Milk Not Solid Food
In Hebrews 5:12 the writer (probably not Paul) is telling the intended reader that they need more teaching. He refers to the teaching as milk as opposed to solid food. Why this way? Milk was intended for children to drink as infants (then and now) as opposed to solid food that they could not chew and swallow. Infants aren't ready to chew yet so they drink milk. They are not mature enough yet to eat solid food. That is what the writer here is saying to the reader, they they are not ready yet for a deeper look into God and Scripture. He says they needed to be taught again about the basic principles of the oracles of God. The writer saw that there was a correction that needed to be made and said something about it. Good move for a leader.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
What is the Real Battle?
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul points out that we are not just battling flesh and blood. When it comes to self control, that isn't about just making better decisions. When it comes to dissension in the church, that is not just about "I have to be nicer because God wants me to be." Paul says that there is battle, spiritually, cosmically, against the authorities over present darkness. Paul says that there are "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." That means we are not just trying to be better people, but we are battling Satan. We are battling the one who bring evil into the church and creates problems. Paul then tells us to "armor up" by putting on the full armor of God. When we have this, it is no longer me vs Satan, but is me in God and God in me vs. Satan. There is a big difference between going to war and going to war with the proper equipment. Paul knew that too.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
How Strong Are You?
How strong are you? I don't mean physically, but emotionally. How much can you endure? How much can you handle? How strong are you spiritually? In class last night, we discussed forgiveness and it made me think of how people will forgive an egregious sin or wrong doing done to them and people may say to them "You're so strong" and "I could never forgive that." But, it makes me think, is it really us individuals who are so strong and so awesome, or is it God working through us to make us and shape us to be who we become?
Pride makes us believe that we are so awesome and can do anything on our own apart from God. But that will make us stumble (Proverbs 16:18). That could be working through forgiveness, powering through a project, or anything. People apart from the Lord will say it is all you and you can do anything. But, for those of us that have accepted Christ and seek God's will in their life over anything else, we know that apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5). Do you want a healthier marriage and stronger bond? Use God's strength! Do you want to forgive who hurt you? Use God's strength! Admit that you cannot do it on your own as the false prophets would say and preach. We have to stay connected to the true vine which is Christ and through him we are connected to God in order to live, think and operate in honor of God.
If we need an example of looking to strength that is beyond humanly possible, look at the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus tells a parable of a father who gives one of his two sons the inheritance/property that was entitled to him. He wanted it before the time he was to have. The father gave it to the son who then squandered it, realized his mistake and had to return home starving and humbled. The father gladly accepted the son back into his arms and was joyful to see his son alive. He treated him well when he returned and did not shame him, but loved him. This is not a man who was operating out of his own power. This is a father who was infused with the Holy Spirit to forgive and not hold a grudge. He was happy to see his child alive. And that is how God sees us. He wants us to see that we need Him and can do nothing apart from Him. We walk away from God when we let our pride control our emotions. The strength it takes to overlook the wrong someone has done takes God strength, not our own apart from Him.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
God's Workers and Fields
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul tells the church in Corinth that they are not yet spiritual people, yet they are of the flesh. Paul could only teach them with spiritual milk (like a baby) and not with spiritual meat (for the grown up believer). The focus had not been on God but on the ones who taught God's word. There was favoritism in the church.
While the favoritism can be attributed to the different sects of Christianity, I do not believe there were more sects of the faith at the time. The church as a whole was still growing. The word of Christ was still being delivered to those who didn't know of Christ. As we stand in 2016 the unity within the church could simply mean within your specific church. If you are favoring one pastor over another and only want to hear from one pastor then that could be part of why this church in Corinth was divided between those who followed Paul or Apollos.
One pastor waters and another may plant seeds, but they both have responsibilities under God who is the ultimate authority. If you are only likely to do what your pastor says and not read your Bible and seek to understand it on your own, you are doing yourself a disservice. We are all responsible for our role in our faith and our growth. God doesn't expect us to be experts in scripture to where we have to fill out tests when we reach the pearly gates. This isn't that kind of test. The test is while we are here. We are to learn and spread the word of Christ and be loving and not show partiality based on race or gender or anything. We are not to be partial. God does not want division in His temple (1 Corinthians 3:17).
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
God's Direction is Best for Our Lives
As mush as we think that God's way for our lives is best for us, do we act accordingly? In other words, are you following God's direction in all parts of life, or just certain areas? Maybe you don't steal money, but you don't tithe for the church. Maybe you don't fight people, but you hang on to bitterness with a strong grip. Maybe you go to church all the time, but once you leave your life does not bear any fruit.
The path we walk in life can be directed by our own ways. Our Own ways of thinking direct what we do, but it should be God's. We know Jesus served many and did not only do it on or around holidays, yet we often only serve people on Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are so often focused on ourselves and what we need to do and what are priorities to us than what is a priority to God. In Proverbs 16:25 we read "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." The way we choose can be disconnected from God which is a spiritual death. Self medicating (drugs and alcohol) for personal problems can lead to physical death.
When we need that direction, where do we go? Where do we turn? We turn to God. We turn to God's word. We don't justify our ways became they are natural or normal for us. That is an excuse to simply say "I want to do it my way." Look at James 1:5 and see that when we lack wisdom we should seek God's wisdom. We don't turn to tarot cards, we turn to God. The Bible is for use for us with no charge. We don't turn to the random person who is not Christ led. We don't turn to new age spirituality. We turn to Jesus and seek his will for us.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
