|
Truly, God has done incredible things among us till date. God indeed has blessed us more than what we asked or even imagined.
Truly, glory goes to God for the successes that the church has experienced. But the question is how your life is?
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
As disciples God wants our life to reflect His glory. Definitely when good things happen in our ministries it does make us happy but it is even greater when you are spiritually doing well and are close to God because when you are that way you reflect the Lords glory through your life.
How are you doing? Do you feel you are glorifying God through your personal life? What would Jesus say about your life?
To reflect Gods glory through our lives it is important for us to ask some questions to ourselves. Let us consider asking these three questions to ourselves.
1.Who am I?
As disciples, some times we forget who we really are. Everyday we must always make enough efforts to know ourselves better and not to forget who we really are.
Revelation 2:4-5
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
God always wants us not to forget the height from which we have fallen down. Every time we have to think about our past and be increasingly grateful to God for the way, he has saved us from the darkness.
Ephesians 5:8-14
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
Bible says in the past we were in darkness itself. Now we have become God's righteousness so let us no more live like how we lived before. Let us be open and live in the light.
Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
We see some times as disciples/leaders we tend to think high about ourselves but do not assume that if you are a disciple/leader you are somebody great but rather have a sober judgment about yourself.
Romans 7:15-20,24-25
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Some times we wonder about ourselves why am I not changing, as Paul says that problem was there for him also because we all are sinful by nature. So understand that, be open about your life and praise God for forgiving you, and change. So its important for you to humble yourself and take help. Make a strong decision that I am going to be totally open about my life.
2. Who is God?
Who is God for you? How do you look at God? Is he your Father, mother, friend, companion, and guide? How do you look at God?
Every day you need to seek God and have a great relationship with God
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Everyday its important for you to be filled with God
Psalm 27:10
Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
Psalm 28:7-8
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Everyday you need to start your day with God. He will help you and heal you from all your difficulties
Psalm 30:1-3
1 A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ; you spared me from going down into the pit.
God always loves you and wants to make you happy
Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
So earn, seek, know and love God more and more day by day.
Therefore, as disciples it is very important for us to be close to God. Everyday when we get up in the morning so many temptations, bad news, problems, financial struggles, relationship struggles awaits us and without God we can never overcome these obstacles.
So many of us we live our life with our own strength and in the end we are left out with a big vacuum in our heart. We try to fill those vacuums sometimes by falling into sins and becoming a victim of the situations around us. It is important that everyday you fill that vacuum by God. Read Ps. 62 and 63 to get more inspired.
3. Who is my neighbor?
"And who is my neighbor"? A Pharisee asked this famous question. But the truth is sometimes even as disciples we are really not clear about who is that neighbor that Jesus is asking us to love as ourselves in Luke 10:30-37. We all know this parable very well.
Luke 10:30-37
30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
It is so interesting to see how the Samaritan man had a genuine love towards the wounded person. The Samaritan did not have any discipler to tell him what to do, he did not have any accountability or any appreciation or even encouragement for his noble deed but he genuinely loved and cared for his neighbor.
How are we today? Are we genuinely loving and caring towards our disciples or are we legalistically coming to ministry to get a good name, some claps and glory. Some of us we discharge the duties of our ministries just to escape from some challenges and rebukes from the leaders. We need to really love our disciples as well as the guests who come to church genuinely.
So, ask yourself a question, whom are you like? Are you like the Good Samaritan, or like the Levi or the Priest who were too busy to take care of them? Brothers and sisters our work of evangelizing has just begun so let us love, teach, train, encourage our disciples so that we can help all of them to be strong and happy.
|
