Be Brave, God Is With You

Do not fear for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

I Shall Not Be Afraid

When I am afraid,

I will put my trust in You.

In God, whose word I praise,

In God I have put my trust;

I shall not be afraid.

What can mere man do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4

Build One Another Up

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.  Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good and to his edification.

For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on me.”

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.

Romans 15:1-7

We all have our ideas of what right behavior is for a Christian and we base some of this on what the Bible says and some on what we think.  We all know people who are Christians who do and say things with which we do not agree.  So, what do we do in these cases?

I think what Paul is saying is that we should accept these believers as fellow believers and offer encouragement to them.  We need not lecture them regarding their shortcomings because they are most likely aware of where they fall short.   

So, rather than criticize each other we are to try to build one another up with the Word of God and by our own witness.  When we accept one another we open the door to change in all our lives so that we can be better servants of God.

So, let us all be a little more tolerant of one another in the interest of furthering the work of the Gospel. 

Quit Scratching

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Proverbs 17:28

At a cemetery I saw two grave markers which had been defaced by someone who added information.   “Daughter” was scratched into one and “Father” was scratched into the other. 

I am sure the people who placed the markers put a lot of thought into choosing the words on the monuments.  Yet, someone took it upon themselves to add what they wanted and defaced the markers. 

This brings me to my point. Even though it is difficult, we need to shut up after a decision has been made and executed.  We have to quit scratching at the issue and let it go before we make a mess of things.

If we want to look smart, we need to know when to be quiet. 

Do The Right Thing

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James 4:17

It is never the wrong time to do the right thing. 

Pray and take action.

God Is Patient

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance that Jesus Christ came to into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.

Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

The Apostle Paul is speaking honestly when he declares that he was “foremost of all” sinners.  Paul was a religious man, whose religious beliefs led him to do horrible things.  Yet, when God called Paul, he was transformed into one of the greatest leaders of the Christian Church.  Jesus did what religion could not do; Jesus changed Paul’s heart.  And, even at that, Paul still struggled with sin. 

We slip.  We fall.  We stumble.  We bumble along trying to do the right thing and sometimes we fail.  We may condemn ourselves and others may condemn us, but God is patient, always forgiving and caring for us. 

Take courage, we are forgiven and God is patiently working on us.