Let us consider a few thoughts about the goodness of God from the Scriptures.
**God’s goodness is the displayed in His mercy.
Isaiah 60:10 “The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, And their kings shall minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
**God’s goodness is granted unto those who seek Him in righteousness.
Psalm 5:12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
**God’s goodness will lead us to repentance and relationship with God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
**God’s goodness calls people to salvation.
Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
What are some marks that should be evident in the life of Christ’s church? Let’s examine a few today. And may God bless His church!
Dear Christian, are you serving the Lord? Are you willing to serve through your local church and your daily life? What often separates service from non-service is a willing heart in the life of the believer. God will use us for His glory if we are willing to serve.
The Word of God reveals several important truths in regards to service for the Christ-follower. Let us examine a few today.
The Bible encourages us to serve. We are commanded to serve the LORD with gladness in Psalm 100:2 and in other passages. Christians are exhorted to serve as Jesus did. (Matthew 20:28)
Believers are equipped to serve as well. Paul tells us that we are all given spiritual gifts that are to be used in service to the church. (1 Corinthians 12:11) Are you seeking to discover and use your gifts to build up the body of Christ?
God enables Christians to serve as He works in and through us. The Scriptures tell us for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) There is a measure of mystery to how God works in our lives. We will not comprehend all that God is doing at times. But, we can rest assured that He will enable us to serve in our local context.
We are encouraged to serve. God has equipped us to serve. And the Lord has enabled us to serve. May we commit to serving Christ the rest of lives!
7 Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; 8 But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 11:7-8
We should seek to make the most of this life. We only have one life to live. Beholding the sun is pleasant and wonderful. However, our opportunities to witness sunrises and sunsets on this planet are finite.
Paul commands us to “redeem the time because the days are evil.” (Galatians 6) Even if we live to a great age, death is still coming for all of us (Hebrews 9:27). Make the most of your time, friend.
Lost people need to know Jesus. The Church has members who need ministry. Let us not be slothful with our time. Let us invest our time in the service of our King!
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place. 7 I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants. 8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. 10 If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. 11 A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different. 12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; 13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness. 14 A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; Who can tell him what will be after him? 15 The labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city! 16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning! 17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time– For strength and not for drunkenness! 18 Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks. 19 A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything. 20 Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Ecclesiastes 10:5-20
The inane madness of this world is seen very readily today just as it was in the days of the King. It is meaningless and insane. Once again, the preacher breaks it down for us to see in plain fashion. Here are some thoughts about the madness of life.
**Solomon begins by telling us that the fool ends up in authority. This is one example of the vanity of life on this earth. Not every leader is a fool. However, some truly are. It’s illogical, yet undeniably true.
**Though work is good and healthy, it can also be harmful in certain cases. Work doesn’t mean that all our wishes and desires will be fulfilled. Working hard does not guarantee material wealth.
**The foolish receive recognition and fame. Those who seem to be the least worthy of recognition receive fame and fortune. In our day, we have folks who are famous for nothing. They haven’t achieved anything of significance. But somehow, they end up well-known and even adored.
**At times, rulers are self-seeking and foolish. This thought should not surprise us. Solomon has made this point several times already in the book of Ecclesiastes.
**Laziness can also lead to disaster. Some give in to laziness and fail to take care of God’s blessings. The results of this folly can be devastating not just for the slothful one but also for his/her family. God has blessed us with much and we ought to take care of it.
**Finally, Solomon teaches us that our words can be used against us. I would imagine that has happened to you. To be fair, sometimes we use our words to tear down and destroy and that is wrong. At times, language intended for positive purposes may be misused, resulting in misinformation or misrepresentation.
13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:33-34
The end of this teaching forms one of the more famous passages in all of Scripture. Seek first God’s kingdom. When we do that, all that we need will be added to us.
Let us cease our worrying about the future. We cannot change the past and we don’t know the future. We have enough to worry about for today.
What does it practically mean to seek the Kingdom of God? How can we follow Jesus’ commands? The following list may help. This list is not exhaustive but can be a guide to help us.
Seek God’s Kingdom through prayer
Seek to be obedient to God’s Word
Be a part of a local church
Seek God’s Kingdom through prayer
Learn to serve others through the church and in your daily life
Be aware of God’s work in your life through the day as He guides, provides, and protects
Worry saps our spiritual strength and keeps us from having power with God. May we choose the alternative and live by trusting that God will meet our needs by His power.
mrtonyfrench 