One day we will each have to give an account for what God has given us to do. Let us be sure that we don’t take what God has given to us and bury it away, but use it in a way that honors the God who gave it to us. The following series of lessons, brought to us by Jeff Keele is a good reminder to put on the servant attitude and work to bring people to our Father. By living in an way that mimics His Son’s life we can be servants for Him.
Paul calls upon each of us to change the way we think: About ourselves, about one another, and about our gifts. If we make excuses for not using our gifts we are in danger of experiencing the same condemnation as the slave who received the one talent in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 25:14-30).
Do you remember something about which you have been enthusiastic? Perhaps, you were so excited that you couldn’t even sleep the night before. When Paul exhorts us to be “fervent in spirit,” he is utilizing an idiom from his day, it literally meant “to boil in the spirit.”
Do we serve the Lord with enthusiasm? Can others tell that we care for one another? If your answer is no, then I must ask you, what are you doing to change things?
Do we want Christ's gifts without the Cross? Do we seek to use Him instead of asking Him to use us as He sees fit? If He does not rule over all of my life then He is not truly my King.
Hands can carry out work that will receive God’s blessing and approval.
The heart of Jesus will only begin to develop in our lives as the Holy Spirit causes His fruit to grow within us. Would you say that you are someone who is faithful? Can those around you depend on you, can they trust you, are you reliable? Would God consider you as someone who is faithful?
Celebrations are an important part of our lives and our faith. God gave us feast and festivals for celebrating. Jesus gave Christians the Lord's Supper for celebrating the memorial of…
Such good works flow from a heart filled with God’s goodness. Does this describe your heart? Is it filled with God’s goodness? If not, is it because you aren’t growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Is it because you are still living in Satan’s domain of darkness? Do you need Christ to set you free?
Pride is a dangerous weapon which Satan uses against God’s people. The question is what do we do when we stumble, when we are brought low and destroyed by our…
How do we grow churches in the twenty-first century? Simply put, we look back at the first century and learn from the men who started churches all over the Roman world. Those men put their lives on the line to plant churches throughout the Mediterranean.
"What does the Lord require of us? Does He want sacrifices? Yes, for us to be a living sacrifice. He wants us to be just, show love, to be kind, and to walk humbly. "
We see enough bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor (shouting) and slander in our world today, not to mention the physical, mental and emotional injury which goes along with it. We who are Christians are to have no part in such things. Instead, we should be known as those who are kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other.
Being the hands of Jesus requires us becoming people who are known for our love, our joy and our peace, but also people known for our patience.
