2020-03-20
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Once again, the Holy Spirit commands me to continue sharing His notions of our interactions with Him, while at the same time providing supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians. I stand astounded and grateful at how much He gives me to write.
One thing that God teaches us is that if we agree upon His teaching, there will be unity in the church. Politics, business, and other pursuits have caused a lack of unity in our society and have led to disagreements which have negative consequences. However, there are positive kinds of input, which can lead to unity. Some think this is a pipe dream, but where our amazing God is concerned, He can quell all adversarial relationships, if mankind is willing to cooperate with Him. Only He has this power to bring about unity. Our help in this respect matters. 1 PET 3: 15-17 will help, if it is obeyed. “But have reverence for Christ in your hearts and honor Him as Lord. Always be ready to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” 1 PET 5: 6-9 also illuminates the Lord’s will. “All of you must put on the apron of humility to serve one another, for the Scripture [PR 3: 34] says, ‘Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, so that He will lift you up in His own good time.’ Leave all your worries with Him, because He cares for you. Be alert; be on watch! Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know other believers all over the world are going through the same kind of sufferings.”
Through Christ’s Atonement, we have been given a real opportunity to do God’s work. Despite the large number of opponents, His work is great and worthwhile [1 COR 16: 9]. My own experience with it has made me a better person. The cooperation of other believers around me has shown me that unity is possible and that they too are being bettered by what they are doing. The Lord opens the door to this cooperation and unified approach where it is His will. Paul reported such a happening in 2 COR 2: 12. Paul arrived in Troas and discovered the Lord had laid the groundwork for the work to be done there. He referred to this opening of a door to do the Lord’s work in Greek as thura oigo. If we are not obeying where the Lord’s will for His work is concerned, that same door will close. An example was when Paul had the idea to go to the orient in Asia to preach the Gospel, and the Lord wanted him to go to points west of that. Where the Lord establishes His work should be done, nothing can prevent it. An overarching fact is that God understands the suffering we experience when doing God’s work from opponents, especially serial rejecters led by Satan. He will not let it destroy us! He wants us to have courage in the face of opposition and will give us a way out through Jesus Christ.
COL 4: 5-6, “Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. Your speech should be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.” I have a clear recollection of the time when Paul and Silas were summarily thrown in prison when preaching the Gospel in Philippi [AC 16: 16-40]. They were beaten, then fitted with chains and manacles. Rather than staying silent or being combative, they prayed and sang songs that honored God. Their jailers and fellow prisoners couldn’t help but hear these praises to God, and secretly (at first) were moved by them. Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake, and all the prison doors were thrown open. Their chains came open too. The jailer, who had fallen asleep, woke with a start. He was sure the prisoners had escaped. However, they were all still present, and he led them out, asking, “Sir, what must I do to be saved?” Later, an order came that Paul and Silas should be released, as they spoke of being Roman citizens and wanted the Roman officials to know this. When the latter learned of it, they were afraid for their lives. They apologized to Paul and Silas. In the meanwhile, the jailer and his family came to faith in Christ.
PRAYER: O Lord, Your power and willingness to bring good into this world is evident and deeply appreciated. Your teaching is as described in 2 TIM 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults and giving instruction for right living; so that the person who serves God to be qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” Before each of us came to faith in Jesus, he might have questioned whether You are keeping him in Your sights. Once You make Your presence known, You have the power to bring even the most combative detractor to faith in Himself. Even those who were once spiritually asleep can be brought to faith. For unity in the church, we must believe in Biblical truth and be willing to cooperate with other believers on Your behalf. Your will is that we make the most of every opportunity You provide for us to share the Gospel with those willing to listen. This means we must watch for your thoughts and actions going on around us. If we do, we will be in the habit of recognizing all the blessings You bestow upon us. We pledge to make every effort to do these things. Our only request is that You lead us to the work You want us to do. We thank and praise You for all these blessings and opportunities to act according to Your will. This prayer is said in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue providing supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians and to continue delving into the relationships we have vertically with God and horizontally with other people. As a part of this, I will write about sharing the Gospel, either through the example of how we should live, or by witnessing to potential believers. When I shared the story of Paul and Silas from AC 16: 16-40, it involved a miracle. Not all of us have seen such a huge miracle as that, and I’m in that category. And yet, God has performed a miracle in my life. You all know how miserable I was and how chaotic my life became before the Lord came into it. No, it wasn’t an earthquake that brought this about. It was Him choosing the exact right time to make His presence known and then putting me through many years of training to prepare me for what I do today. It was necessary for God to completely change the attitude I had and to put me among people, who would train me on how to be an effective Christian and what a real Christian lifestyle was like. He had to calm a frightened and self-loathing spirit in me. It was no easy job for Him! Today, I am aware of how humble I must be, how to answer the questions others ask me about the Bible, and the habits I must acquire to please Him. And yes, pleasing God is a main goal of my life. That wasn’t always true. Neither was the inner peace and self-confidence I now have. And to think, that’s only a small part of what has done for me. He will do that for anyone who genuinely seeks Him! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2020. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives