The person who actually trusts God will do things differently than the person who doesn’t. Faith will make a difference in our obedience to God. And if our faith doesn’t show up in action, then we really don’t have the thing the Bible calls “faith.”
Let’s identify some things in the Lord’s work that we can’t do as well as we’d like. And then let’s plan our preparation, so we can be vessels “for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
Most people have definite ideas about what they “want” the truth to be. But wherever God is concerned, we need to be careful. What matters most is not what we want to hear, but what is, in fact, the truth. It is the truth that will makes us free.
We should be thankful for what we can know about our God and Father. Through Christ, we can know Him and live in fellowship with Him, living in the light of the truth about our Creator and ourselves. And based on this truth, we can have eternal life.
Sometimes those who correct us may err in the way they go about it. Even so, we should profit from the feedback. The source of the feedback shouldn’t matter very much. In fact, our enemies will often tell us more of the truth than our friends will.
Let’s think about our relationship to the local church. Our relationship to Christ involves relating ourselves rightly to others who have the same tie to Him that we do, especially those near enough locally that we can work and worship with them.
Instituted by God, marriage should be governed by His wisdom. No matter what the laws of the land or the customs of society may be, it is the abiding will of the Creator that determines the true quality of any marriage. His will should be respected.
Whatever obstacles block our path to God, God is greater than those. Jesus assured His disciples: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
There’s nothing wrong with nostalgia, and it’s helpful to remember the mistakes we’ve made in the past. But life doesn’t move backward, and if we’re Christians, it’s important that we give most of our attention to what is ahead of us.
Let’s be mindful of God’s forgiving nature. He is not a reluctant forgiver who must be begged to pardon us against His will, but rather a Father who finds joy in the restoration of His children. Let’s be encouraged by the thought of His forgiveness.
