Weekend Contemplation #22
Monday: God speaks. How do I know I am on the right track, spiritually? How can I be comforted when everyone else is speaking evil about me? How can I know when what someone says is rebuke that should be heeded or persecution that should be ignored? I must test everything against what the Bible says, and where the Bible seems silent on the topic, then I must rely on God to tell me what to do. Because I am His sheep, I will hear His voice, whether it is in a Bible verse, a comment by a friend, or a prompting in my spirit. God will never lie to me, and what He tells me will never go against what He says in His Word.
Tuesday: May God’s grace be with the spirit of the church – and with the individuals who make up the body of Christ. Because of God’s grace, from the moment I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord, I can say “I know” I have been saved. I don’t think or hope or pray that I have been – I know that I have been. My confidence is not in the sins and weights that would so easily beset me if I did not lay them aside (Hebrews 12:1). My confidence is in Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and charity begins at home. I cannot try to give grace to another person or let my speech be seasoned and gracious until and unless there is grace within me, and grace overflowing so that I can share it. If this is the case, then like Paul, I can salute everyone by saying, “Grace to you, and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Wednesday: Being a prisoner of Jesus is more important than being a prisoner for Him. Many people who say “Lord, Lord” and walk around putting on airs, performing miracles, spending years on the mission field or in jail or both, and doing other great deeds will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:22). Many whose lives seem to be easy or even pointless will be among the generals that lay crowns at Jesus’ feet on that day. Where do you stand? Who are you on the outside? Is everything going wonderfully, or does it seem like everything is going wrong? More importantly, who are you on the inside? This far outweighs your external circumstances. Whose prison do you belong to, Christ’s, or the enemy’s?
Thursday: Are we a ready church? Luke 12:34, tells us that our treasure will be where our heart is. If we are thinking about the Lord and awaiting His return, then we will watch out for signs of it like a child listens for the signs of a parent’s return from work. Paul tells us in Ephesians that our loins should be girt about with truth (Ephesians 6:14). One truth is we are living in the last days and we really have no time for petty affections and lusts. We must look heavenward and remember that our Focus is Jesus Christ. None of us should be caught unawares when He returns.
We must be ready to give people a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). We must make disciples. We must pray that the Lord would send labourers to the harvest (Luke 10:2, Matthew 9:38). And most of all we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
Friday: The situation I surround myself with is the situation within me. Chaos can affect the mood of even the most-peaceful person for as long as s/he is in the flesh. Order can create a feeling of relief from a hectic or chaotic situation. Decency is what shows what our focus truly is – if we are preoccupied with ourselves and with others’ opinions of us we will serve them. If we are preoccupied with God we will serve Him. Serving God is honourable and, therefore, decent.
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