How should we as believers live? How should we conduct ourselves in our time here on earth? Let’s look at what the Scriptures tell us about the behavior of the Christian.
**Let us conduct ourselves joyfully.
Clap your hands, all you peoples; Shout to God with a voice of joy.
Psalm 47:1
**Let us conduct ourselves compassionately.
Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32
**Let us conduct ourselves wisely.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a person who listens to advice is wise.
Proverbs 12:15
**Let us conduct ourselves excellently.
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
James 2:15-16
Saving faith will lead to concern for others in the life of the Believer. A faith that saves will prompt the Believer to meet practical needs as much as they can when the situation arises. A fellow Christian who is need of clothes or food should be able to count on other Christians to help them in their time of need.
Simply giving verbal assent to others who are lacking is unprofitable and silly. Believers cannot say “be warmed, be filled” and refuse to help those in desperate circumstances. True saving faith will result in actions, not just words.
I go could go on and on. The contrast is stark. Let me simply say that Jesus Christ is worthy of all glory, honor, praise, and worship. He is worthy because of who He is and what He has done! Hallelujah, what a Savior.
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
James 2:14-16
The Apostle’s main point in verses 14-16 is this—saving faith will result in works. One cannot claim to be a Christian and forsake the commands of Jesus at the same time. It does not profit anyone to profess Christ and yet refuse to help meet basic human needs.
Christians are saved by grace, through faith, through Christ the Savior. (Ephesians 2:8-9) But true redemption will be followed by tangible works and ministry. Works don’t cause salvation. Rather, works are the result of salvation.
God’s faithfulness to His people is a constant theme of Scripture. His faithfulness is demonstrated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s faithfulness is revealed in His dealings with the nation of Israel. He was faithful to the kings, the priests, and the prophets. Even when His people were not faithful, God always was.
The theme of God’s faithfulness continues into the New Testament. We are told that God is still faithful to Christians today as we peruse the pages of Scripture. Let us examine three ways that God is faithful to Believers in our day.
**God is faithful to forgive us and reconcile us through the work of Christ upon the cross.
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9
**God is faithful to help us fight temptation and overcome it.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
**God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse when we confess our sins to Him.
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10
God is faithful to us. May we live in this reality day by day. And may we give thanks for His faithfulness and declare to all generations!
12 So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 2:12-13
Christians ought to remember that they are under the law of freedom. Believers have the awesome privilege of living for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. They are “free” to serve others, to love others, and to give their lives away for Jesus.
Christ has paid our debt, paid the price for our sins, and have justified us through His work on the cross and His resurrection. As a result, God’s people now live for Christ and not themselves. Christians will be judged not for their salvation. Rather, they will be adjudicated for how they lived their lives before the Lord their Savior.
As the Redeemed, we have received mercy through Jesus Christ. The life and sacrifice of Christ means that Jesus was judged on our behalf. Let us go forth and give mercy to the lost because we have received grace from the Lord!
What should we do while praying? Consider the following
**Thank God
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
**Praise the Lord
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:15
**Confess Your Sins
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
**Make Requests
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
**Intercede for Others
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.
1 Timothy 2:1
**Meditate on God’s Word
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2
**Listen to the Holy Spirit
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
James 2:8-11
The Apostle continues to preach against partiality by taking the reader back to the “royal law”—“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Love for others requires the practice of justice and fairness. One cannot be a Christ-honoring Believer and practice favoritism. To do so would cause one to disobey and eschew the law of Christ.
James teaches another powerful truth in verses 10 and 11. In those stanzas, Christians are taught that breaking one commandment makes them guilty of breaking the whole law. The one, true God who commands against adultery also commands against murder. The same Law-Giver who prohibits idolatry also prohibits covetousness. Breaking one command of God’s Word makes humans guilty of ignoring all the precepts in the sight of the Almighty.
Thankfully, there was one who kept the Law of God perfectly. Christ Jesus kept the Law, fulfilled the Law, and was perfectly obedient to the Father. The Spotless Lamb died in the place of sinful humans and paid the debt of sin and the price of sin in His atoning work on the cross. He was raised to life the third day so that all who believe may be forgiven and receive the imputed righteousness of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Believe in Jesus today. He is your only hope of salvation. (Acts 4:32) Christ saves without partiality. Call upon Him today.
Humility is an interesting concept. It has been said by many that “once you think you have humility, that’s about the time you lost it.” Perhaps there is some truth to that claim. Humility requires constant investments of time and introspection.
The Webster’s dictionary defines humility as “a modest opinion or estimate of one’s importance or rank.” Humility is keeping yourself in proper perspective. It is not thinking less of ourselves, it is merely thinking of ourselves less.
The word humble appears over 80 times in Scripture. Let’s examine what the Bible has to say about humility. For the sake of our purposes, I will limit this discussion to three New Testament occurrences. What does the Bible teach about this subject?
*We must humble ourselves. As Believers, we are called to rightly evaluate ourselves and be subservient under the purview of God. Christians are instructed to realize their dependence on Christ alone. We humble ourselves by growing in dependence on Him and not ourselves.
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:10
*God humbles us as well. While we are called to submit ourselves to God, we are also taught that God does humble us from time to time. He does so through circumstances that come upon us that are out of our control. God humbles us and helps us realize that we do not control much in our lives. This humbling is not always pleasant, but, it is always necessary.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11
*Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He is our example and what He revealed to us through the cross is what we should aim for each day. We are never more like Jesus than when we humble ourselves.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8
Humility is not valued by our world today. It is always valued in the kingdom of God. Be humble and realize your dependence upon God. It will make a huge difference in your life with Christ!
Let’s examine a few thoughts about thankfulness today…..
**Be thankful to the Lord
Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.
Psalm 30:4
**Give thanks to God for His goodness
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 136:1
**God’s people are commanded to be thankful
In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
**Heaven is filled with thankfulness to the Lord
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed , and were created.” Revelation 4:9-11
Christians should seek to grow in thanksgiving every day. I am making the commitment to become more thankful at every opportunity. Will you join me?
mrtonyfrench 