Godliness
Galatians 1:3-4: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
The game of baseball has changed over the decades. I was recently watching ESPN, and one of the commentators was talking about Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. His thoughts were that the streak would never be broken due to the different types of pitchers a hitter will face in the course of the game. The "closer" has come to be a very important role for a winning ball club.
However, another role that really took on new meaning as the Yankees came into their own in the mid 90's was the "middleman". Reality is all positions are needed at all times.
Meditate On This!
When you find yourself in trouble, or we find the church of Christ in trouble, who do we go to for our rescue? In Galatians 4:1, we realize that deliverance from this present evil age is assured through the atonement of Christ. This is accomplished in the present in the sense that Christ gives victory over the powers of Satan now. Ultimate delivery awaits death or the translation of the saints at the time of Christ's return.
If you find yourself in a tough jam right now, realize that this present evil age does not have to win out in your life. Pause and meditate on what is happening to you right now, what is going on in your sphere of influence, and what is going on in your country. Ask God to give deliverance in every area.
I Corinthians 10:32: "Do not cause anyone to stumble."
WOW! There’s the pressure again. We want to be perfect, and yet as broken Christians, we know we are not. Many times we do things that we do not even know are causing others to stumble. Other times we make comments that, although they sound righteous, are actually not able to be received by those that are listening. It is really tough!
As men and women who really want to serve Christ, we are put in positions to make statements and give direction. As the result of our statements or the attitudes in which we make them, are we causing others to stumble? Praise God that He always picks us up.
Meditate On This!!!
In our daily walk this next week, let’s consider how we many personally cause others to stumble and reflect on those individuals we may need to ask for forgiveness.
Throughout the course of this week, seriously ask the spirit of God to show you if there are any areas in your life that you are being a stumbling block to a believer or an unbeliever. Ask God for the ability to see with "spiritual eyes" the things we say and do, and the effect they are having on those around us.
Hebrews 10:24: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."
2 Peter 1:5-9: "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, if anyone does not have them he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."
In order for us to enjoy a Major League baseball game, it takes hundreds and hundreds of hours by hundreds and hundreds of people behind the scenes. One such person is the scout. As he goes to and fro across the face of this earth, he is looking for young men who can play the game of baseball. Typically, he is looking for "tools" - tools that will take this young man to the next level of baseball. Typically, those tools include: running, throwing, and hitting.
As we look at the verses above, we see some of the "tools" God is looking for to keep us productive in our knowledge of Christ. Notice that we need to possess them, and, also have them, in increasing measure. If we do not possess these qualities, in the long run, we will forget that we have been cleansed from our past sins.
Meditate On This!
It is a "grocery list", but let’s ask ourselves the question: On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), what kind of grade would you give yourself in the following areas:
- Goodness
- Knowledge
- Self-control
- Perseverance
- Godliness
- Brotherly kindness
- Love
In those areas in which you scored low, what can you do to raise those scores? Are you satisfied with the level you have attained in all the areas? Ask God to help you continually improve the "tools" which He has given us.
