Level-Up! – In His Word 12-1-14
God did not give us salvation to have us accept the Truth
into our lives and stay in our old man clothes. He sent His Son to us, a
portion of Himself, that we would advance in the life we live and progress spiritually
toward the people He wanted for us to be
in the first place. It is time to level up!
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you
should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, to the futility of their
mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of
God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their
heart who being past feeling have given themselves to lewdness to work all uncleanness
with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have hard
Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus; that you put off
concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you will
put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and
holiness.
Ephesians 4: 17-24
It was not so bad in my old self, but it was lonely. Before
I knew God I did not know love, neither did you.
No matter what we think our ‘old
man’ or old us was a sorry person. We either thought of our selves as perfect,
working our way to heaven, as Paul, or we were wallowing in the sins we created
for ourselves as the Samaritan woman; either way we were walking in our
sinfulness.
Once we asked, or accepted, Christ into our lives and gave God back
the reigns to our lives we dropped of the scales of living the way we thought
was right and chose to live in newness of life as God’s Word directs us to do.
So why do we as Christians try to be the person we were
trying to be before?
Look around you in your church; it is full of people trying
to be ‘cool’ or ‘proper’ or prideful or laid back. Just like in the world people are trying to
get by on their good looks, or their fancy talk or clothes. We are no different
than the worldly people any more.
It is as if we accepted Christ and stayed where we were
thinking everything was now okay, we could talk trash, cause its okay we are
saved and God will forgive us. We can do all things through Christ who
strengthens us; right?
But as for you,
speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in
love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not
slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their
children, to be discreet,
chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God
may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:1-5
I often wonder how much pain I cause my God, my Lord and
Savior, when I get prideful and think I know better than He does about a
situation. I wonder if I should let people slide because they are babe’s in the
Lord, or if I should teach them and admonish them as we are told in Timothy
and Titus?
If we do not teach them they will never level up in Christ, spiritually.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present
age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed
and purify for Himself His own special
people, zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14
It is our job, as
those who have known and grown in Christ, to teach and to encourage the
younger generation of Christians how to behave as Christians that they too may
level up!
What would happen if we allowed them to stay where they were
living in sin but knowing God? They could so easily be snared by the enemy of
Salvation and drawn back into a backsliding life. The Bible talks of this.
You know you have seen it
happen. There were two young men who came to know the Lord around the same time
I did. I will call them Fred and Marty.
Fred dug into the Word
of God like he had into Disco dancing. He dressed the part, He carried his
Bible everywhere. He looked like a good Christian young man. He brought his
friend Marty to church where he went up and asked Jesus into his life.
Then Marty went out and started sinning again like he lived
before he accepted Christ. He began to ruin other people’s view of how to
behave and they followed his back sliding behavior until he left the church. When
he left there was a pile up of problems to deal with to help out those who had
been damaged and injured.
I can’t help but wonder if someone had truly seen through his
guise of changing his life if he too may be walking with Christ today perhaps
even be a powerful preacher reaching other for the kingdom? Would the damaged
lives that incurred have been avoided had he been seen as a wolf in sheep’s
clothing? Some say; “only God knows”, but I say we should be paying more
attention to helping those babe’s in Christ to level up!
We need to mentor the younger men and woman to help them
build stable support beams that they are strong enough to stand against the
wiles of the devil!
Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the
darkness of this
age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ...
Galatians 6:10-18
When we see the
younger men and women who are still walking with one foot in the world,
brothers and sisters in the Lord, we need to pull them up out of the gutter.
Give them advice even before they ask for it. Direct them in righteous living
as Christ so directs us!
How? By first of
all setting a good example, not being pulled down to their level but lifting
them up to ours. Help them to live a life pleasing to God, not just man. Show
them the focus of their lives should not be on who they can get to like them
but Whom it is that loves them and wants to level them up to be like Him. Teach
them with your life.
Secondly pull
them away from the clutches of the world that they would not be pulled back
in. Trust God to help you bring them up
to your level, as you level up closer to
Him through study of the Word and prayer you can pull them up too! The more you know about God, the more you
know God, the more strength will be yours to teach and admonish the younger
believers in Christ.
For we can do all
things, really we can! For Christ will give us the strength to level up today!
Dear Heavenly
Father, help us to grow more and more in You. Help us to know You more, to follow
Your Word more and to grow more spiritually minded and less worldly minded. In
Jesus name, amen.
Suggested
Reading: Titus 1:1-16, Titus 2:1-15, Titus 3:1-15, Ephesians 4: 1-32, and
Galatians 6:1-24