It is clear from the Bible that God’s word is truth (John 17:17b) and life (John 6:63b). In John 8:13b-32 (NKJV) we are told that “If you abide in My word you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:13b-32; NKJV).
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36; NKJV). What are we freed from? Jesus freed us from satan’s plans for us by defeating him and stripping him of all power and authority (Col 2:15). Satan’s plan has always been to cut off God’s blessings from our lives, to destroy and to kill (John 10:10a) but Jesus came to give us a fulfilled and abundantly blessed life both now and forever (John 10:10b).
If God’s word makes us free we need to make it the very foundation of our lives, just like the wise man who built his house on a solid foundation of rock (Matt 7:24). His house withstood all the storms that came against it (v 25). We need to get onto God’s word, make it a priority and get addicted to it because it has the power to change us (Heb 4:12). We cannot grow and be all God wants us to be if we stay focused on the world around us, we need to renew our minds with God’s word (Rom 12:2; Eph 5:26). God’s word is infallible, the answer to all the issues and challenges of life (Titus 1:2) and will never change. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Mark 13:31; NKLJV). We need to line up our lives with the word alone, then we can live a power-packed radical Christian life for Him!
Jesus prayed for the early disciples that they would be one (Acts 17:11b). As the early church walked in unity great grace was on the believers ((Acts 4:32), the apostles preached with power (Acts 4:33) and thousands of new Christians were added to
the church (Acts 2:41). The apostle Paul exhorted the early church to walk in unity with no divisions among them (1 Cor 1:10). Jesus was clear on the results of division: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matt 12:25; NKJV). God clearly hates discord and we are strongly warned not to spread discord (Prov 6:19). On the other hand, we are called to maintain the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3; NKJV). James, the Lord’s brother, wrote, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19; NKJV). Good advice!
We are to be careful not to give offence to anyone (Matt 17:27) and also to be careful not to take offence. “Sensible people control their temper, they earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (Prov 19:11; NLT). In all of this remember that we are to forgive as God forgives us. How many times should we forgive someone? Jesus told the apostle Peter to forgive 490 times (Matt 18:22); I think He meant forgiveness should have no limit. How do we avoid strife and offence? The Bible directs us to walk in Christ-like love (Eph 5:2) and focus on His word (Ps 119:165; Isa 26:3). Don’t condemn yourself, we all need to grow in the things of God!
In the Old Testament, Micah 6:8, we are told that humility is something that God requires of us. In 2 Chron 7:14, we read that if we humble ourselves and pray then God will forgive us our sins and heal our land. How we need that! The book of Proverbs is full of verses encouraging humility and we learn that if we are humble, we will experience honour (Prov 18:12;
15:33; 18:12), riches and life (Prov 22:4), God’s favour (Prov 3:34) and wisdom (Prov 11:2). Wow! that is motivation to be humble right there!
Jesus taught on humility, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11; NLT). Notice that either we humble ourselves or God will humble us. Not only did Jesus teach humility but He lived it! (Phil 2:5-9). James taught that humility is the result of wisdom (James 3:13) and Peter instructs us to “clothe ourselves with humility” and adds that God “gives grace (favour, blessing) to the humble ‘(1 Peter 5:5; AMPC). Interestingly, Paul also teaches the Colossians to clothe themselves with humility (Col 3:12). The Greek word for humility in those 2 examples means to “have a deep sense of one’s own littleness.”
If you want some practical suggestions on how to become humble, Paul says in Rom 12:3, “I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought (not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance) but to rate his ability with sober judgment….” (AMPC). God clearly blesses the Humble, Amen?
This is one of my favourite sections of scripture. In verse 1 we are exhorted to close our eyes and think of all those amazing people in the Bible who have gone before us and achieved great things in faith. Think of Moses who led the whole nation of Israel out of Egypt, parting a sea on the way (Ex 12:50-14:31). Reflect on Abraham, King David, Gideon and so many more (Gen; 1 Sam; 2 Sam; Judges 6-8). In the New Testament, we read how the
apostle Paul preached about Jesus across Asia and into Europe with signs, wonders and miracles (Acts 9:20-31; 12:25-14:28; 15:36-28:31). These should fire up our faith to be able to lay aside everything that gets in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Our Christian life is a race, a life of growing to be more like Jesus and being used by Him to change the world around us.
In verse 2 we are challenged to keep focused on Jesus. He, through His life, death and resurrection gave us faith to embrace Christianity. Through the words of Jesus, our faith can grow to maturity (Rom 10:17). We need to consider the ultimate example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He saw with joy beyond the cross to the results of His sacrifice; He saw you and me and millions of others – saved, restored and in fellowship with God for all of eternity.
In verse 3 we are challenged that when we get weary and discouraged with the opposition we may face as Christians we should stop and consider the hostility Jesus had to face on earth. Just remember that like Jesus our final destination is with God in heaven. That should spur us all on, amen?