Walk Worthy

"As a prisoner for The Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of The Spirit through the bond of peace."  Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul wrote that they should live and conduct their lives in such a way so as to be worthy of being called Christians.  They should behave in a Christ-like manner, and be humble, gentle, and patient with one another.  He said that they should love one another, and they should live and work in peace with one another.

What we believe determines how we will behave.  As believers in Christ, we are to walk in The Spirit and behave in a Christ-like manner.  Since The Holy Spirit dwells within us, we should exhibit the fruit of The Spirit in our daily living and in our dealings with one another.  We should demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)  We are to conduct ourselves such that we are not using His name in vain when we call ourselves Christians.

The Word of God Is Alive And Active

"For The Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God, the author of The Bible Book of Hebrews wrote to the scattered believers and described The Word of God as living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, which can divide the soul and the spirit.  It can judge the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart.

The Word of God is powerful.  It is alive and active; it is The Living God speaking to us.  It can cut through us and all of our facades.  It can separate our body, soul, and spirit.  It exposes our inner-most feelings, passions, desires, and appetites.  It can judge our thoughts, motives, and intentions.  God knows all about each of us, even down to our thoughts.  He knew all about each of us before we were born. (Psalms 139:13-16)  We can get to know Him better by reading and studying His Holy Word. (Matthew 21:42, Romans 10:17, 2 Timothy 2:15, and Revelation 19:6)

Do Not Keep Unworthy "Friends"

"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides.  They will give you trouble in the land where you will live."  Numbers 33:55 (NIV)  

Regarding the non-believers, "... if you do not drive out ... those you allow to remain will become ... thorns in your sides.  They will give you trouble ... where you will live."  These are the words of The Lord God spoken by Moses to the people of God telling them that they are not to mingle with and befriend certain non-believers in the land that they were moving into.  They were to drive them away and not associate with them.  For if they allowed them to remain in their midst, they would become thorns in their sides and cause them trouble.

Today we also need to be careful regarding those whom we choose to associate with and to befriend.  We are to spread The Word of God to everyone, but those who will not welcome us or listen to us as we share The Word of God, we are to leave them alone. (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, and Luke 9:5)  How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3)  This does not apply to one who is married to a non-believer, when only one of them accepted Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:13-14)  However, the friends we choose often exert a great influence upon us, and if we cannot turn them to Christ, we should not let them turn us away from Him. (Galatians 6:1, James 5:9, James 5:12, and 2 Peter 3:17)  When The Lord God says for us to leave some people alone and not to associate with them, we ought to let them go.  To keep them in our lives will just bring us pain and trouble.

The Faithful Abound With Blessings

"A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished."  Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)  The King James Version of The Bible reads: "A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent."

King Solomon, the wisest man ever, wrote that a man who is faithful unto The Lord God and unto The Word of God would be abundantly blessed.  He also wrote that the man who sought riches instead of the kingdom of God would be punished.

We need to understand that we are to make seeking the kingdom of heaven our first and most important priority. (Matthew 6:33)  We are to have faith in God, and we are to demonstrate and exercise our faith. (Mark 11:22)  If we are faithful, true believers and loyal followers of Christ, then we will be richly and abundantly blessed.  Those who choose to put the pursuit of worldly riches and desires ahead of God will be punished.  The honest believer will be blessed while the unscrupulous schemer will be punished.

Give And Share What You hve

"Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."  Acts 3:6 (NIV)

According to The Holy Spirit inspired word written by Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, as Peter and John were about to enter the temple they encountered a beggar, crippled from birth, who asked them for money.  Peter told the man that they did not have silver, or gold, or money, but that which they did have they would give to him.  What they had was the power of healing by The Holy Spirit of God, and they shared that with him and healed him.

Gifts of money are almost always appreciated, but giving and sharing is not always about money.  A gift of our time or a gift of our talent can also be a help to someone who is alone or in need.  When we share our knowledge and wisdom with others we can also be helpful.  Often giving a kind word, or a hug, or a shoulder to cry on, is more helpful, considerate, and compassionate than a monetary gift.  Jesus said that it is better to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)  The strong are to help the weak. (Romans 15:1)  Those who are blessed to have are to share with those who have not. (Luke 16:19-31)  We are to give of such as we have, and we are to share it with those who are less fortunate.

Pray And Do Not Worry

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote that they should not worry about anything, but that they should pray about everything.  He also told them that if they prayed about everything, that the peace of God would guard their hearts and minds.

Believers are encouraged to pray often to The Lord God. (Luke 18:1 and 21:36)  We should come into His presence with thanksgiving. (Psalms 95:2, Psalms 100:4, and Colossians 4:2)  We are to make our requests known to Him, for He hears to prayers of the righteous. (1 Peter 3:12)  We need not worry, or be anxious, or be fearful about anything, for everything is under His control. (Job 1:6-12)  The Lord God did not give us a spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)  If we truly love The Lord, then we should not fear anything because true love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)  Worry and fear suggests a lack of trust in The Lord.  Whatever our concerns or desires, we are to take them to The Lord in prayer, and leave them with Him.

Trials That Refine Strengthen Purify And Prove

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)

While writing under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Peter told the believers that they should rejoice in their sufferings.  He said that their suffering was just a brief trial in a refining fire which was designed to purify them and strength their faith

Under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Peter wrote that although we may suffer grief, trials, tribulations, and troubles, for a little while, we should rejoice because we are put through these things in order to refine, strengthen, purify, and prove our faith in Christ.  He also said that if we keep the faith, and pass our tests, we will be rewarded when we see Jesus.

Live By And Walk In The Spirit

"So I say, live by The Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to The Spirit, and The Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want ... The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  Galatians 5:16-23 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Galatia, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote to them saying that the sinful nature of man is in direct conflict with The Spirit.  Those who live their lives gratifying the desires of their sinful nature, will not see the kingdom of God. (Romans 8:8)  However, those believers who live their lives exhibiting the fruit of The Spirit, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Believers are to live their lives in such a manner that their behavior exhibits the fruit of The Holy Spirit.  While belief in Jesus, The Christ, does not render the believer free from sin, but from the penalty of sin. (Romans 6:23)  It is the believers' love for Christ which causes them to want to please Him by obeying His word, and by following His commands. (John 14:15 and 1 Thessalonians 4:1)  Believers should strive to continually walk in The Spirit and not in the flesh. (Romans 8:1, Romans 8:4, Galatians 5:16, and Galatians 5:25)  When we walk in The Spirit, our lives demonstrate the fruit of The Spirit, and the world can see the light of Christ shine within us. (Matthew 5:16)

You Can Be A New You If You Choose

"And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.  So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view ... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ ... not counting men's sins against them.  And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us."  2 Corinthians 5:15-20 (NIV)

In a letter to the believers in Corinth, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote that because Christ had died and rose for them, they should live for Christ and they should view each other differently.  As believers in Christ they were new creatures, the old persons had passed away and they were now new people.  The Lord God had reconciled them unto Himself through Christ, and they were now ambassadors to the world for Christ.

Unfortunately for us, when we accepted Christ as our personal savior, our old sinful nature did not cease to exist.  There is a constant battle going on within us, between our sinful fleshly nature and our spiritual nature, as it was within Paul. (Romans 7:15-23)  We simply are no longer controlled by our sinful nature, we now have a choice.  When we focus on Christ and The Word of God, we can choose to behave in a Christ-like manner.  When we submit to The Lord and focus on Christ, then we can resist the devil and sinful temptations. (James 4:7)  However, when we choose to focus on worldly pleasures and the desires of the flesh, our old sinful nature influences us.  We must choose to do the right thing.  We are ambassadors for Christ, and we should choose wisely.

Our Bodies Are God's Temple

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul told them that The Holy Spirit of God lives within each of them, and therefore their bodies were God's temple.  He also told them that if they or anyone destroys God's temple, God would destroy them.

The Holy Spirit dwells within each believer. (John 14:17 and Romans 8:11)  We are God's temple, and if anyone should try to destroy God's temple, he is sinning and The Lord God will destroy him.  We also should be very careful regarding how we treat God's temple.  We should take care of the inside and outside of God's temple, to keep it looking good and functioning properly in order that we may attract others to God's program.  When we tear down, defile, and destroy our bodies with our bad behavior, our bad social, eating, and drinking habits, we are also sinning.  Our behavior is seen by others and may effect our ability to win souls to Christ.  We are the temple of The Living God, He lives in us, and He walks with us. (2 Corinthians 6:16)  We are to let our light shine so that others can see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  Our light will not shine very well through our unclean behaviors.

We Ought To Always Pray

"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."  Luke 18:1 (NIV)

Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God, Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded these words which Jesus spoke to His disciples.  The purpose of the parable which Jesus spoke was to teach His disciples that they ought to always pray.

As modern day disciples of The Lord God, believers ought to pray, and pray often.  While it is good that we pray when we wake up in the morning, and when we lay down to sleep at night, that is not often enough.  Most believers also pray before they eat, which would be an additional two to three times each day, but that still is not enough.  We ought to pray frequently, almost continually.  We should pray before we speak, and before we undertake any activity, or make any decisions.  We should acknowledge Him, thank Him, and praise Him all day long.  In all that we do, we should acknowledge that God has His hand on us. (Proverbs 3:6)  We cannot thank Him enough for all of His blessing which He has bestowed upon us. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  We ought to praise Him, continually, all day long, for who He is. (Psalms 34:1)  Our prayers do not have to be long in order to be effective, but they need to be sincere. (James 5:16)  There is power in prayer, and we ought to talk to our Heavenly Father frequently.  Remember the saying: "Little prayer, little power; Much prayer, much power; No prayer, no power."  The Lord God hears the prayers of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)

As We Sow So Shall We Reap

"Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please The Spirit, from The Spirit will reap eternal life."  Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

When he wrote to the believers in Galatia, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul told them that The Lord God is not to be played with.  He said that a man will receive the same thing as he gives out to others.  He who lives to please his sinful fleshly desires, will be destroyed by them.  However, he who lives to please The Holy Spirit of God which is within him, will receive eternal life.

God sees all that man does. (Job 34:21)  He can judge the heart of man and his intentions. (1 Samuel 16:7)  We need to understand that we will reap only if we sow.  He who does nothing, will receive nothing. (James 2:26)  We also need to understand that what we sow is what we will receive.  We will get back the same thing that we give out. (Matthew 7:17-18 and Luke 6:43-44)  We will reap more than the amount which we sow.  A seed will produce more than just one seed, it will produce a ten, twenty, forty, or a hundred fold increase.  That which we receive will be a multiple of that which we gave out. (Luke 6:38)  If we live to please our sinful flesh nature, we condemn ourselves. (Romans 8:1 and 8::4-5)

Give To The Poor And Be Blessed

"He who is kind to the poor lends to The LORD, and He will reward him for what he has done."  Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible reads: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto The LORD; and that which he hath given will He pay him again."  Proverbs 19:17 (KJV)

Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God, King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 4:30 and 2 Chronicles 1:11-12), wrote these words to the people of God.  He told them that he who gives to the poor is actually lending to The Lord God, and He will repay him.

We are encouraged to give to the poor and the needy. (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 11:41, Luke 12:33, and Luke 18:22)  In fact, there are special blessings in store for those who give to the poor. (Psalms 41:1)  The Lord God will protect them, preserve their life, and sustain them when they are sick, and He will restore them to good health. (Psalms 41:2-3)  If we give, then it shall be given unto us. (Luke 6:38)  We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others. (Proverbs 11:25)  If we give to those who are in need, The Lord will bless us.  Jesus said that as we treat the less fortunate, we are doing the same thing to Him. (Matthew 25:40)

Trust In The Lord And Do Good

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Trust in The LORD and do good...Delight yourself in The LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to The LORD; trust in Him and He will do this...Be still before The LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil...But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace...Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked...If The LORD delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for The LORD upholds him with His hand...Turn from evil and do good...For The LORD loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. They will be protected forever...The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.  The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip... Wait for The LORD and keep His way.  He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it...Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace...The salvation of the righteous comes from The LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.  The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."  Psalms 37:1-40 (NIV)

In this psalm, King David encouraged the people to trust in The Lord, and to do that which is good and right.  For those who commit and submit to the will of The Lord, will be given the desires of their hearts.  He told them not to worry about, or be concerned with, those who prosper and get ahead by doing wrong.  The evil doers will be destroyed.  David also told them to turn away from evil, and to do that which is good and right, and they will be rewarded.

Believers who delight in The Lord will receive the desires of their hearts.  If The Word of God is in our hearts, then The Lord God will guide our steps. (Psalms 37:23 and 31)  It is better to be poor and righteous than to be wealthy and wicked.  Those who wait on The Lord and keep His Word, will be exalted.  Therefore, trust in The Lord and do that which is right.

Thank The Lord And Praise Him

"In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge...deliver me in Your righteousness...Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.  Free me from the trap that is set for me, for You are my refuge.  Into Your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, The God of truth...I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul...Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief.  My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak...I have become like broken pottery...But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.'  My times are in Your hands...Let Your face shine on Your servant; save me in Your unfailing love...How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You... Praise be to The LORD, for He showed His wonderful love to me...You heard my cry for mercy when I called to You for help.  Love The LORD, all His saints!  The LORD preserves the faithful...Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The LORD."  Psalms 31:1-24 (NIV)

This psalm of King David is a song of encouragement.  In it he acknowledges who God is, and what He has done for him.  Then he praises God and exhorts all of the saints of God to love and praise The Lord also.

David acknowledged that he was in trouble, he called upon the name of The Lord to ask for mercy, and God saved him.  Believers know that what ever the situation, God is the solution; what ever the affliction, God is the answer; what ever the distress, God is the deliverer; and what ever the condition, God is the comforter.

Don't Cause Others To Fall Into Sin

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.  Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."  Romans 14:13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words, under the divine influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in Rome.  This was part of his discussion on the strong believers helping, and not hindering, the weaker believers.  At issue here was the eating of meat by one in front of one who believed the meat to be "unclean" and was a vegetarian.  If one believes that eating meat is wrong, and is distressed by the eating of meat by the other, then the meat eater is causing the vegetarian to think, and maybe act, in a non-Christ-like manner. (Romans 14:15 and 14:20) 

The point here goes far beyond the eating of meat, or the eating of any food.  All believers are not at the same place in their Christian walk, their level of faith and their knowledge of The Word of God differs.  We are not to judge one another because of that difference.  We are charged to avoid even the appearance of evil or wrong doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)  There are those who will become disillusioned and fall away from the faith because they saw someone they looked up to, doing that which appeared to be wrong.  We are not to do, or say, anything which would cause our brother to think, speak, or act in a less than Christ-like manner. (Romans 14:21)  In fact, there is a blessing in store for those of us who avoid condemning ourselves by the things which we approve of. (Romans 14:22)  Do not be a stumbling block.  Do not cause a believer to fall into sinful behavior.  Let us endeavor to do all that we can to walk in a Christ-like manner and to let our light shine in a way to help edify one another. (Romans 14:19)  Some times we should keep what we think and what we believe between ourselves and God. (Romans 14:22) 

Each Will Be Rewarded According To Their Labor

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 
The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers ..."  1 Corinthians 3:7-9 (NIV)

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words which the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth after a disagreement occurred between those who followed Paul and those who followed Apollos. (1 Corinthians 3:1-5)  Paul said that he had planted the seed, The Word of God, and that Apollos had watered it. (1 Corinthians 3:6)  He also said that neither he or Apollos was important, they were only fellow workers for The Lord.  The only important one was The Lord God, and the only important thing was that The Word of God was being given to those who had not heard it.  God will reward each of His workers according to their labor.

We must believe and have faith in God.  Without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)  However, faith alone, without any supporting work to demonstrate it, is useless. (James 2:26)  All believers are to share The Word of God with others, to tell their personal testimony of the things which The Lord has done for them, (Luke 21:12-13), and to live the life which they live in such a way so that others can see the light of The Lord shining within them. (Matthew 5:14-16)  We each have different talents and abilities, (Matthew 25:15, Acts 11:29, and 1 Peter 4:11), we have experienced different trials and tribulations, we travel in different social circles, we influence different people, and no one can tell our story like we can tell it.  We are all workers for The Lord and He has a plan for each of us.  When judgment day comes, we will each be rewarded according to our labor.

Live In Accordance With The Spirit

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with The Spirit have their minds set on what The Spirit desires."  Romans 8:5 (NIV)

These are the words of the Apostle Paul, which were written under the direction, guidance, and influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in Rome.  He told them that those who live to please themselves, cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)  Those who have their minds set on that which The Spirit desires live in peace. (Romans 8:6) 

We cannot please God and please man at the same time. (Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13)  If we live in such a way as to please ourselves, and our earthly desires, then we are not pleasing God.  Our sinful nature is in direct conflict with our spiritual nature. (Romans 8:7)  We have to choose to follow the direction of The Spirit.  Believers are not controlled by their sinful nature because they yield the control of their lives to The Spirit of God which indwells them. (Romans 8:9)  We choose to live in accordance with The Spirit, and we endeavor to keep our minds set on the things which please The Lord.  The Christian walk is a choice.  We must all choose who we will follow, obey, and serve. (Joshua 24:15)