I love working with Jr. High kids, they’re my favorite. The greatest concern I have for them, however, is that they don’t understand a single decision they make can transform their lives forever, for good or for destruction.
The decisions you and I make here in our walk with God; they shape eternity, for us and many of the people around us.
We were saved by grace, a gift we can never repay, no matter what we do.
But Ephesians 2.10 says “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. “
We were saved and remain here on earth for good works.
What we do is important. What’s equally important to the ‘what’, is ‘why & how’ we do what we do.
I’m sure she appreciated my attempt, but the truth was that she was her stomach was still empty and her floor was still dirty. I did a 6 year old version of what needed to be done.
My ‘What’ was not so hot; my ‘Why’ was good but my ‘How’ was awful.
Matthew 7.15-20
V15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Not everyone who says they are a believer are telling the truth. Even some people who may genuinely believe they are may not be. What’s their fruit? What results from their lives can you see? Not just what they do, caring for the poor, but what’s the fruit of their lives?
Do they have “joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?” (Gal 5:22-23) The fruits of the Spirit can only grow if the roots, the foundation, is in Jesus Christ. Through His cross, by His blood, with His gift of righteousness at work in us.
Matthew 7.21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
How and why you do something is very important.
Matthew 7.24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
The foundation, the ‘How’ and the ‘Why’ will be clear when the storms come.
1 Corinthians 3.9 “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. “
You will stand before God and your life’s works will be displayed. If it was done (The WHY) because you love God, you believed God called you and you obeyed; if the way you did it (The HOW) was by the power of the Holy Spirit, following obediently at His leading, then ...
V14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
We can:
Visit the sick
Feed the poor
Share the Gospel
Give away all earthly riches
By the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus as the Father directs us.
Jeremiah 1:4-10
V4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”.
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”.
Not a great speaker? prefer to be in the back ground?
The you’re perfect for His plan
1 Cor. 1.27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
In fact if you have confidence in the flesh, God will need to allow great failure and suffering to come to you, so you can get out of the way!
What needs to be done must be done by God; you’re the pot the fruit grows in, not the seed, the soil or the water. You just need to be an obedient, attentive, willing pot.
Matthew 10:19-20
V19 "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."
Paul said in Philippians 3 to have no confidence in yourself but in God alone to fulfill your purpose for being on this earth.
He points out that he was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews”
- Circumcised
- Lineage of the tribe of Benjamin
- A Pharisee
- Passionate for his religion, so much so that he persecuted the Christians when he thought they blasphemed the God he thought he was serving.
Philippians 3.7-8
V7 "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ"
2 Corinthians 5:5-7
V5 "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
Jesus is our ‘How’, our ‘Why.’
Comments
Post a Comment