Wake me up James!

There are times we all need to be smacked upside the head.
As followers of Jesus we have to think about the consequences
of our words and our actions. For those who are leaders in the
Church take heed:

James 3:1
"Those who teach will be judged more strictly."

This passage is of course a warning to those who teach.

My personal opinion is this:
If you are teaching the principles of God's Word
and explaining to others of the importance of abiding in His teachings,
then you should live it out those teachings as well and not be a hypocrite!

The truth for all of us is this: we need to be careful how we live.

Ephesians 5:15-17 New International Version 1984 

Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the 
most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be 
foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.


The fact is we do have freedom in Christ, but this freedom does not mean we should
incorporate worldly perspective into our teaching, our thinking and our doing in order to
be relevant to the culture. God expects us (His will is for us) to be Holy and set apart
to Him and nothing else. "Loving the World" or anything in the World is one thing God has
asked us to not to engage in.

1 John 2:15-16 New International Version 1984 

Do Not Love the World
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.


Freedom in Christ is great but it has to be done God's way and not our own. If we say that
God's wants for us to be like His Son Jesus, then we need to begin to be like
Him (Christ-like) in character, how we relate to the world, and in the way we treat others.
We can't pick and choose what we want to incorporate from the Bible when it comes to
God's principles. If we don't abide in love, and live set apart to God, we can do a lot of
harm to ourselves and those who are looking for something authentic they can believe in.
The problem is when we say one thing and do another it harms people
and reflects poorly on the kingdom of God.Our hypocrisy can cause someone
to stumble and think of us, our beliefs, and our Lord as just another ripoff.

As Christians I believe we have a responsibility to
not only teach God's Word but to live according to it
as well. This may mean we will have to change some
behaviors that do not honor God. If we only speak
God's Word but do not obey it ourselves, we should
question our motives and reflect on which master we
are really serving.

Here is a warning to us all:

James 3:6
"The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the
parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets
the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself
set on fire by hell."

Wow! who would that think one of the smallest members
of our body could be the most evil.




Also note, apart from using the tongue speak evil, those who teach
need to make sure their words truly reflect the heart and wisdom of God.

We are all aware of the damage the tongue can
do. I think Gossip is the easiest form of sinful
behavior we get caught up in. We are just a vocal cord away
from cursing the people who we should be blessing and
praying for.

Do we really honor God with our tongue when we talk
behind peoples back, judge their motives, question
their salvation etc? We really need to understand how
much a single word spoken from an angry and self righteous
heart can damage the spirit of another person.

Our words should be uplifting and encouraging. We
should also speak the truth in love and offer God's
wisdom and grace to those who have fallen out of God's ways.
Even though Jesus rebuked the Jewish leadership, His
words were always filled with God's wisdom. Jesus was
teaching even when having to deal directly with their
sin.

Here are some things we can do when faced with
opposition:



We should love and pray for those who oppose us.
We should continue to do all things for the glory of God.
We should pray our response reflects Godly Character

This passage helps me get the right perspective:

Philippians 4:8-9 New International Version 1984 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, 
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, 
or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Therefore when we are faced with opposition, we can reflect
those principles of God's Word that have changed us from the inside
out. We want those who oppose us to see what Godly character looks like.
It is hard to deal with opposition, but with God's help we can and therefore
be authentic ambassadors for Christ. Our words can infuse love into a fallen world.
We can even love those who hate us.

One thing we can do daily is truly surrender our agenda to God
and ask for Him to lead us. We should be willing to give up our
own feeble, finite thinking and perspective and put our life into
God's trustworthy hands. This way we allow the Holy Spirit to fill our
minds and hearts with wisdom and direction, leading us into the perfect
will of God.

We must always remember that we will reap what we sow.
As we continue the mission to plant the seeds of God's love in other
peoples lives, the level of our identity in Christ, and the way
we treat others, will continue to be the reflection of who we are
to the world. The benefit of that is, those who are willing to listen to
God's truth, will connect the fact that God is love if we truly live it out
our Christ-likeness. 

Remember what Jesus said:


John 13:35

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

As God continues to refine us (sanctify us), He equips and inspires us to be able
continue on the mission he has placed before us. That mission is to bring
the hope of the Gospel to the world.

These passages from Philippians have really encouraged me:

Philippians 1:6
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 2:13
"For it is God who works in you to will and act
according to His good purpose."
Philippians 4:13
"I can do everything through Him who gives me
strength."

I pray that each of you will continue to pursue your
relationship with Jesus every day. Let His glory be
the light you bring to the world.

Just Sayin...............Dave