10 Concerns in the Christians Walk with God – Part 8
8. Take Time to Rejoice in your Relationship with Jesus Psalm 68:19, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." David wanted to praise the Lord with all that was within him. That was true in David’s day. How much more is it true today? Truly, He has daily loaded us with blessings. Daily we need to be reminding ourselves and giving thanks for the Lord’s benefits. Therefore, we have a duty to bless the God of our salvation. If that was true then, how much more so now! “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). To bless the Lord means to show admiration for the Lord as we thank and praise Him. The benefits of the Lord are, indeed, great and marvelous and it would be an act of ingratitude not to remember and appreciate them. When considering His benefits we have the great gift of eternal life, through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption. We have it every day of the year and are daily ready to meet the Lord, whenever He calls. Each day we have the indwelling presence of His Spirit, the illuminating guidance of His Word, the daily provision of all real needs and the assurance of His love. He has surely loaded us with benefits! Thank the Lord for the blessings of salvation you can enjoy right now. What a wonderful privilege to know Jesus Christ personally! Because of salvation we will someday enjoy a home in Heaven, a sinless body and eternity with Christ. We all look forward to our future with Jesus Christ, but it's easy to forget about the benefits of salvation for today. Since God is the source of all our blessings He deserves the full measure of our praise. If we honestly assess all that the Lord has done for us, it will not take long for us to begin rejoicing that He daily loadeth us with benefits. Let's take a moment to remember a few of the many blessings we can enjoy every day as Christians.
Prayer, Father in Heaven, forgive me for complaining of the things I don’t have and create in my heart a spirit of contentment for the things I do have. I never again want to fail to thank You and praise You for Your daily blessings. I understand that many of the blessings You have blessed me with are for the purpose of blessing others. Help me to make these blessings count. In Jesus name, Amen!
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10 Concerns in the Christians Walk with God – Part 7
7. Restore a Wounded Friend All Christians now and then will make a mistake and fall into sin. The Bible commands us in Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” As Christians, we have some duties. The spiritual Christians are to restore the fallen. We are to do it with prayerfully and carefully. Christian duty is not to condemn or criticize the wayward brother, but is to restore him to a proper position. As brethren had fallen into such sin, it was the duty of those who were spiritual to restore them. In the restoration process, there must be discipline and repentance, but those who are spiritual should aim to restore that person with gentleness. We see here, that someone has fallen into sin and we see how we are to restore them. The first reaction we should have when another Christian falls into sin is restoration; and repair back to completeness. Notice: The word “restore” means to repair or mend; what has been broken. This fallen brother needs someone to tenderly help him. He needs to be restored and reinstated with all gentleness. In the ministry, we are taking broken lives and letting God put them together. Patiently, we are to deal with him, helping him to confess and forsake his sin and be restored to spiritual health. The spiritual brother is to restore the one who is overtaken. Not just anyone in the church should do this, but a spiritual brother, one that is spiritual with an attitude of restoration. He is to restore the fallen one in the spirit of meekness; not meanness. When someone falls we are to help them get back on their feet without harsh criticism. As God’s children we need each other to help us through those times. Yes, there are real impacts from sin that cannot be ignored or overlooked. But rather than writing people off because they have done wrong, we need to humbly reach out to them in love and do what we can to help them put the pieces back together. We need to consider ourselves; although we are saved we too can be tempted. We are to take a good look at ourselves and realize that we have weaknesses and may be tempted to fall (Romans 7:18). Notice: If it were not for the grace of God we would be doing the same thing. Application: We can all be tempted with the same sin that this person has been overtaken in. One day we too may fall and we will need help from a spirit brother in Christ to restore us one day. We are all capable of sin.
Prayer, Heavenly Father, too often I see others who are stranded on the highway of life. Help me to be more passionate concerning the care and restoration for others who have fallen. As Your Word and Spirit does surgery on their heart may they understand that only You can satisfy their longing soul and fill their hungry heart. Amen. 10 Concerns in the Christians Walk with God – Part 6
6. Contact a Friend Who is Lonely or Hurting Loneliness is a big obstacle to perseverance. Sometimes you can even feel isolated in a crowd. Whatever is going on in your heart and life today understand everybody goes through loneliness at some point in life—even the apostle Paul. Paul was experiencing loneliness. “Who really understands me? How many people do I know that have really walked the road that I'm walking?” In II Timothy 4, Paul is nearing the end of his life. Paul is wrapping up his second letter to Timothy, he writes, II Timothy 4:9, “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me.” Now that is a pretty vulnerable request. In a manner of words Paul said, “Son, I don’t mind telling you that I need you ASAP!” (I Timothy 1:2 ; II Timothy 1:2) Sufferers often struggle with feeling isolated and alone. One of their biggest needs is to have people reach out and pursue a relationship with them. If you are a Christian who has faced suffering in your life then you have probably encountered a fellow Christian who wanted to provide comfort and help to you. Communicating with people going through a difficult time can mean a lot. It really makes difference to a hurting friend, or fellow Christian, knowing that we are thinking of and praying for them. Even if it’s just a few brief words of encouragement expressing your love and prayer support. And, of course, you could stop by their home, or hospital room, to visit and pray with them. Human friendships are part of God’s gift to us. As we live in the reality of these truths, and thus, grow in faith and trust each day that we suffer we begin to recognize some of the ways God shows His compassion for us. We begin to appreciate His compassion in giving us family and friends as well as the beauty and comfort of His nature; the blessings we so often take for granted. We begin to notice and recognize His "small" compassions, unexpected help from a stranger, an encouraging note, a faithful pet curled up at our feet or in our lap, or a biography of a Christian who has gone through suffering. We begin to thank our Heavenly Father for an amplified awareness and a greater appreciation of His loving kindness. We begin to realize that "all things" really does mean all things. And even when we feel that our various needs for comfort and encouragement are not being met as we would like, in any and all disappointing and hurting situations we can take hope in the midst of our hurts because we know that God is faithful in His commitment to our welfare--today and forever. Finally, we have all the Biblical promises of an eternal future with our Lord in Heaven. This life is only a brief moment compared to eternity. The hurts of today will soon be gone forever. For the Christian, there is surely hope in the midst of hurt! Prayer: Father, we thank You that You came to us in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ. You did not forget us and You did not leave us alone. We bless You for remembering us in our misery and coming to save us through Christ the Lord. You clothed Your Son with human flesh so that he might be our Saviour. Amen. |
AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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