“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
Paul wrote His epistle to the Galatians because “Judaizers” were teaching them that they had to become Jews before they could become Christians. This meant that they had to keep the Mosaic law and be circumcised in order to receive Christ as Savior. It didn’t make sense that if one had to become a Jew to become a Christian, that Christ had to come and offer Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Paul’s teaching about the law was that the law taught us what sin is, i.e., it defined sin as idolatry, adultery, lying, etc. The law also gave names to sin in order for us to recognize it. But the law does not have the power to save us from sin. Paul also wrote on this theme in Ephesians. Ephesians 2:8-10 is the standard definition of what it means to be saved: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The main catalyst for salvation is not based on who we are or what we do; rather, it is based on God’s grace. Grace has been defined as “unmerited favor.” This means that we can never merit, or earn, salvation: “not of works, lest any man should boast.” We cannot earn salvation, but through our faith in Christ, by God’s grace, we can be saved. Our part is to put our faith in Christ, but without grace even faith could not save us. Paul gave God’s grace credit, not only for his salvation, but also for everything that was accomplished through his ministry. For example, here is what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by grace I am what I am: and His grace which was given to me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Paul could not have been saved and could not have served were it not for the grace, the unmerited favor, of God. It makes sense then that we are saved, not by our own righteousness, nor by our own works, but because of the grace of God. Paul admitted that because of his past actions in persecuting the church, that he should not have been able to be saved, nor should he have been able to serve the Lord. It was the grace of God that made all of it possible. I can say the same thing about my own salvation and my own ministry. There was nothing that I did that enabled me to be a servant of the Lord. By grace He has let me serve Him. It is the same for all of God’s servants, from Peter, to Paul, to Martin Luther, to Billy Graham, to you. The essential element in all of our dealings with God, whether it be our salvation or our service, is God’s grace – His unmerited favor. God’s grace has made it all possible. Praise God! GRACE...... God's Riches At Christ's Expense Bro. Joe
0 Comments
“Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 6. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplication. 7. In the day of trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.”
Someone mentioned to me one day that a lot of my articles are based on Psalms. I thought about that and came to the conclusion that since I am in the process of reading the Bible through all of the time, and there are one hundred fifty psalms, a lot of my Bible reading time is spent in psalms because there are so many of them, and they teach us a lot about life and about God. The text that I have used today is a case in point. David gives a wonderful description of God in the entire 86th psalm, but verses 4-7 especially spoke to my heart. In verse 4, David was rejoicing in the Lord and was in a spirit of prayer. He stated it “I lift up my soul.” When David thought about God, he was touched in the deepest part of himself – his soul. When is the last time that you meditated on God and He touched your soul? I asked myself the same question and concluded that I don’t do it nearly enough. In verses 5-7, David points out why he chose to go in this way. David meditated on the goodness of God: “For thou, Lord, art good.” There are many people who dwell on the judgments of God, and dismiss Him. That is a bad mistake, because God is not just a wrathful deity; rather, He is the God who sent His Son into the world to die for our sins. Take a little time today and meditate on the ways that God has been good to you, and you will feel Him in your soul. If you can’t think of the ways that God has been good to you, you need to do some soul searching and discover, or rediscover the ways that God has been good to you. What about your family? What about your children? What about your grandchildren? What about your Christian friends? What about the fact that you live in this great country? What about the fact that he died on the cross for you that you might have everlasting life as well as a relationship with Him. These ought to give you a few hints about how good God has been to you. David meditated on the forgiveness of God: “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive." I don’t know what point in his life that David wrote this psalm, but if you know the full story of David, there was plenty for God to forgive. I like to think that David wrote this psalm after he wrote Psalm 51, which was David’s prayer for forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba. Take a little time and read David’s heart cry to the Lord to take him out of the misery of his guilt. We should praise God, for He is a forgiving God, who will cast our sins behind us and lead us on to a better life. The problem with a lot of people is that they think that they have no reason to be forgiven. Whatever you need to be forgiven for today, take it to the Lord in prayer and you will find that He is still “plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Him.” David meditated on the willingness of God to hear his prayer: “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” David didn’t have to wonder if God would answer him; he knew that God would answer him. He will answer you too. He might answer immediately, or He might tell you to wait for the answer, but He will answer. He is, after all, Sovereign God, and He will answer you based on what is best for you. I have heard people say that they prayed and God did not answer. This is because they do not realize that God answers in His time. Take a little time today and meditate on these verses and draw closer to the God who is good, who is plenteous in mercy, ready to forgive and to answer your prayers. Bro. Joe "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven...."
You probably recognize these words from the "Lord's Prayer." They remind us that we need to consider God's will as we make our decisions in life. Have you seriously considered God's will for your life? This prayer challenges us to seek God's will and to do it. I remember years ago that I was pastoring a good church and had a good job teaching sixth grade in Adel. God spoke to my heart and led me to give these up and go to seminary in North Carolina. Mary, Faith, Hope and I packed up our earthly possessions and moved to North Carolina. I was being considered by a church in Virginia, but I had no idea whether or not they would call me to be their pastor. (Thank God they did call me!) We discovered the importance of doing God's will. I have endeavored to do God's will in my life, and when I have failed to do so, I have fallen flat on my face..... Have you considered God's will for your life? God has His people placed over the earth to carry His word to the multitudes. If you are a Christian, you are one of these people. I want to share what it means to do God's will for your life. First, it means that you are cooperating with God in His work on earth. It is important for you to know that you can be a good farmer, a good nurse, a good store clerk, whatever, and do His will. Wherever you work, you are His witness to the world. Second, it means that you recognize your dependence on God in your life. Frankly, I can't imagine facing a day without realizing that i am dependent on God's presence and His power in my life. Are you considering the need for your dependence on God in your life? This realization will make a difference in your outlook on life. If you have not thought of this in your life, rush to God and seek His presence and His will. Third, it means that you take your faith commitment to God seriously. We sing a hymn that tells us the importance on this fact in our lives: "Wherever He leads I'll go....." Think about God's will for your life. This article does not nearly cover all that could be written on this subject, but what I have written can make a difference in your life. Think about it! Bro. Joe “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Each time I read about Jacob and Esau, I am reminded that the only real hero in the Bible is God. The Bible always tells the truth about human beings, and this is not illustrated any better than with Jacob and Esau. Esau was the oldest of the fraternal twins, but because he was hungry, and because his brother Jacob knew his weaknesses, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a “mess of pottage.” (You can read the whole thing in Genesis 24:29-34.) We can learn some things from this sordid affair, which I think is one of the points of having the story in the Bible in the first place. Esau teaches us here of the futility of living only for the moment. Esau was famished and wanted something to eat. Jacob knew this and tempted him with the “mess of pottage.” Because Esau thought he was about to starve to death, he didn’t look beyond getting his stomach filled and sold his birthright to Jacob. It didn’t seem to occur to him that his birthright was more important than his stomach. I have to wonder if we have learned this lesson. We see all of the shiny objects, like wide-screen television sets, sleek cars, spiffy furniture etc. and we just have to have them, and so we go into debt to have them. We read all of the time about people who let credit card debts pile up until they could not possibly pay them, all to have the shiny objects that they can’t resist. I think that our government uses the Esau method as well. We just go on getting deeper and deeper into debt, building up a debt for our grandchildren and great grandchildren. (This is not a political statement. Both political parties have done a good job of getting us into debt.) This is only one illustration of our Esau-like behavior. I don’t want to appear too cynical here, but I think sometimes that our economy is built around our insatiable appetites for things and for pleasure. We make decisions based on our desires rather than on common sense. I must confess that I have been guilty of this, and you have probably been guilty. I have wanted “things” to the point of getting into debt. Fortunately, I have learned from my mistakes and know that no “thing” and no pleasure is worth the price that I might have to pay for them. I trust that as you read about this, you will become aware of your own Esau-like tendencies and not give in to the temptations that abound in our affluent and immoral society. When Satan was tempting Jesus in Matthew 4, he showed him all of the kingdoms of the world and told him that He could have all of it if He would just worship him. Of course, Jesus did not succumb to that, and we can be grateful that our Savior was not Esau-like. Satan is not above throwing the same kinds of things in our faces. He wants to blind us to the futility of living for the moment and having momentary pleasure instead of having spiritual satisfaction. We need to remember what Jesus said about this in Matthew 16:24-27: “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any (person) will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his/her cross and follow me. 25. For whosoever will save his/her life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his/her life for my sake shall find it. 26. For what is a (person) profited, if he/she shall gain the whole world, and lose his/her soul? Or what shall a (person) give in exchange for his/her soul? 27. For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and then He shall reward every (person) according to his/her works.” (Of course I added “person” and “his/her” to the text.) What Esau lacked was self-denial. We would do well to look at our own lives and see if we are short on the virtue of self-denial. Bro. Joe “I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.”
A door can be an entrance or an exit. Jesus referred to Himself as “the door.” Through Him we can enter into some good things and exit from some bad things. For example, Jesus said in verse 10b: “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Jesus is the door to the abundant life. This is not necessarily speaking of material abundance, but it is speaking about spiritual abundance. It is the abundance of well-being. I can’t speak for anyone else, but the presence of Jesus in my life gives me a great sense of well-being. Looking at the direction of the world today, if I went into the world’s door, I might have a nervous breakdown. It is the abundance of great fellowship. When we enter the Jesus door, we enter into daily fellowship with God. He has promised His presence every day that we live. There is never a time in our lives, once we enter the Jesus door that we are not in fellowship with God. This leads us to the door of prayer. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two. This means that the door to the “holy of holies” is open to us twenty four hours a day. We can talk to Him about our troubles, and we can take our petitions to Him. In fact, He invites us pray, to ask. He wants to provide for us through prayer. This abundance is available only to those who enter by the Jesus door. It is the door to fellowship with other Christians. He saved us individually, but He saved us to be in relationship with fellow Christians. We can, and should, find joy in this fellowship. It is good to know that we are not alone in this sometimes hostile world. The abundant life that we enter into by going through the Jesus door is only available through Him. Jesus said that when we enter His door, we “go in and out and find pasture.” We depend on Him for sustenance just as sheep depend on the shepherd for sustenance. It is the door to power. I do not mean the kind of power that the world gives, but the power that He gives us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. That power was to be used as witnesses to the people of the whole world. That power is also available to help us overcome the world. We need the abundance of the Spirit’s help to live the Christian life. If we tried to go it alone, we would surely fail. Satan’s temptations are too great for us, but not for Jesus. Every time the devil and his demons confronted Jesus, Jesus won. They were no match for Him. Through the Holy Spirit, we can sic Jesus on him and defeat him. It is the power to overcome ourselves. Dwight L. Moody once intimated that the main person that he had trouble with was himself. We can be our own worst enemies, but the abundant power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome even our worst selves. It is the door to an optimistic, loving approach to life. Paul wrote about the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Paul added in verse 24: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” This quality of life is available only to those who enter by the Jesus door. I mentioned that a door is also an exit. When we enter the Jesus door, we exit all of the negativity that can be in our lives – all of the things that are opposite of Galatians 5:22-23. When we feel separated from Jesus, we need to remember that we have entered His door, and life does not have to be that way. Come into the door that is Jesus, and only He can open it for you. Bro. Joe “O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people. 2.For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever.”
If you are ever required to memorize a psalm, this would be one, for it is the shortest of the Psalms. It is short in length, but it is not short in meaning. It contains three of the most important elements in the Bible: praising the Lord, God’s mercy and God’s truth. I want to share my reflections on this short, but meaningful psalm. Reflections on praise Psalm 117 begins and ends with a call to praise the Lord. We praise God because He is worthy of praise. We should praise Him daily in our private devotions and in public worship. If we really think about it, there is no inappropriate time to praise the Lord. This psalm tells everyone to praise the Lord. The Psalmist assured his readers that the Lord was not merely a local deity. He did not belong to Israel alone. God created the whole world and all of the people of the world. This spoke to me of missions. It is our responsibility to call the whole world to Jesus and to lead them to praise His holy name. He is worthy of praise. This psalm tells you to praise the Lord, for it addresses you when you read it. The Lord wants your praise, because He knows that praising Him is good for you. Reflections on mercy We should, indeed, praise the Lord for His mercy, for just think of living in a world where only the judgment of the Lord is known. It is the Lord’s mercy that allows us to be saved. God’s mercy sent His Son into the world. Without Jesus, we would know only judgment and wrath. I can think of no better reason to praise Him. Notice that the psalm tells us that the Lord’s “mercy is great toward us.” Our sins are great; therefore, His mercy is great. Without God’s mercy we would live and die in our sins. There would be no hope of the“abundant life” that Jesus promised to those who believe in Him, and there would be no hope of heaven when this life is over. God’s mercy is great toward us. Do you personally know His “merciful kindness”? It is available to you in Jesus Christ. When you know God’s “merciful kindness,” you will praise Him. Reflections on truth The psalmist wrote: “And the truth of the Lord endureth forever.” and Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) We praise Him, not just because we know that everything that Jesus does and says is true, but because we can personally know God’s truth in Him. All of God’s truth dwells in Jesus Christ, and to know Jesus personally is to possess all of God’s truth. God’s truth is too great to grasp intellectually, but we can have it by faith in Jesus. In a world filled with Satan’s lies, we desperately need His truth. Notice, also, that the Lord’s truth “endures forever.” What was true of the Lord in biblical days is still true today. Time cannot erode the fact that Jesus is the truth, for His truth is timeless. If the Lord’s truth could be erased, the world would have done away with it a long time ago. Do you know the Lord’s enduring truth in Jesus? Psalm 117 ends with, “Praise ye the Lord.” Why should we praise Him? His merciful kindness and truth endures forever. Praise the Lord because we can know His mercy and truth in Jesus. Praise Him for the grace that enables us to know His mercy and truth. Bro. Joe “The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him; but His power and wrath is against all them that forsake Him."
Ezra and his traveling companions were going from Persia to Jerusalem. The journey was a dangerous one. Ezra did not ask the king for a military escort, because he had assured the king that God would take care of them. (Read the text above.) Ezra’s boast proved to be true when he and his party arrived safely in Jerusalem. Ezra’s godly boast is still true today, for God’s hand is upon us for good. The hand of God is upon us to lead and guide us. We need the guidance of God throughout life. We will look at some examples of this guidance. God guides us to and on the right paths of life. In Psalm 23:3, David wrote: “He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” The good guidance of God’s hand is the only way that we can stay on the paths of righteousness. God guides us to the right places in life. God’s will is important, but few people consider His will today. We need to be in the place that God’s will would have us. Only God’s hand can guide us to that place. All of us need to ask ourselves, “Am I where God has guided me – where He wants me?" God guides us in making plans for our lives. What we do in our lives depends on the plans that we make in our lives. “To fail to plan is to plan to fail” is certainly true in this place. Surely, a serious Christian will ask: “Am I following God’s plans for my life, or am I going my own way?” Too often people make a mess of their lives because they are not following God’s plan for their lives. I know this looks strange to some people, but that does not make it untrue. What Ezra wrote was true: “The hand of our God is upon all to them that seek Him.” The good hand of God for good is assured to all who seek Him. Understand this: God wants the best for us, i.e., He wants to do good for us. Often He cannot do good for us because we refuse His guiding hand. God never offers His guidance reluctantly. He is eager to do good for you. Let Him! God’s goodness is the rule rather than the exception. Somehow we have the idea that God’s goodness is secondary to His wrath. God’s wrath is certainly real, but only to those who disobey Him. Doesn’t the coming of Jesus illustrate the good hand of God adequately? In Jesus, we see God’s love, mercy, grace, and indeed, His goodness. All of these are the essence of who and what God is all about. 1 John 4:16 reveals that “God is love.” God/Jesus doesn’t just love us; He is love itself. Rejoice in the love and goodness of God and claim it for yourself. We also need to know that it is dangerous to refuse the guidance of the good hand of God. It would certainly have been devastating to Ezra and those who traveled to Jerusalem with him. This is true in the Old and New Testaments. In His goodness, God reaches out His hand to guide us. If we refuse God’s helping hand we tell Him that we do not care that Jesus died for us, or that we do not care that He has offered the Holy Spirit to guide us in life. God’s wrath is reserved for those who say “no” to His guidance and goodness. It just doesn’t make sense to me that people do this all of the time. Some just don’t believe that God exists. Some believe that God exists but He doesn’t care what we do, and is unconcerned about the world that He created. But what amazes me is that there are those who know that the Bible is true and that God wants to be involved in their lives, but they go on with life as though that doesn’t matter. I don’t know which group you are in, but I am praying that if you are in one of these groups and reading this, you will let God take your hand and lead you into salvation and the abundant life that goes with it. God’s goodness and guidance are available to you. He is reaching out His hand to you. Take it! Bro. Joe “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
The first thing that we have to do is determine what this text is about. Notice that it did not say “where there are no visions, the people perish.” The text is not about what we would call “seeing things.” This doesn’t mean that God’s people never have visions, because visions are recorded in the Bible. But that is not what this text is about. The NIV translates it, “where there is no revelation…” The ESV translates it, “where there is no prophetic vision…” In this case the word means “imaginative insight or foresight.” (New Webster’s Dictionary) We need a driving vision, insight or foresight, to effectively serve the Lord. What is the value of having a God-given vision? A God-given vision gives us a purpose for being alive. One of the worst things that can happen to a person, especially a Christian person, is to just drift through life without having a purpose. Successful people always have a purpose. There is an old saying that warns us to “be careful about aiming at nothing because we might hit it.” This is the way a lot of people, even Christians live their lives, and it is the way a lot of churches are as well. The scripture says that “where there is no vision, the people perish." Another translation is that “where there is no vision, the people lose restraint.” In other words, when we have no vision, we “are loose at both ends and flapping in the middle.” Consequently, if you have no vision, you do not have a real purpose and no aim. A God-given vision gives us determination to go forward in our purpose. Paul was a person with a vision. When we met Paul, he had a false vision, because he was persecuting Christians unmercifully. He held the cloaks of the people who stoned Stephen. When Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road and was saved, he was given a genuine vision. God’s stated vision for Paul was that he would witness and minister to Gentiles. Paul took this vision on with a vengeance. He started numerous churches in Asia Minor, Greece, etc. He witnessed to Jews as well, but his main vision was to win Gentiles to Christ. When we read about Paul in Acts, we read about a man who was determined to do what God wanted him to do. Paul did not aim at nothing, he aimed at ministry and witness to Gentiles, and he did an effective job of it. I can’t imagine that we can be effective in our Christian lives, if we do not have a vision that gives us a determination to do what Jesus wants us to do. What are you determined to do with your life? Does this determination have anything to do with Jesus and His purpose for your life? A God-given vision gives us the desire to persevere in our Christian lives. This would be especially difficult for a Christian who is involved in secular work. It is difficult enough for those of us who are in full-time Christian service, but Christians in secular work can get at cross purposes in their commitment to the Lord. For example, there are people today who are hostile to anyone who expresses Christian values. They have no understanding whatever of what it means to live the Christian life, to be involved in church and in Bible reading and prayer. Today, it really takes courage in some work places to persevere in Christian living. I do not mean to differentiate too much between Christians in secular work and people involved in what we call “church work.” It just seems to me that perseverance would be more difficult in a hostile environment. We who do “church work” can get our values twisted as well and fail to persevere in being the Christian witnesses that we should be. At any rate, all of us need a God-given vision if we wish to persevere in Christian living and Christian service. Keeping all of this in mind, what is your vision? What is your purpose? Are you determined to carry through in living for Jesus at your work, whether secular or church-related? Are you persevering in your vision? Think about it! Bro. Joe “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
The first thing that we have to do is determine what this text is about. Notice that it did not say “where there are no visions, the people perish.” The text is not about what we would call “seeing things.” This doesn’t mean that God’s people never have visions, because visions are recorded in the Bible. But that is not what this text is about. The NIV translates it, “where there is no revelation…” The ESV translates it, “where there is no prophetic vision…” In this case the word means “imaginative insight or foresight.” (New Webster’s Dictionary) We need a driving vision, insight or foresight, to effectively serve the Lord. What is the value of having a God-given vision? A God-given vision gives us a purpose for being alive. One of the worst things that can happen to a person, especially a Christian person, is to just drift through life without having a purpose. Successful people always have a purpose. There is an old saying that warns us to “be careful about aiming at nothing because we might hit it.” This is the way a lot of people, even Christians live their lives, and it is the way a lot of churches are as well. The scripture says that “where there is no vision, the people perish." Another translation is that “where there is no vision, the people lose restraint.” In other words, when we have no vision, we “are loose at both ends and flapping in the middle.” Consequently, if you have no vision, you do not have a real purpose and no aim. A God-given vision gives us determination to go forward in our purpose. Paul was a person with a vision. When we met Paul, he had a false vision, because he was persecuting Christians unmercifully. He held the cloaks of the people who stoned Stephen. When Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road and was saved, he was given a genuine vision. God’s stated vision for Paul was that he would witness and minister to Gentiles. Paul took this vision on with a vengeance. He started numerous churches in Asia Minor, Greece, etc. He witnessed to Jews as well, but his main vision was to win Gentiles to Christ. When we read about Paul in Acts, we read about a man who was determined to do what God wanted him to do. Paul did not aim at nothing, he aimed at ministry and witness to Gentiles, and he did an effective job of it. I can’t imagine that we can be effective in our Christian lives, if we do not have a vision that gives us a determination to do what Jesus wants us to do. What are you determined to do with your life? Does this determination have anything to do with Jesus and His purpose for your life? A God-given vision gives us the desire to persevere in our Christian lives. This would be especially difficult for a Christian who is involved in secular work. It is difficult enough for those of us who are in full-time Christian service, but Christians in secular work can get at cross purposes in their commitment to the Lord. For example, there are people today who are hostile to anyone who expresses Christian values. They have no understanding whatever of what it means to live the Christian life, to be involved in church and in Bible reading and prayer. Today, it really takes courage in some work places to persevere in Christian living. I do not mean to differentiate too much between Christians in secular work and people involved in what we call “church work.” It just seems to me that perseverance would be more difficult in a hostile environment. We who do “church work” can get our values twisted as well and fail to persevere in being the Christian witnesses that we should be. At any rate, all of us need a God-given vision if we wish to persevere in Christian living and Christian service. Keeping all of this in mind, what is your vision? What is your purpose? Are you determined to carry through in living for Jesus at your work, whether secular or church-related? Are you persevering in your vision? Think about it! Bro. Joe “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25. Thrice I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep….”
I used the two verses above to illustrate some of the stress that Paul was under every day of his life. (To really appreciate it read verses 23-33.) Living under a death threat is not our idea of the good life. In fact, it takes much less than what Paul encountered to stress us out. Yet in his letters Paul wrote about joy and rejoicing. We can learn from Paul how to overcome stress by some of the things that he wrote. From 2 Timothy 1:12 we discover that Paul really believed: “For the which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” He believed in Christ who can do anything. If we really believe what we read in the New Testament, we can also know that. In Philippians 4:13 Paul wrote: “I Can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me.” He was “persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” Paul’s faith was strong, and helped him deal with stress, because he exercised his faith every day. His was not a faith exercised only in crisis, but it was exercised in all of life. Just as we have to exercise to develop strength physically, we need to exercise faith in order to develop strength spiritually. From Philippians 4:6-7 we discover that Paul really prayed: “Be careful for nothing (do not be anxious about anything); but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul wrote: “Pray without ceasing.” The man really believed in the power of prayer, because He really believed in the power of Jesus. Nothing can help us overcome stress like prayers of faith. When we pray in faith we can have great peace with God that will help us through any kind of stress that we might face. From what we read about Paul in Acts, we discover that he really served. He traveled all over his part of the world telling people about Jesus. The great faith that Paul had and a great prayer life helped him to be a profound servant of God. Paul was not a self-serving person. His view of life was not “what’s in it for me?" He reached out to others and through his writings taught us to do the same. Nothing can help us overcome stress like serving Jesus. Why? Because we know that we are doing the right thing when we serve Him and because we are not doing anything wrong when we serve Him. (It’s a great way to stay out of trouble.) All Christians should consider themselves servants of God. Try these three things from Paul’s life to help you overcome stress in your life: faith, prayer and service. Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|