Q: “GET UP AND KEEP MOVING”!!..Doesn’t matter how hard you hit in life, but when you get hit hard YOU GET UP AND KEEP MOVING ... .Declare today, “I WILL KEEP MOVING”!!
A: Are you presently going through a low point in your life? Perhaps you have lost a job and the bill collectors won't stop calling. Maybe your marriage is on the rocks. It could be children that just won't listen to your instruction. The aches and pains of a deteriorating body are becoming too much to bear. You have been without a church home for quite some time now. Friends who used to support you have turned their backs on you. Well Jesus said something about that. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33)."
Do you find little difficulty in expressing your faith as a Christian? Yet, despite your enthusiasm do you face constant rebuke from those with which you share the Gospel? Friends and loved ones "tolerate" the things you have to say, but don't take them to heart. Coworkers are in desperate need to hear what you have to say, but fear of sharing in the workplace keeps you quiet. Fellow Christians disassociating with you because God has revealed something to you that they disagree with you on. Now, you feel alone and abandoned to the point you question your faith. The Apostle Peter said something about that. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you... if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Peter 4:12,16)"
What if you're hit so hard you can't get up? Sin has robbed you of everything you once held dear in your life. Family? Gone! Friends? Gone! Job? Gone! Money? Gone! Health? Gone! Self esteem? Gone! Church family? Gone! Perhaps, you never really knew much of the scriptures to help you through the tough times. But, regardless of your circumstances the Lord is still there with you. Take heart in the words of the Apostle Paul, a fellow brother in Christ, who lost it all. "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Phil 4:11-13)." Be blessed.
Q: The bible says don't be "conformed" to this world..What does that mean?
A: Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt 6:19, 21)." Christians will often say we are not to be conformed to this world, but in practice do just that only they put God's stamp of approval on it. To conform means "to be in harmony or accord." How many Christians are trying to store up treasures on earth as if God promises them to us? We misuse and misapply scripture in order to justify our pursuit of worldly gain. We say things like God wants us to be the head and not the tail (Deut 28:13) and that He has plans to prosper us (Jer 29:11) when these passages were meant for nation of Israel if they were obedient to the Law of Moses. And we conveniently skip over the curses God promised for disobedience, but that is another topic. It is this chasing after and worrying over the things of the world that led Jesus to say "For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them (Mt 6:32)." God knows we need the physical things of this world in order to survive. He just didn't promise us that He would supply them to the point that we are living like Kings and Queens. He gives us what we need to survive in the world in order that He can use us to save the world.
Usually, we are chasing after the things of the world to satisfy the deepest desires of our heart. Yet, God designed us so that only He could meet those needs in Himself. Our hearts desire unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning and purpose to life. When we are not receiving them from our God we are forced to try and get those needs met in the world through some form of sin. Therefore, we end up conforming to the world in the process. However, in Christ, God "has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Ptr 1:3)" and "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3)." Ask yourself, "if God has given all this to you, what else do you need to receive?" When your hearts deepest desires are being met by your God do you need to conform to the world? No! When we are resting in what we have been given from God we are now available to Him to use us to serve others in love. That is why the Bible says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2)." When we are renewing our mind on who we are and what we have in Christ we are no longer conforming to the pattern of the world. if you are still seeking the blessings of the flesh, you are missing out on the blessings of the Spirit God has given you through faith. Be blessed.
Q: What is one thing that could corrupt a Christians character?
A: The Bible says, "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character (1 Cor 15:33)."" The Apostle Paul made this statement in the context of talking about the resurrection. The bad company he was referring to were those within the Corinthian church who were denying the resurrection of the dead. And, basically, if you are denying the resurrection you are not a Christian. Not only that, you don't understand the gospel or man's need for the resurrected life of Jesus. Earlier in the chapter, Paul says, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (1 Cor 15:17)." It is the lost who run around denying Jesus Christ and making every effort to blaspheme His name and the historical facts surrounding His life, death and resurrection. I have had many conversations with friends and family, people I am close to and love very much, who deny the basics of the faith and Jesus Christ. They are the bad company that corrupts good character.
The definition of character is "moral or ethical quality." The people of bad character Paul referred to were those who made him say, "If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1 Cor 15:32)." I think many of us can relate to that attitude. Personally, I had a similar attitude before I was saved. I was all about the party, the women, the drinking, the "fun" and the next high. I thought that was all life was about, indulging my flesh. In other words, I was all about eating and drinking because this life was all that I thought there was. Therefore, when you, as a Christian, surround yourself with these type of people, your good character, your moral and ethical quality, will be corrupted. This doesn't mean you don't have contact with the lost. After all, they do need to be saved and, thus, witnessed to. If that were the "case you would have to leave this world (1 Cor 5:10)." But, to be around those who adversely effect how you act up to the point they effect what you believe you need to disassociate with them. Trust me, you can have just as great an impact for the Lord by your absence from these people as you could associating with them. By doing so "those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Ptr 3;16)." Be blessed
Q: After Jesus Redeems you, are you a "sinner" saved by grace or a "saint"?
A: We are not "sinners saved by Grace." Christians need to eliminate that identifying term from their vocabulary. We are saints. Even more, we are children of God. The question refers to Jesus redeeming us. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace..." Since you are redeemed, you are forgiven. If you have forgiveness because of your faith in Jesus Christ that means that your sins are no longer an issue between you and God. Therefore, why would God identify you by sins He is no longer counting against you? Along those same lines we see in 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul just gets through talking about those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God and contrasts them with those who will inherit it. "And that is what SOME OF YOU WERE. But you were washed, you were SANCTIFIED, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6:11)." He says we "were sanctified," a past act. To be sanctified means to be set apart. When were you sanctified? You were sanctified the moment you accepted Christ as your Savior.
Imagine you are in Heaven and Jesus is about to introduce you to some other Christians. Will He say, "I would like to introduce you to Ian, a sinner saved by grace. Say 'hello' everybody." Of course not! Jesus would say, "Saints, I would like to introduce you to another one of my children, Ian. Say 'hello' to your brother." "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)." I encourage you to read through the New Covenant and see how Paul, in particular, addresses those whom he has written to. Romans 1:7, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:4 and Philemon 1:5 are just a few of the passages identifying Christians as saints and not as sinners saved by grace. At the very least, we are saints saved by grace. But, ultimately, we are children of God. That is an eternal identity that will never change. Saints, don't identify yourself by sins that God no longer remembers. Identify yourself by how God does remember you. As a saint, you are a holy, blameless, forgiven, righteous, justified and sanctified child of God. Be blessed.
Q: What is the "true" meaning of "humility"?
A: Humility is at the foundation of the Christian faith. It means, amongst other things, to not be proud and to not be for yourself. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of humility. Jesus "humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross (Phil 2:8)!" Being humble is an act of love and that is what the life, death and resurrection is for us. He "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Phil 2:6-7)." We should have the same "attitude" as that of Christ. When we came to faith in Him, it was most likely after being humbled by our recognition of how unlike God we are and that we were in need of His grace and mercy. God served us in love by doing for us what we could not and cannot do for ourselves. God did not think of Himself and put us ahead of Himself. We, in turn do that with others.
When Jesus gave His Sermon on the Mount, He said things like "be perfect as your Father in Heaven (Mt 5:48)," that our righteousness must "surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (Mt 5:20)" and that "if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away (Mt 5:30)." He said these things to humble us and strip us of our human pride. The only response to what Jesus commanded is "I can't, Lord." It is that humility that makes you come to faith in Him as you recognize your inability to "be like God." In turn we don't live a life based on our ability to be obedient and repentant, which leads to religious pride." Rather, we live a life of trust and dependence on God to live His life through us and serve others with the love He has given to us. That is why "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Ptr 5:5)." The proud are focused on what they are doing for God. The humble are focused on what God has done for them. In turn we take the attitude of a servant. Just as God served us in love, we serve others with the love we have received from God. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (Phil 2:3)." Be blessed.
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