Are You Moving Forward?- in His Word 5-23-16
When we come to know Christ we are a new person, in other words; we
get rid of things that are keeping us going back to the sins we used to do and
we focus on doing what God’s Word tells us to do. In doing this it moves us
forward. Sometimes though we do not get started on the right foot and we forget
that God has done so much to clean us up from our sins and bring us out of the
bondage that we put ourselves into. When this happens we need to get in His
Word, feed on His goodness, and move forward in our walk with Him.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with
you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be
a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the
way to worship him. Don’t copy the
behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person
by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the
privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this
warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your
evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
Romans 12:1-3
We need to be honest with ourselves about who we are in Christ. We are
basically “Jesus Reps” we represent the Lord Jesus wherever we go. Whether it
is at a local store or a big event some place we need to remember who we are in
Christ. Maybe in the past you would sneak into a building and cut in line but
now that you are a new man in Christ you must move forward past it. It is not
always easy…sometimes we just think it is.
Sometimes when we are in
line for an event we just want to skip off and open a side door to get into the
building. We want to just walk inside instead of waiting for the people in
front of us in line; even though they may have been there much longer and deserve
to get in first. We often see others going in the door and think to follow
quickly behind them only to find they did the wrong thing. If we went through
the door knowing it was wrong we could inadvertently bring someone else down
the wrong path following us. I did this recently, I slipped in the door of an
event because I saw others doing it and I had to use the restroom. When I came
out I noticed others going ahead and heading to their seats but I thought for a
moment and chose to go out the door and got back in line at the end of the
line. I had been way closer to the front to begin with but I did not mind, I
was much more comfortable having returned to outside than I would have been had
I cut in line.
It just feels better to do
the right
thing.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 4:17
We need to move forward and stop doing the things that we used to do
because someone else is watching us. No matter what it is we are doing we are
representing Jesus in all that we do just because we decided to accept Him as
our savior.
But so and so does it right? So it can’t be that bad…
We who are strong must be considerate
of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please
ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the
Lord. For even
Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of
those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things
were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us
hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who
gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with
each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise
and glory to God, the Father of our Romans
15:1-6
Our life is given over to
live for Christ and do His will in all that we do. Its time to stop insulting
one another, time to be kind to one another and time to do what is right, just
because it is right!
Grow up! That is what we
have to do, and just as when a teen who has graduated and gone off to college
finds out when they are thrust into taking the responsibility for themselves;
doing what Jesus would do is not always the most fun thing. It is not always
easy, it is not always what we would want to do; it is always what we should
do.
If you or I are stuck
doing what we always did then will be stuck the much and mire we started from
and never grow up in Christ. We will find ourselves in the rut in the road
sinking fast when it rains instead of moving past it to the new pavement smooth
and beautiful; but sometimes you have to bump over a lot of ruts to get on to
the new road. Sometimes the road has ruts from where others have gotten stuck
and we just need to push on forward to the next thing.
When we make a commitment
to follow Jesus we are to keep following Him all the days of our lives. Like an old pastor used to say “I’m not
retired I’m re-fired!” we never stop doing what is good and right in the eyes
of God and we dig in the word to grow stronger and more efficient in His Word.
Dear Heavenly Father, help
us today to grow closer and more like you. Don’t let us stop focusing our lives
around Your directions and Your guidance. Let it be an everyday, every time
thing in our lives today and every day. In Jesus name, amen.
Suggested reading :Romans
11:1-36, Romans 12:1-21, James 4:1-17 and Romans 15:1-33