We Might Have Hope

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

We tend to think of much of the Old Testament as being a history of past events. Which it is, but the Old Testament also brings us encouragement as we read over and over again how God met the needs of the Israelites.  

God who helped David defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 17) and who answered with the fire from heaven when Elijah called on Him (1 Kings 18), is the God we serve today.  

This hope we have: When we call on God, He will answer.

Humble Yourselves

 

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

James 4:10

When we have a big or not so big accomplishment, we feel pretty good about ourselves.  We like to think we did it and we are rewarded because we did it.

However, we do nothing without God's help.  God has a hand in everything we do and everything we accomplish.  Sometimes, we are blinded by praise we receive from people and forget to thank people who helped us and God for His help.  

Being humble means that we are not glory hogs, but readily admit that all we accomplish is because God set things in motion and sent the right people to help us at the right time and thank those people and God for His blessing of our work. 

So, when things go right, proclaim your reliance on God and thank Him for blessing your efforts.   

Everybody Is Doing It

 

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

"Everybody is doing it" is often a defense for doing things that may not be good for us or others.  

However, we need to seriously consider that if everybody is doing, we probably should not be doing it. This can be a hard lesson. Peer pressure is everywhere. Little temptations can grow up into big ones, like gambling or excessive alcohol use or cheating on our spouse.

All of it has the same ugly result – destruction of our good life.

Jesus loves us so much that He is willing to offend us by pointing out our wayward ways and leaving the narrow gate open for us.  Go through it. 

Be Strong And Courageous

 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

We say: “We are not afraid.” But the truth is we are. 

When life throws us a curve ball and we do not know what to do, we are afraid.  Afraid that we will make a wrong decision, afraid we will not be able to bear the financial cost, afraid that our friends and family will not support our decisions.  We are afraid and rightly so.

Even so, we can do that which we need to do knowing that God is with us.

Be strong and courageous.   

Doing What Is Honorable

 

For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man.

2 Corinthians 8:21

Sometimes when we are right about something we run rough shod over the feelings of others.  

I think what Paul is saying here is that it is good to be right and do the right thing but we also need to consider how we go about what we are doing.  

Perhaps in these situations it helps to explain our ideas and actions and why they line up with Christian principles.  

In this way, we can do what is right and help appease the doubts others have regarding our actions.

In this way, we can work to do what is honorable in the Lord's sight in a manner that is peaceable.   

Self-Control

 

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Proverbs 25:28

We all have times when we lack self-control and are quick to make judgements or decisions or we say things which can come back to cause us or others grief.

While we may think that this lack of self-control is not a big deal, we need to consider that if we take a little more time thinking before we act the results might be better and better reflect our Christian values.

So, when we have the urge to act in a flighty manner, we need to remind ourselves that our feeling at the moment may not be our feelings after we contemplate the potential fall out from our words or actions.  

A little self-control goes along way when is comes to good decision making. 

 

Be Ready

 

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 

2 Timothy 2:4 

Are you ready?  We can be ready by studying the Bible and thinking about how the scriptures relate to every day life.  By learning a few key scriptures we can be helpful to people in a variety of situations. 

You never know when an opportunity will come to share the Gospel.  Be ready.