"But Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness and pray." (Luke 5:16) I will never claim my life is just like the life of Jesus. With my many different flaws and weaknesses I could never say that. I try to be like Him and allow Him to mold me into His image but I get in the way at times. Don't you want to be more and more like Him? What a noble goal for each of us.
I will not write in my blog this next week. I need to "slip" away and renew some batteries within my heart and mind. I will not miss an assembly except for Wednesday bible study as I am going to take my lovely wife and my grandchildren away for the week just to spend time with them. But I won't just spend time but also renew within. I will write again on Monday, March 19.
How are you doing in your spiritual walk? I want to encourage you, sit down, reflect and meditate on the word of the Lord. Do a self-examination and see where you find your life. Go to II Pet. 1:5-7 and write on a piece of paper each quality listed in the order they are listed. Can you find where you are in that list? Do you find brotherly kindness missing from your heart at times? The things listed before brotherly kindness have to be placed within your being before you get to that point. But above all, you must start with the very first thing mentioned: moral excellence. Some versions say virtue. You have to be sincere in dealing with your sins and weaknesses if you are going to get on the road to growing into the likeness of Jesus. Once you begin dealing honestly with God's standard of what is right and wrong (that's moral excellence/virtue) only then will you begin to move into the arena of knowledge and once knowledge starts we have to put that knowledge into the proper practice by exercising some self control. That means taking control of your bad habits and the usage of your tongue. And the list just keeps moving forward from there. The last thing listed is love. A love where you will sacrifice for one another. Some never reach this stage. They sacrifice others by wrong attitudes toward them or holding to resentments. They never have reached brotherly kindness and that's why they never reach love. They don't reach brotherly kindness because godliness is not being put within the depth of their heart.
Be sincere in your faith by being honest in your life. Look carefully at these things and you can pinpoint where you have matured spiritually. God bless and until a further day, Lord willing, be prayerful and seek God.
1 comment:
Have a GREAT week and thanks for sharing God's word with so many!! Always directing us to the Bible to God and encouraging us to always seek what the Lord expects...not what is a "natural" response or attitude. Always reminding that our lives need to line up with the Lord not comparing ourselves, to each other. It's easy to compare ourselves to Man and feel like we are not doing so bad...but, when comparing ourselves to the word of God, what He expects...you can ALWAYS find areas where you need to grow.
Post a Comment