Living Sensibly

 

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present day.

Titus 2:11-12

We are “to live sensibly, righteously and godly” lives, but the question remains: How do we learn to do this?

The Bible is our handbook for life. It is filled with information and instructs us how to live godly lives.

So, no matter what our lives are like or what we have done, we can come to God and asked Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior and commence to live a new lives, cleansed of sin and filled with God’s love. And, by reading the Bible we can learn how to be all God wants us to be.

Take the first step: Ask Jesus to be your Lord, Master and Savior. Then dive into the Bible and see what God can do for you.

No Drum Roll or Fanfare

Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:1-4

We are called to be charitable and to help those who have needs.  Sometimes, people will make a big deal out of making a donation and will be rewarded for it.

But, to me, the best giving is when I give and no one knows that I gave.  It may be a donation to the food pantry or to a back to school event.  We can give to those in need in personal way by sending them a gift card to use as they need.  Use your imagination and see what good you can do.

Remember, we work not for earthly rewards, but for heavenly rewards.   

 

 

Shout For Joy

 

My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises unto You; And my soul, which You have redeemed.

Psalm 71:23

Sometimes we think we don't have anything to be thankful for because nothing seems to be going right in our lives.  But, I think if we dig deep we all can find at least one thing to thank God for every day.  

Think about that.  There is power in praising God and giving thanks.  It opens us up to feeling better about life and others.

So, shout for joy.   

Be Renewed

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-23

Jesus invites us to change.  Yes, change may bring us a certain amount of pain, but we need to decide whether it hurts more to stay as we are or to change.  

The new self, created in the likeness of God, brings relief and rest to us.  We are no longer chased by our wayward deeds, but are comforted in the righteousness and holiness that comes from serving the living God.  

Put on your new self and be renewed. 

 

God Is Working On Us

 

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.

Run With Endurance

 

Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus….

Hebrews 12:1-2

Some days we don’t feel like doing everything that we know we should do. We can get bogged down watching what other people are or are not doing, and think, “Well, they seem to be doing alright. Why should I have to follow all the Mickey Mouse rules?” The truth is we don’t have to do anything, but we want to do things that bring honor to Christ.

So, follow the Mickey Mouse rules and maybe make up a few new ones for yourself.  

We are not trying to look good to others, we are honoring our commitment to Christ.  And, in doing so, opening doors to minister to those around us.   

Shout For Joy

 

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

But he who trusts in the Lord, loving kindness shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Psalm 32:10-11

God’s loving kindness is more than sympathy; it is comfort and affection for us. And, that is something to shout about.