Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
God: Source of all
Blessings
Is Your Way God's Way?
John Alex
Bethany MTC, NY
25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the
truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
As we read through this passage, and as shown in Romans 12:5, we must first remind ourselves of where we belong. As stated there, though many we form one body in Christ and each member belongs to all the other members with Christ as our head. There is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in All (Ephesians 4:4,5). That was a lot, but that is the fact, God is our creator, our protector, the Alpha & the Omega. Everything comes from Him. God’s intentions are clear; we must think, live and act as is expected of us by God. However, one of the best abilities he has given each of us is the freedom to choose.
God gives us choices. This was clearly evident from the very beginning of the existence of man in the Garden of Eden. He gives us the absolute free choice of which path we could take. He is not forcing us to come to him but expects us to willingly believe and obey him but making it possible for us to live as true people of God. While he gives us choices, He has reminded us of the consequence of each choice we make. He has given us the perfect freedom to choose. The rest is really up to us.
It is up to us to learn from the tools that God has given us, so that we can change our ways and follow his. Steven Covey an inspirational and influential author provided the following powerful phrase that really summarizes how to take control of your destiny, he said, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” It is exactly that thought or action that will build one’s character and in-turn one’s destiny. We must change our mindset to that of what God wants us to think so our destiny is ensured. The choice is ours, let’s ask ourselves, do we want to follow our Lord’s commandments to muster our thoughts with the right things, and do the right things as shown by our Savior. Or do we want to give the Devil a foothold and drift away from God?
As seen in Ephesians 4:28, “anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” God is urging us to change, we are to gain property and possessions by honest work and by doing the right things at all times. We must come into possession of things in a way God approves. We have a lot of reasons to serve God, a lot of reasons to let Him have lordship over our lives. Thievery or dishonesty creates distrust, fear, and suspicion, destroying relationships and destabilizing communities. We must learn and understand why it is not right to do these things especially if we are to follow our Lord’s way with a clear conscience. We take the blessings of God’s perfect creation for granted and continue to follow the empty and destructive ways of this world. We are immersed in a culture that emphasizes “me” and “mine”. So we may choose to ignore our neighbors’ struggles rather than build community and work for the common good.
We have a responsibility for our lives, and that’s how we’re going to be blessed, if we learn to walk in the Spirit (which means to love) and to stay dependent on our Lord Jesus Christ. We must love, care and respect each other just as the good book has shown us. We must strive to abide in our God and most importantly allow our hearts, minds and soul to let Him abide in us. It is not going to be easy but we can do it if we honestly surrender and allow our Lord to help us. We are not alone, together with others as part of the body of Christ, we can achieve it. Speaking the truth in love while carrying ourselves in humility, kindness and understanding, and completely trusting our God we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
As we read through this passage, and as shown in Romans 12:5, we must first remind ourselves of where we belong. As stated there, though many we form one body in Christ and each member belongs to all the other members with Christ as our head. There is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in All (Ephesians 4:4,5). That was a lot, but that is the fact, God is our creator, our protector, the Alpha & the Omega. Everything comes from Him. God’s intentions are clear; we must think, live and act as is expected of us by God. However, one of the best abilities he has given each of us is the freedom to choose.
God gives us choices. This was clearly evident from the very beginning of the existence of man in the Garden of Eden. He gives us the absolute free choice of which path we could take. He is not forcing us to come to him but expects us to willingly believe and obey him but making it possible for us to live as true people of God. While he gives us choices, He has reminded us of the consequence of each choice we make. He has given us the perfect freedom to choose. The rest is really up to us.
It is up to us to learn from the tools that God has given us, so that we can change our ways and follow his. Steven Covey an inspirational and influential author provided the following powerful phrase that really summarizes how to take control of your destiny, he said, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” It is exactly that thought or action that will build one’s character and in-turn one’s destiny. We must change our mindset to that of what God wants us to think so our destiny is ensured. The choice is ours, let’s ask ourselves, do we want to follow our Lord’s commandments to muster our thoughts with the right things, and do the right things as shown by our Savior. Or do we want to give the Devil a foothold and drift away from God?
As seen in Ephesians 4:28, “anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” God is urging us to change, we are to gain property and possessions by honest work and by doing the right things at all times. We must come into possession of things in a way God approves. We have a lot of reasons to serve God, a lot of reasons to let Him have lordship over our lives. Thievery or dishonesty creates distrust, fear, and suspicion, destroying relationships and destabilizing communities. We must learn and understand why it is not right to do these things especially if we are to follow our Lord’s way with a clear conscience. We take the blessings of God’s perfect creation for granted and continue to follow the empty and destructive ways of this world. We are immersed in a culture that emphasizes “me” and “mine”. So we may choose to ignore our neighbors’ struggles rather than build community and work for the common good.
We have a responsibility for our lives, and that’s how we’re going to be blessed, if we learn to walk in the Spirit (which means to love) and to stay dependent on our Lord Jesus Christ. We must love, care and respect each other just as the good book has shown us. We must strive to abide in our God and most importantly allow our hearts, minds and soul to let Him abide in us. It is not going to be easy but we can do it if we honestly surrender and allow our Lord to help us. We are not alone, together with others as part of the body of Christ, we can achieve it. Speaking the truth in love while carrying ourselves in humility, kindness and understanding, and completely trusting our God we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Prayer: Father, as we enjoy and cherish the
time you have given us in this world, we pray that you will forgive our sins
and transform us to become more and more like YOU and less like us. Lord, with
your grace, enable us to live in peace, filled with an unconditional love for
our fellow beings. We pray that you will dwell in us to change us to trust
you at all times without worry, to live with integrity & honesty and to
truly love one another while helping each other unconditionally just as you
have. Liberate us, O Lord from our empty & destructive ways so that we
may be able to discern your will and follow the way that leads to abundant and
everlasting life. All this we pray, Lord in your precious name.
Amen.
Thought for the
day: To experience persecution because of
God’s word and Jesus’ testimony is not easy, but it’s worth it.