Archive | March 2015

Do Not Be Wise?!

Mar9

Do not be wise in your own estimation. — Romans 12:16c

“Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed. — 1 Samuel 2:3

Weighing our knowledge and/or wisdom with God’s knowledge and wisdom, we will lose every time. Let us “trust in the Lord with all our heart and do not lean on our own understanding”. Now that is wisdom to rely and trust in!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Be Not Haughty

Mar8

do not be haughty in mind, but  associate* with the lowly. — Romans 12:16b

*accommodate yourself to lowly things

I remember a time in my life when I would covet my neighbor’s things. Before I owned a house I would envy those who had one. The old junker we were driving paled to the brand new cars on the block. And my mother’s wisdom ringing in my ear, “as long as it gets you from point A to point B”.

“The one who dies with the biggest toys wins”. Remember that bumper sticker? Many want to be judged by what they own, by their position in the workplace, how intelligent they appear and think it below themselves to be seen anywhere but amongst the well-to-do.

The song, “No One Knows What Goes On Behind Closed Doors” reminds me that the outward appearance doesn’t always tell the whole story. The haughty on the outside is probably broken on the inside. Their need is to be recognized. Jesus is not attracted by our status in society. He is concerned with the humble heart who can accept that He is God and take the salvation He has to offer. Jesus was not too proud to associate with the lowly. He went to those who were not distracted by the things of this world, the lowly, to bring a greater gift than anything this world could give.

Are you too proud to accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ? If you have accepted the gift, are you too proud to associate with everyone, including the lowly, who need Christ?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Be of the Same Mind

Mar7

Be of the same mind toward one another; — Romans 12:16a

make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. — Philippians 2:2

But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. — 1 Corinthians 2:15-16

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. — John 15:15

Christ unites the body of believers. It is His mind we seek. As we seek to honor and please God the Holy Spirit brings us together in one mind to bring glory to our Lord.

Prayer and Bible study under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit brings like minds, unity and power to the work of God. Are you participating?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Rejoice and Weep

Mar6

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. — Romans 12:15

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence,  fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; — Romans 12:10-11

Serve the Lord, in devoted love for others, by identifying and sharing with them in their joys and sorrows.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Bless, Not Curse

Mar5

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. — Romans 12:14

Bless (Eulogeo: Greek): to invoke blessing upon a person.

It’s right there, in black and white, in my Bible. Bless those who persecute? Really? I must have read that wrong. No, there it is. Bless and do not curse.

I thought, how can I bless someone who is mean, evil, wrong doing, harsh and many other such words? As I thought on these Words of God I saw a different picture.

If I dwell on persecutors I get angry and my mind wants revenge, for them to suffer as they have made others suffer and pretty soon I find myself enraged and bitter. What does that do to me? That’s my selfish view although justified as I need to dwell on Jesus and “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise”. (Philippians 4:8) Which way is most effective for the Kingdom of God?

My other thought is what better way can I bless someone than to pray for them. All day long I can hear, read, see persecution everywhere — news, T.V. in general, the internet, Facebook, conversations everywhere — but I wonder how many are praying for the persecuted and especially the persecutors. Just maybe if we started praying for them and our leaders — instead of mocking them, ridiculing them, pointing out all their faults — the earnest prayers of faithful believers just might see God move in miraculous ways in others and in us.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Be Devoted

Mar4

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. — Romans 12:10-13

I don’t know about you but these words are pretty convicting. Reminds me of the verse, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”. I have sinned and fallen short but that gives me no excuse to give up, quit trying. I must devote, be diligent, fervent (passionate), serving, rejoicing, persevering, contributing and practicing everyday these Words of God.

They are all action words that demand I participate in my walk with Jesus. It begins with loving the Lord with my whole being, with all I’ve got. That enables me, by His love, to love others. By loving others I am motivated to serve them, pray for them, contribute to their well-being. In serving I honor others but also our Lord. In Him we find hope and persevere because of that hope.

So honor God today by practicing His Word. His Word is wisdom for life. May God bless your endeavors to serve Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Love Good, Hate Evil

Mar3

Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. — Romans 12:9

Love:

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. — 1 Timothy 1:5

Hate evil:

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;  abstain from every form of evil. — 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Love and cling (hold fast) to what is good!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Grace Given

Mar2

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. — Ephesians 4:7

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. — Romans 12:3

So what are you doing with the grace and faith you have been given?

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. — 1 Peter 4:11

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Whom have I in heaven but You?

Mar1

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides (with) You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the  strength of my heart and my portion forever. — Psalm 73:25-26

Have you experienced and ever been able to say that you were so close to Jesus that He truly was all you desired? You could see nothing of this world as any value compared to walking with Jesus?

Those times were the best times of my life but unfortunately my flesh is weak and fails, my heart means well but it also fails. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You.” — Psalm 16:2

Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy , grace and strength.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon