  The solution to wandering away from God is to exhort one another daily.  We have a tremendous opportunity to encourage other believers.  Share what God has done in your life.  Remind other believers of times when God was there to lift you up when all strength was gone.  Your testimony has power to impact other lives for good.  Exhorting other Christians will remind you of all the blessings that God has bestowed upon you.  You can minister and be ministered to at the same time.  Look around you today is there a Christian brother or sister wandering away from their walk with God?  Take time to encourage them before they get too far down the road and find out they are mired in the deceitfulness of sin.

With His Stripes We Are Healed

Isaiah 53:5  "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5 is a wonderful, prophetic verse in God's Word.  Hundreds of years before the birth of our Saviour the verse tells us precisely what would happen when our Saviour came.  Jesus Christ was wounded for our transgressions.  He had no transgressions of His own.  He was perfectly sinless, 100 per cent God and 100 per cent man.  He was beaten and crucified for our sins.  He was bruised for our iniquities.  He paid the wages of sin for us.  Our sin nailed Him to the cross.  Our sin caused Him to be cruelly sentenced to a criminal's death.  The chastisement of our peace was upon him.  It is through His chastisement at Calvary that we can obtain Peace with God.  We can become a child of God through repentance of our sin and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on our behalf at Calvary.  The verse concludes by demonstrating to us that is is by His stripes, His suffering, that we are healed if we choose to be healed by faith in Him.  Are you thankful today for Christ's willingness to give His life for you?  Have you thanked Him for your salvation?  Take time to thank God today for His unspeakable gift.

Right on Time, Every Time!

 Psalm 13:1-6

1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?  
2  How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?  
3  Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;  
4  Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.  
5  But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.  
6  I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

David is crying out to God in the midst of a great trial in his life.  God's people have a tendency to think that God has forgotten them when His deliverance doesn't come immediately.  For some strange reason we think that God has to perform on our schedule.  God doesn't always instantly deliver when we're in the midst of distress.  God delivers right on time, every time.  His timing is always perfect.  When we feel that we're being overwhelmed by the enemy and feel that we're at the brink of death, we would do well to remember God's mercy.  When we discover that we have no strength left we find that his strength is unlimited!  When the trial is over and sunny days reappear we like David can praise our God for dealing bountifully with us!

Walk Circumspectly!

I Timothy 1:5  "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."

Paul addresses the Christians at Thessalonica reminding them of the nature of the Gospel that they brought unto them and the demonstration of that Gospel.  Paul, Silvanus and Timotheus had all ministered to the Christians there.  Paul reminded the Christians that the Gospel they brought wasn't only in word, but in a consistent walk.  A Christian walk that was carried out by the power of the Holy Ghost.

When we live a consistent God-honoring Christian life, it assures other that the message of the Gospel is a legitimate message.  It is a message that has the power to absolutely change lives.  The message of the Gospel, that we carry, must be backed up by a circumspect walk.  Our actions often speak so loudly that people can't hear what we say.  If we live a life that honors God then people will believe the message we bring.  Does your life reinforce the message that you carry?  Are there some areas that you need to get right with God?  First walk the walk, then talk the talk!