daeBee

We are most like Jesus when we totally hand over everything in our life - the good and the struggles, the joy and the suffering - for God's use and purpose. Just like Jesus did - and God used it greatly for everyone's benefit. It shows complete trust in the Father who loves us. To pour out as a drink offering is to give it completely into God's hand - all of it.

The purpose of the Church is to show Christ to the world. When we 'hold fast' - cling tightly to the commitment of becoming Christ-like - then we BECOME the Word and 'hold it forth' to the world as they look on and see Christ in us - in all we do and say and are, in the choices we make and the beliefs that shape our lives. The rest is up to God. We shine the light, His love draws them, they choose to come, He meets them there.

We have to look always at Jesus in answering any of life's questions. As a part of the Body of Christ, the more we Christ-like we become in our actions and thoughts the more others can come to know who He is and be drawn to Him. This is the light that draws them - Jesus is the Light. Such attitudes as Paul addresses in today's study puts a covering over the light that causes it to dim and give out less warmth and hope and guidance. Jesus didn't complain, however, He did address issues of wrong very clearly and firmly - He did this out of love, hoping it would help those in danger to turn from their sin. I believe it is so feared that we would complain and be in sin that we too often do not address in love - firmly and clearly - the sin before us. That leaves others in great danger and us joining them. To make a difference here, we need to concentrate more effort on obtaining a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit, so we might know the difference and act when called. To no do so would be as much a leaning to sin as complaining. LOVE IS NOT IGNORING SIN

When making yeast bread - the best way to mix the ingredients is by squeezing and kneading it by hand until the yeast touches every part. This is how I see 'working out my salvation' - I have salvation from sin by accepting Christ into my life - believing in Him - but then I have to 'work' that ingredient into every area of my life until it has its affect there. This is when Jesus becomes Lord over those areas. It takes effort and hard work on my part to make this happen. It is a choice I make and one I am glad I made each and every time.

God said He would exalt - lift up - those who humble themselves before Him. What more do we need to believe it? We get impatient with this because God's timing is perfect and ours is, "I want it NOW!" We don't trust Him enough when we are impatient. When impatient, when we stray from trusting Him, we tend to do things to "fix" it on our own - PRIDE, sin enters in and we mess things up. In the process, we miss what blessings God is giving us in the 'waiting time".

Christ didn't use His God nature for His benefit - by choice. Only God could love in that measure to make such a choice. Divine love in action.

Hey - It's not about us - its about JESUS. It has been proven that we are valuable to God - EVERYONE, saved and unsaved - JOHN 3:16 - To place ourselves higher than we ought is SIN. Not to value others as Christ does - who died for them - is to be very far from God. If we would pray to see ourselves and others as Christ sees them, humbleness would prevail and pure and holy actions would follow. To do otherwise is to dwell within the sin of pride - away from God. Unity - being of one accord - is being focused on Christ and not on petty things that distract us from that. We move forward in the power of God only when our focus is on Jesus. Pride, especially in the leadership of a church, will always set members against each other as they seek to emulate their leader. To become better than another, we work to make others look worse than us. I learned this the hard way in a church where a false prophet rules the little kingdom he created. The Lord rescued me from there, along with many others who truly sought the TRUTH. KEEPING MY FOCUS ON CHRIST is the greatest, most effective thing I can do to walk in unity with others in the greater Body of Christ. It helps me to discern who is walking in Truth and who isn't. We go where we are focused - if focused on Christ, we will become like Him, treating others as He would.

Jesus was fully God and fully man. I believe He chose not to access the God part of Him - He said He sought the Father on everything He did and said while here. No man could have taken on the sin of the world and survived it. No man would have chosen to. It makes a huge difference that Jesus was human - I don't believe He needed to be in order to know what we go through - God knows everything! I believe we needed Him to be in order to understand what He chose to go through for us. What a wonderful, amazing God to love us so much.

These Scripture passages teach us that when we leave this body, we are immediately in the presence of Christ. All we had to do to get there, we have already done when we surrendered to His Lordship. All He had to do, He has already done - accepted us. There is no holding ground where more must be accomplished. This frees me to live without fear of the unknown - for now my future is known and is good. I do not need to struggle with trying to stay alive here - I can enjoy life and my service to God in it. A dark cloud is lifted and joy replaces it. This energizes me - motivates me to bring such peace to others who are in such fear of life and death. I have sat many times with those at the end of their earthly life and have seen the difference in those that believe and know where they are going and those that do not know what death brings. I have had the privilege of sharing & playing a part in bringing them to that place of peace as they let Christ enter into their heart. It is an awesome thing to be used of God in such a way.

We are to show Christ as perfect, not ourselves. When our focus is off we are not witnessing for Jesus and are full of fear that we will fail Him or be disliked by others. We forget that we only play a part in the salvation of others - it is the work of God, not us, and we too often try to take it all on. Losing our life for Christ is letting Him be in control and only do what He asks of us in each situation. We then have a freer, more abundant life because the limits we place on ourselves are lifted into God's hand - and He has no limits. WE ARE TO BE A WITNESS - TO LIVE OUT OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST AND OUR FAITH IN HIM - THIS IS FAR MORE EFFECTIVE AND LESS INTIMIDATING THAN TALKING TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT. I believe our fear comes often from trying to talk about something that is not yet settled itself in our hearts - we have not yet become what we say we believe and so it is hard to convince others of it.

Life is out of control, ever since that first sin in the Garden of Eden - but God is always in control. If we believe that, and that He loves us and is working for our good - then we can always rejoice. If we try to live life on our own - we can never really be at ease and rest enough to rejoice - we will always be anxious. Paul knew from past experience and because he had learned who God really is, that God was in control and so he could rest in God's control and rejoice no matter what.

God allows trials and tribulations in our lives to TEST our faith - do we believe what we say we believe when things are going smoothly? Yet, all the time He is watching to snatch us out of it when it gets to be more than we can bear. That is a promise of God to every beleiver and one we need to learn to TRUST in. Without troubles, we would never know the measure of our growth level in Trusting God. Paul was innocent and all knew of the trials he was under - they also knew that he never gave up fulfilling his purpose in Christ - to share the Gospel and did it wherever he was - in jail or out. That is the lesson for us - whereever we are, we are to continue to fulfill our purpose in Christ and let God handle the rest - Trusting in His promise of Jer 29:11 and Romans 8:28 all the time. Presently our family is undergoing a most difficult TRUST TEST and because of many faithful Christian friends who remind us of God's promises and hold us up in prayer and love - we have not sunk under the raging waters. It is rather like floating on an inner tube amonst the waves, not knowing where you will end up, but knowing God is guiding you all the way and that love is keeping you afloat no matter what tries to drown you.

Falling in love is a process, be it with Jesus or others. First something about them attracts us, draws us to spend time learning more about them and when we find out who they really are, we make the decision whether or not to deepen the relationship. One of the problems prevalent in our culture today is that too many proceed into a deeper relationship before the process has gotten very far and that leads to pain and destruction. Paul did not want those he carried in his heart to go through such a deal - he loved them and wanted the best for them - God's best. Paul prayed 'discernment' for the Philippians because he wanted them to have the information they needed to make the choice that would bring them the BEST in life. Only God really knows what is best for any of us. Discernment is being able to recognize what is God and what in His eyes is not best for us - even if it seems like a good thing. It is trusting in His plan for us. It is maturing to the point where we put aside our desires and choose God's desires for us even if we cannot see the outcome quite yet. When we want the good things of this life above the things God is choosing for us as better we have replaced God with these things and therefore they have become 'ungodly' things. Quite often what is best for us in God's eyes doesn't look 'good' until we get to the end of it and look back. We need to trust Him and make the wiser choice to wait on Him.

God alone can make us ALL WE CAN BE. Paul is assured of God's faithfulness because God has proven it in Paul's own life. Paul is confident that God will complete what HE has begun in all believers - to bring us to Christlikeness - as individuals and as the Body of Christ, the Church. God is no respecter of persons, what He does for one believer, He does for all - but, it is an individualized program of training that He sets up for each of us and we must do our part and stay focused. To look too closely at what God is doing for another causes us to compare and complain and stays God hand for a time in our own training. God is always working to complete us, but sometimes we play hookey and don't show up for class or get distracted with 'things of this world'. This prolongs the work but it doesn't mean God has stopped the process. He waits, patiently and faithfully for us to show up again. Often, He will allow things in our lives that will cause us to run back to Him. This is tough love, but most definitely LOVE.

God Day to you! I believe the root message of our Christian Faith is that JESUS CARES and that when we help meet the needs of others in whatever way they need them met - then we are Christlike in that we CARE. Folks need that encouragement to keep focused and not be led away by the evil one who sidetracks us all when we step out to serve God. The Book of James tells us that faith without works is dead - we need to show what we believe by what we do to BE Christ to others. Sometimes that is through the gift of money - but it surely is not limited by that alone. In my life, the greatest gift I have ever received is a good, Godly listener who just cares to spend the time sitting with me while I work through a lesson with God. Where two or more are gathered - There He is found! I believe that all we have belongs to God and we are just stewards of it, therefore, we must ask Him what to do with it. To just hand it out to all who ask seldom meets the true need and just depletes our resources. I think we need to be close enough to hear His guidance on how/ when/ and to whom to give help.