Friday, April 24, 2015

In Increasing Measure

                                            



               “And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:7-8(NIV)

               Brotherly kindness—we exercise it by greeting one another, sharing concerns and griefs. A practical aspect is praying for others, communicating gentle thoughts when another is in turmoil.

               Love—we demonstrate the practice of patience and kindness especially during another’s time of grief or turmoil. Peter tells us of a positive aspect to possessing these qualities increase in our hearts. We will be more effective and productive in what we know of Jesus.

               Several years ago, I had occasion to pray and cry at an altar with a devout Christian lady. We were in a revival. An event happened with some of the congregants that tore the rest of the people apart. I choose not to repeat the sin that was uncovered. We were all devastated. I remember us crying to the LORD together. We became closer because of our shared grief. Several of the people I worship with in another church were in that meeting. We all came away from that service closer to God and closer to each other.


               We all should treat one another with love and kindness, no matter what issue we face.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Make Every Effort

reviveourhearts.com

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
 and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness.”
2 Peter 2:5(NIV)

               Our faith consists more than belief. The demons believed in the existence of Jesus. (See James 2:19) We are to live out what we believe. Because we know in our hearts that Jesus died for our sins, we attempt to live our lives without sinning. We study God’s words and apply the messages to our hearts.

               When we take God’s message into our hearts and minds, we learn to maintain balance with what he expects from us. We also learn to continue our advancement on the path chosen for us no matter the stresses we encounter. As we walk with God, we become more like Him.


               As me mature in Christ, we see these qualities come to life in others and ourselves. We learn to stand firm for our beliefs. We know that Jesus died for our sins. We keep plodding along, when the way seems rough. And we reflect God.

Monday, April 20, 2015

His Great Promises

www.daily-inspirational-quotes.net

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,
 so that through these you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption
 in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:4 (NIV)

               God gives us promises—eternal life, peace, and His presence in order that we may become godly and not get caught in the trappings of the secular life caused by selfishness, egotism, vanity and pride.

               We sometimes fall into the trap of “me”-isms—“What’s in it for me? What do I get out of it?” As followers of Christ we learn not to think of ourselves better than we are. We learn to live by the Golden Rule. When we ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do,” God’s word reminds us that Jesus always put others before Himself. He healed the sick at times when He was needed some alone time with His Father. He forgave the woman caught in adultery without saying one word about her sin. His parting words were “Go and sin no more.”

               

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...