Trustworthy

When you were a kid, or if you still are one, you may remember your parents telling you that if you want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one. What they are really saying is that they need be able to trust you with the responsibility you’re asking for. And to earn that responsibility, you need to prove yourself. In much the same way, God wants to trust us. And for him to really trust us, we have to first prove ourselves trustworthy, even with the small things. And until we do, how can we expect him to trust us with real responsibility? Jesus puts it this way in Luke chapter 16 verses 10 through 12 which says:

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"

I’ve heard people say things like - if they had the money they’d help out someone they know who is in need, or that they’d give to a ministry that they are passionate about, or that they’d do something for the cause of Christ that they aren’t currently doing. If you’re one of those people, consider whether you really would. Many people in America live beyond their means. And even if God were to bless them with extra cash, they likely would spend it on themselves for something they want or need. So before you pray that God bless your numbers for a lottery ticket you just bought for the promise of using the money for kingdom purposes, consider what you are doing with what he has already given you. Have you been trustworthy with what you have today? If not, how can you expect God to trust you with even more?

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“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much”. Do you tithe regularly? Do you spend a portion of your money on others in need or for kingdom purposes? Have you been trustworthy with the little that God has provided you? Jesus tells us that we have to be trustworthy with the little that we have before we can be trusted with more. He is talking about worldly wealth, but he eludes to the idea that if we are trustworthy with the resources that he gives us here on earth then we have proven that we can be entrusted with true riches, likely riches in heaven. So I challenge you, be trustworthy with the little that God has given you right now. Be wise, be discerning, and be generous. God loves to see us treat others even better than we treat ourselves.

Saved

Have you ever thought about what it means to be saved? Do you truly understand what an earth-shattering decision you made when you came to Christ? Well in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13, Paul lays out the process like this: 

"And you also were included with Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory."

Think about that… When we believed we were included with Christ. We were marked with a seal, with a deposit of the Holy Spirit guaranteeing our inheritance. We are called God’s possession. From our point of view, we accept Christ and experience the benefits of that decision in this life, but have you ever considered the magnitude of what you’ve done? It is humbling to think about the incredible difference something so seemingly simple as believing in Christ makes. It is difficult to describe, but Paul does a pretty good job of it here. If you’ve made the decision for Christ, if you’ve accepted what he did for you on the cross. If you’ve given your life to him, you have been marked with a seal, and that seal is the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance. Is that incredible or what?!

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When you became a believer in Christ, a lot more was happening in the background than you may have ever been aware of. When you were born on this earth, I’m sure you didn’t realize at the time that you were given certain rights, that you were given a citizenship and a family and that a lot of paperwork was done on you to prove who you belong to. But when you became “born again”, you were marked with a seal, you were given the Holy Spirit and you were guaranteed an inheritance. So I encourage you, don’t take your decision for Christ lightly, it is without a doubt the most important decision you can make in this life. And if you haven’t made a decision for Christ, I encourage you to do it today. When you admit that you are a sinner, when you believe that Jesus is God’s son who died for your sins, and when you confess your faith in Jesus as Lord and savior - you too will be saved, you too will become one of God’s possessions.

Christ In Me

How often do you think about Christ living in you? How important is it to you that Christ shines through you? For Paul, he continually reflected on Christ residing in him and it was his mission to have Christ reflected in his life. In Galatians 2:20 it says:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

If we are able to say that we have been crucified with Christ and that it is no longer us, but Christ living within us, what we are really saying is that we have surrendered our life to Christ. That we have chosen to put our plans and desires aside to allow Christ and his ways to be our life. Paul was consumed with thoughts of Christ. He encouraged us to think on heavenly things. He said to live is to live for Christ, and he also encouraged others to be like him as he is like Christ. So I encourage you also, to think about what it means to truly have Christ living within you. What does that look like for you? If we are consumed with Christ as Paul was, he will help us find the answer to that question.

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“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” It is a very famous verse, but have you ever really thought about its implications? It means total surrender. You may have heard of believers who are “sold out” to Christ. Well, I think this is what they are referring to. These people can say that they no longer live, but Christ lives within them. I encourage you to strive for this level of surrender. It will change your focus, it will change your dedication, and it will ultimately change your life.

God's Grace

The Oxford dictionary defines “redemption” as “the action of being saved from sin, error, or evil”. So, if someone says that you have been redeemed, what they are really saying, biblically speaking, is that you have been saved from eternity in Hell. Christians often get into a habit of using words that are rarely used in everyday language, so sometimes we have to define a term to clearly understand what the bible is saying. In light of that definition read these words from Ephesians 1 verse 7 which says:

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace"

This verse pretty much sums up the entire gospel doesn’t it? In Jesus we have been redeemed, or saved from hell, through his blood. It was Jesus’ blood, not our good works, that can save us from hell and open the door to heaven. His blood also allows for the forgiveness of our sins - the sins we commit day to day, if we confess. And it is all in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. And the oxford dictionary defines grace as “courteous goodwill”. It is by God’s courteous goodwill that we are saved through faith by accepting Jesus’ blood shed for us. I encourage you to really think on Ephesians 1:7 because God made a way for us, without changing his nature. Since God is Holy, the wages of sin is always death. But because of the riches of God’s grace, his Son, Jesus died for us.

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“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”. You may be familiar with the song, “Amazing Grace”. But have you ever considered the magnitude of what is being said in the lyrics? Consider that God did not have to choose to save us. He certainly didn’t have to send his son to die for us. But by his amazing grace, he provided a way for us without changing his nature - that he is a Holy God where sin comes with the price of death. But God’s grace, his “courteous goodwill” as the dictionary puts it, set the course of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection so that we don’t have to go to hell, but are promised eternity with him in heaven.

Just Do It

It is my hope that you’ve found a good, bible believing church that teaches the word of God as uncompromising truth. If you have, that’s great because not all churches prioritize their values in that way. But even if you are blessed with a good church and a pastor that brings the message to you in a powerful, Spirit-led way, remember that our job isn’t just to listen to the word of God, but to take action - to do what it says. James warns us in chapter 1 verse 22:

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

You see, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that hearing is enough. We can hear the word, we can read the word, we can listen to great podcasts or read books that highlight what the bible says, we can become bible scholars, but if we aren’t doing what it says, we are deceiving ourselves. Even Jesus called out the Pharisees as being deceivingly together on the outside but dead on the inside. So I encourage you to do what James suggests. Don’t deceive yourself. Don’t just listen to the word, but do what it says.

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“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” This sounds easy enough, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Even if you aren’t living a life of sin, you might not be doing what the bible says. So many things in the world can occupy our time and drown out the things of God. We have to be careful. And of course, if we hear the word and continue in our sin, we are definitely not doing what it says. So I encourage you, do what the bible says. On the day that you face death - and we all will eventually see that day, you want to know that you’ve been active doing what the bible says so that you have no regrets. Life is not more important than our afterlife, so don’t treat it like it is. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.