Good instruction for families and church planters too. Do the work first so that you have something to sustain the house. Otherwise, both will fail. For the church planter this is a good reminder to put outreach ahead of buildings. Families, a house does not a home make.
Have you taught your children about Jesus? Do they know the way of salvation? You cannot delegate this job. Parents, teach your children and your children’s children about God.
We receive Christ by grace through faith, so that’s how we should continue to live in Him. Not through religious working or effort, but drawing on His Spirit, staying connected to the Vine, we bear spiritual fruit. The One who saved us, keeps us and lives in us.
Knowledge – what His will is. Wisdom – how to apply it. Understanding – how it works. Most of us don’t have trouble knowing God’s will. We have trouble doing it. God fill us with power to do your will.
Do you have a sense of calling? An awareness of destiny? You should. God had you in mind before you existed. You are not as some suppose, a mere roll of the evolutionary dice. You are created for a purpose.
God lifts up those who bow down. He applauds the one who is fearfully moved by His Word. What is your response to hearing the Word? Those in whom the Spirit resides tremble like a leaf blown by the wind when God speaks.
What attitude is this? It is the mindset of a servant that considers others before self. Will you stop your self-edifying and allow God to lift you up? How do we gain this mindset? Ask for the Spirit’s filling and appropriate His power for living. Then, look for feet that need washing.
What will the 4th quarter of your life look like? Will you be more like Jesus? Will young people be attracted to you? Will you go out like a consuming spiritual flame or with a complaining whimper?
Paul prayed for the gospel to be unchained rather than himself. How do you pray? Do you pray that God gets you out or that He uses you in your current situation?
700 years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah prophesied about His crucifixion. Read Isa. 53 and consider how God’s plan for our redemption was fulfilled in Christ.