Our Efforts Or God's Grace?

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV)

Have you ever tried to do something where after a lot of time and effort you end up with either poor results or no success at all?  Then someone tells you how to do that same thing in a different or better way that helps you accomplish your task and you wish you would have known the right way to do it to start with.  There were a couple of times I had this happen where I tried to do something myself and failed until someone helped me out.  What I tried to do through my own efforts did not work, but with the help of someone else I was successful.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul said what he did was by the grace of God and how the grace of God towards him was not in vain.  Paul was saying that God had given him an ability, the grace, to do what he was doing.  Paul was someone who was highly educated, but he did not rely on his education.  Paul was also a tentmaker, but Paul did not rely on his occupation or his own efforts.  Paul knew how to follow God's direction in what he did and to rely on the grace of God in his life to do it.

We can use our own efforts, ideas, time, and resources to try and figure things out and accomplish what we need to do, or we can trust God to give us the wisdom and grace to do what needs to be done.  If we are only doing things through our own efforts our success will be limited at best.  But if we look to our heavenly Father to find not only His direction and wisdom but we also tap into the grace that God has for us to live our life we will have much greater success than we could have otherwise.  Don't set aside the grace of God, allow God to guide and empower you to do what needs to be done. 

What Kind Of People?

"Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
2 Peter 3:11-12 (NKJV)

If you rented a car, would you take it somewhere to get an oil change and a tune up or have it painted a different color as soon as you picked the car up?  If you booked a room in a hotel or some other place to stay, would you immediately go to a store to buy new furniture for it or maybe check into changing the pictures in the room?  The answer would of course be no.  You would not invest the time, effort, and money into something that you only have a temporary involvement with.

People have many different ideas about what is called the end times or last days and there are four main viewpoints about it.  But one thing that everyone can agree on is that no one lives forever, at least on earth.  No matter what you believe about when or if Jesus will return, your days on earth are limited, our time on earth will not last forever.  Although everyone will live eternally, no one will to live to celebrate their 200th birthday.  Our lives on this earth, and the earth itself are only temporary.

The Bible tells us that one day all of the things on the earth will be burned up, they will be gone.  Knowing that, what kind of people should we be?  We need to be the kind of people that don't just focus on earthly needs and desires, but we need to be the kind of people who invest their time, effort, and money into things of spiritual, eternal significance.  It is certainly alright to have nice things in life, but all those things will be gone one day.  We need to have a focus on eternity and not just this world, that will help us have the right perspective in life and be the right kind of people.

Knowing Beyond Knowledge

"that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height -
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV)

Having general knowledge about something is one thing, but it is different to have a full understanding of that same thing.  For example, you could meet someone who knows the English language and speaks English, but it is different when you meet someone who not only knows English but they thoroughly understand how the language works and the rules governing English language and grammar.  One person knows the language, but the other has a greater understanding of it.

In his prayer for the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 3, Paul prayed that the people would know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.  How can you know beyond knowledge, what was Paul saying?  Paul was talking about a kind of knowledge that goes beyond our regular mental, intellectual knowing of something.  Some people say it this way, that there are two kinds of knowledge; there is sense knowledge and there is revelation knowledge.  Paul was talking about having revelation knowledge of Christ's love.

It is one thing to know God's love as a fact, but it is completely different when that basic fact goes beyond our head knowledge and we have a spiritual understanding and revelation about the love of God.  If we go beyond our regular mentally filtered knowledge to an in depth understanding of God's love, we will have a revelation knowledge of the love of God that will change our lives and help us change the lives of others.  Don't just settle for a basic knowledge of God and His love, go beyond just knowing to spiritual, revelation knowledge.

Checking Your Work

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV)

Most people are employed somewhere that expects them to actually work.  It would be strange to have a job where nothing was expected of you and no one ever paid attention to what you did or reviewed your work.  You may be required to write some type of report, you may have someone working with you who reviews what you do, you may have some quota to fill, but one way or another nearly everyone will have their work checked to see if what was required and expected was actually done.

One thing that is clear from Scripture is that God has a plan and calling for each and every person.  While we know that we are not saved by our works, we are saved in order to do the good works God has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).  God gives us all some ability that can be used to help others and bring Him glory.  This is all good to know, but it is also important to know that one day God will be reviewing our work.  The Bible talks about the Judgment Seat of Christ where every believer will appear to give account of their work.

The Judgment Seat of Christ is not where the decision is made as to if we are going to heaven or not, it is simply a place where our work is checked and we are rewarded based on what we have done.  The time will come when God will want to check what we have been doing with the things that He gave to us and He is expecting us to have a productive life in His Kingdom.  Be sure you are paying attention to your work, realizing that one day God will inspect it.  This is not to bring fear to us, but it should motivate us to do all we can for God with what He has given us.

God Conscious Or Unconscious

"The she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head.  Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.
And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"  So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!"  But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him."
Judges 16:19-20 (NKJV)

People who are unconscious do not realize that they are unconscious.  That may sound humorous, but it is just a fact.  To be conscious means to be aware of something, you are aware of what is going on around you.  If you are unconscious you are unaware of things and you do not know what is going on.  You can make yourself more or less aware, or conscious, of something by how much you pay attention to it.  The things you focus on are what you are most conscious and aware of.

In the book of Judges, we find the story of Samson, he was used by God to defeat the enemies of Israel.  In Judges 16 we see the downfall of Samson.  Samson was once very connected to and conscious of God.  But the point came, as we see in Judges 16:20, that Samson was no longer connected to God, but Samson did not even realize it.  It is interesting to see how in verse 19 that Samson was "lulled to sleep" right before it talks about him not realizing he had lost his connection to God. 

As Christians we need to be God conscious, we need to have an awareness of God in our life.  By spending time reading and studying the Bible, spending time with God in prayer, and fellowshipping with other believers we can be more conscious of God.  But today, too many Christians are being lulled to sleep because they are paying more attention to everything in life except God and they have become to some extent separated from God, and they don't even realize it.  We need to be more conscious of God than anything else.

Be As Wise As The Locust

"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

The locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks;"
Proverbs 30:24, 27 (NKJV)

Having a good leader is a wonderful thing.  But there is a difference between a leader and a lion tamer.  Have you ever been to a circus or seen one on TV or in a movie where they showed a lion tamer?  In one way, the lion tamer is a leader because they direct their animals in what to do, but if you did not have a lion tamer then it is very likely that the lions would not do what they are supposed to do.  Having a leader is good, but if we need a lion tamer in our life, that is bad.

Most people would not immediately think of locusts as being a source of wisdom, but Proverbs 30 tells us that the locusts are exceedingly wise.  But why would the locusts be considered wise?  We are told that the locusts do not have a king, but they still all advance in ranks.  Locusts move forward with one common goal and that is how they can be considered wise.  Just like the locusts, Christians should be able to move forward together with the common goal of doing the will of God.

Christians definitely need leaders, but we should not need a lion tamer or a king.  Unfortunately, too many believers lack focus and motivation and they constantly need someone to point them in the right direction and keep them from falling behind or getting in the way of others.  Through being spiritually mature and being led by the Holy Spirit we can move forward together in the will of God for ourselves and for the overall Body of Christ.  We all need to be as wise as the locust.

All Inclusive

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, though the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV)

Of all the times that I have flown, I have only sat in the first-class section once; I was upgraded by the airline and enjoyed my flight in more comfort than I would have otherwise.  Being in first class was different, not only because I had never sat there before, but because of all the benefits I received.  Normally I fly in economy class and what you receive on the flight is minimal.  But when you fly in first class it seems like everything you might need on an airplane is included; first class is all inclusive while economy class is not.

People have different ideas about what it means to be a Christian.  Some people think that being a believer in Jesus is basically just a way to ensure that you will go to heaven when you die.  Some people think that becoming a Christian means you go to heaven and have a few nice things now, but there are still have a lot of things you will not have until you get to heaven.  But, the great thing about salvation is that it is all inclusive!  Salvation is wonderful, but there is also much more.

Being a Christian does not mean that you barely get by in life and go to heaven one day.  As Peter points out in his second letter, God has given us all things for life and godliness.  People will usually ask that if it really does mean all, then things should be different in their life.  But, notice that it talks about these things coming to us through the knowledge of Him and that we must partake.  God has sent Jesus, now it is up to us to find out what belongs to us and partake of it.  Don't be an economy class Christian, live in the all inclusive salvation that God provided for us through Jesus.

Lighten The Load

"And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.
On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands.

So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and threw the wheat into the sea."
Acts 27:18-19, 38 (NKJV)

There are some things that I always take with me on trips, like my computer and tablet, both of them are very important for what I do.  But there are some things I would not take on a trip because I do not need them.  I have a lot of good books, but I don't bring them all with me on the trips I take.  If I took a lot of unnecessary things with me on a trip, I would overload myself with things that would actually make my trip harder.  Sometimes a decision has to be made about what I need to take along and what I need to leave behind.

In Acts 27, the Apostle Paul is being taken to Rome as a prisoner and the ship he is on encounters a storm.  The storm was so bad that the people on the ship knew that they had to get rid of all of the unnecessary things or they would crash.  At one point they threw some of the ship's equipment overboard and later they even threw the food overboard!  This was not because the ship's equipment and food were not good, but at that point in their journey those things were unnecessary.

As we travel though life, there will be times that we face challenges and difficulties and we need to make a decision about what to keep and what to let go of.  Sometimes we will not go as far as we should in our relationship with God, and in some areas of life, if we are not willing to lighten our load and throw some things overboard, so to speak.  By following the guidelines we have in God's Word and listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit we will know what is really necessary in the different situations we face in life and what will only weigh us down and hinder us from doing what we need to do.

What's My Motivation?

"For in fact the body is not one member but many."
1 Corinthians 12:14 (NKJV)

Sometimes during the filming of a movie or TV show, an actor may ask the director, "What's my motivation for this scene?".  What the actor wants to know is, why is the character they are playing doing what they are doing?  The actor is trying to understand the motivation behind the character's actions, why they are acting the way that they are.  We might even ask ourselves the question, "What gets me out of bed in the morning?" or something like that.  This kind of question again goes to motivation, why do we do what are doing?

Many people do not have much motivation in their life because they see no real purpose for their life.  People sometimes get involved in some cause because they are looking for something bigger than themselves to be connected to in order to bring a sense of purpose to their life.  For Christians, our motivation should be easy; we are a part of the Body of Christ and God has a plan for our lives.  Just like our natural body was designed with every part having a specific and important function, the same is true with the Body of Christ. 

Some Christians wander aimlessly through life because they do not understand that God has a plan for them, they are important to God, and they are a valuable part of His Body.  There are no extra, unnecessary parts to our natural body and the same is true with the Body of Christ.  We need to get into God's Word to find our place in the Body of Christ and allow that to motivate us and let that be the reason for why we do the things that we do.  When we have an understanding of who we are in Christ and that God has a plan for us in His Body, we won't have to look somewhere else for our motivation in life. 

Focus On The Truth

"Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness."
2 Timothy 2:14-16 (NKJV)

What if you were interested in learning about the history of England, but you only read books about the history of Norway?  The obvious answer is that you would not learn much, if anything, about the history of England.  And what if you wanted to learn how to be a good cook, but the only thing you searched for on the Internet was stories about people who climbed mountains?  Again, you would not learn anything about the desired subject.  To learn about a certain subject, you have to focus on that subject.

There are three letters in the New Testament that were written to ministers:1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.  When I read these letters, it always stands out to me how often Paul talked about avoiding the wrong kind of teaching, and arguments about things that do not really matter.  To be successful in ministry, and to be a mature believer, we need to feed ourselves on God's Word and avoid things contrary to the Word.  While I realize that this sounds extreme to some people, it is still the truth. 

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul talks about being diligent to correctly interpret the Word of God.  If we spend more of our time focusing on things that are not Bible based than we do with Bible truth, we are going to have problems.  Paul says how the wrong kinds of things will "ruin the hearers" and "increase to more ungodliness", which is obviously bad.  Focusing on the truth and avoiding the wrong kind of teaching is very important; the things we spend our time with will do something for us, either positively or negatively.

What Time Is On Time?

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do?  Or has He spoken and will He not make it good?"
Numbers 23:19 (NKJV)

What time is on time and when is something late? People have different ideas about this.  For some people, if something is going to start at 10:00, then they will be there by at least 10:00 and maybe a few minutes earlier.  For others, they believe it is fine if they are there close to 10:00, but they don't necessarily need to be there before that.  And for some, no matter when you tell them something is going to start, they will usually arrive after that time.  But what time is on time?

Is God on time all the time, or is God sometimes behind schedule?  Some people believe that God will do what He has said, but they are not sure when God will do it.  Our problem is that sometimes God does not fit into our time schedule and He does not do things as soon as we would like Him to.  But we can trust that God will do everything He has said in His Word He would do and we should not spend our time wondering when or how something will happen.  Even though it seems that God is often not early, God is never late.

Just because something has not happened as soon as we wanted it to does not mean that it will not happen or that God has somehow forgotten us.  As we take a stand in faith on God's Word, we can be confident that what God has said He will do.  We need to learn to walk by faith in His Word and continually trust in Him to meet the need, give us the answer, and show us the way to go.  Whatever the situation and no matter the need, God is faithful, He is always on time, and He will always to do what He has said He would do.

The Choice Is Yours

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
Romans 6:12-13 (NKJV)

A choice is something that is made based on one or more options that are available.  For a choice to be a choice, there has to be more than one variable involved.  For example, you might have the option of choosing to eat a pizza or spaghetti.  But a choice is not a choice if there is only one thing available.  If you wanted to buy shoes and there was only one style and one color available, then there is really no choice involved, you have to take what is there, whether you like it or not. 

Some people think that they really do not have a choice in some things.  They believe that everything is up to God and even their own personality and actions are more in God's control than their own.  But, the choice of what we will do, say, and how we will act has been given to us.  What we choose to yield to and follow will either allow God to work through us or allow sin to reign over us.  By choosing to allow God to work through us, we will benefit our own life and the lives of those around us.

Romans 6:12-13 tells us that we have a choice as to whether we will yield to and follow the desires of our natural, fleshly nature or choose to yield to and follow what God's Word shows us is possible for us because of Jesus.  We do not have to live a shallow, sin filled life of problems because we always simply yield to our carnal desires, God has provided something better for us.  Each of us can choose to live a life above the natural tendencies we have and live a life that pleases God; the choice is ours; the choice is yours. 

Alternate Routes

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."
Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)

When you are planning to go somewhere, you start with a destination and then figure out how to get there.  When you plan your route, there are several options you could choose.  You may have an option of how you want to travel, whether in a car, by airplane, or even with a train or other public transportation.  You also need to decide if you want to go directly to your destination or if there is something along the way you need to, or want to, do or see, there are many alternate routes you could take.

As Christians, there is a destination we all should have, to find and fulfill the will of God.  Spending eternity with Jesus in heaven is not our main goal in life; it is certainly something to look forward to, but God has a plan for us while we are here on the earth.  In doing the will of God, there are different routes available to us and we want to be sure to take the right one and not some alternate route that does not help us.  The good thing is that we don't have to try and figure out the entire route for ourselves, God said that He would guide us.

Psalm 32 talks about God instructing and teaching us in the way we should go.  God has given us His Word that we can read and study to get God's general direction and the Holy Spirit will direct us.  If it was up to us, we might take a route based on some things we want to do, but that alternate route may actually take us off the path that God has for us.  We need to leave the route planning in our life to God so that we don't find ourselves on some alternate route.

Regular Checkups

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJV)

We need to have checkups for things like our cars and our teeth.  By having regular checkups, we can be sure that everything is working the way it is supposed to.  It can be easy to let things go with our car or our teeth and not think about them until there is a problem, then we really think about them and dread the expensive consequences we may face.  A regular schedule of maintenance and checkups for our car and regular dental care and checkups for our teeth can help prevent major problems in the future.

In Colossians 3 it says that if we are believers in Jesus, we need to have our focus on heavenly things; we should not have our focus on things in this world.  We need to use the standard of God's Word to see if we are in tune with God's plan or if we need some adjustments in our life.  If we use the standard of the world to try and live our life we will be out of tune with God and His plan.  We all need to be sure we are having regular maintenance and checkups through the truth we find in God's Word.

To know who we really are, we have to find out about our true identity, our life that is hidden in Christ.  God has given us His Word to see who we really are and how we can live the life He has called us to.  This of course means that we need to have a regular time of reading and studying God's Word to be sure we are in line with God's plan and purpose for our life.  Reading and studying God's Word is a checkup for us, it helps us to see who we really are and what we should be doing.

Telling Stories

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

In the past couple of decades, social media has become more and more poplar.  People can share pictures, comments, and even videos about themselves and what they are doing.  People telling their stories and sharing about their life experiences through videos is a current trend that seems to be increasingly popular.  Some people like to do short videos or an update on a daily basis, while others do it weekly or sporadically.  But whatever the method may be, many people around the world are telling their stories.

When I see people sharing things and telling their stories on social media, I sometimes wonder about the significance of what is being shared.  As Christians, we have to be careful that we are not so caught up in our own story that we miss out on the fact that God has a plan for our life and a story He wants us to follow.  Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's workmanship, we are His creation, and God created us to walk in and carry out some good works that He has pre-planned for us.

Are we following God's plan and His story for our life or following our own plan and living out our own story for our life?  To really live a happy, satisfying life we have to follow God's plan and get involved in His story for our life.  The great thing is that God's story for our life is a good one with a happy ending.  Our own story may not always be so great, but God's story is.  Instead of only thinking about what we want to do and what we have done, we need to think about what God wants us to do, what is His story for our lives?  That is the story we need to live out and tell to others.