“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!
Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ
is in you unless indeed you fail the test?”
(2 Corinthians. 13:5).

What kind of a Christian are you? Have you ever sat down and asked yourself that? Are you a Christian with your heart and mind in the world and your feet in the church? Or, are you the kind that seeks to do God’s will as revealed in Scripture? Whichever one you are, the Bible tells you to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Have you done that? Have you examined your beliefs, your actions, your motives and compared them to Scripture to see what kind of a Christian you are? Are you submitting your life to God or God to your life?

Thi s is an important question. No one should simply take it for granted that he is saved because he is born into a Christian family, or is a good person, or is sincere in heart and mind, or thinks that God is so loving that he’ll let everyone into heaven. These things do not make anyone a Christian nor do they guarantee anything with God. Only faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1), trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 4:12), receiving Him (John 1:12) is what being born again is about. It means to be changed from the inside because the Lord has changed you, saved you, and the Holy Spirit is now in you.

What kind of a Christian are you?  Are you one on the outside but not on the inside?  Are you a social Christian?  Do you claim the name but not the heart of Christianity?  Are you a person who knows he or she is saved because of the work of Christ on the cross and you trust in Him alone?  Or do you think that your sincerity and good works, in cooperation with God’s grace, will get you to heaven?  Are you the kind of a person who believes in God yet walks into sin, knowingly, painfully.  Maybe you listen to the world and think that homosexuality is an acceptable alternative life style.  Or maybe you think that true Christians need to remain open minded and not condemn anyone.  Or premarital sex is okay if you love each other and/or plan to get married?  Do you think that adultery is just an “affair” or is it a terrible sin against God?  Whatever your opinions are is what reveals what you are inside:  biblical, worldly, or a little bit of both.  Ultimately, though, you must examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.  Basically, if you agree with the Bible, you’re fine.  If you do not, then you are wrong.                (MATT SLICK)

“What used to make us stumble, God can use to make us stand.
What once made us bow our heads in shame, He can use for His glory.”
~ Joanna Weaver~

I bow my head in shame to think of the number of times I have stumbled or fallen. Each time was a direct result of relying on myself— my sight, my feelings, and my reasoning. Reliance on self causes us to walk unsteadily. When my sin nature is in charge, my eyes, emotions, and intuition deceive me. Whenever I allow distractions, doubt, fear, and pride guide my walk, I will stumble or fall.

When I allow God to guide me, He shifts the center of my existence from selfish ambition to standing firmly on the rock, Jesus Christ. He restores what sin has damaged or threatened to take away–my disgrace and shame is lifted by His grace and the situation brings glory and honor to Him. Hallelujah!

Not only does He give us the support we need, He assures us that He will restore us and make up for the time we have spent in brokenness. “I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25).

As wonderful as it is to recognize this blessing of unmerited favor, let us not make the mistake of allowing the stumble just because we know He will pick us up. We need follow Christ’s example and strive to avoid the stumble. Satan tested Jesus three times attempting to make him stumble. Jesus overcame each temptation.

The opposite of God’s grace is disGrace: shame, reproach, or dishonor or is dishonorable or shameful. God’s grace is not a substitute for righteous behavior, but His forgiveness allows the righteous behavior. Jesus taught the best way to avoid sin is to avoid being in a position where we will be put into temptation when He taught us to pray “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” The heart of this prayer is the surrender to God’s will, seeking God’s reign in our lives.

Thank you God, for your mercy and grace, for picking us up when we fall and allowing us to be used– in spite of our failures– in Your Kingdom. Train us to walk in the way of Your Word. Lead us not into sin or temptation or disgrace. Do not let our sin nature lead us but help us follow Your ways.

His promise is ours, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. V                         (ROBIN SAMPSON)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…
EPHESIANS 1: 18

“The eyes of the heart” is a strange expression, isn’t it? Eyes are the instrument by which we perceive things. The mind also has eyes. If you listen to truth in any area, the eyes of your mind are grasping ideas. But the apostle tells us here that not only does the mind have eyes, but the heart as well. The heart needs to see things, needs to grasp truth and understand it. And the heart is always used in Scripture as the seat of our emotions.

Remember the episode in Luke 24—that walk to Emmaus when the risen Lord appears to the two disciples? The Lord joins them, but they don’t know who He is. He walks along with them and unfolds to them all the Scriptures concerning the promised Messiah. Afterward, they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

That burning of the heart represents the heart’s eyes being opened. It is the inflaming of the heart, so that it comes alive and is deeply moved. When the heart begins to burn with truth, when it takes root in you and you simply must respond to it, that is when you know with certainty that God is real, that the hope of your calling is genuine, that the power of His presence is available, and that the riches of His ministry through you is manifest to others as well.

I remember when a young man became a Christian, came into the church, and married a girl who had grown up in the church. At first his Christian life was glorious to behold. He eagerly read the Scriptures. But after a while it all began to ebb away. He lost his interest in the Scriptures, and quit coming to church. He was no longer interested in fellowship with other believers.

Naturally his wife became concerned. So she and a friend decided that they would pray together for her husband every day. She decided in her heart that she would not nag him, because she didn’t want him to come unless his heart genuinely directed him to. She resolved simply to pray daily. For a month or more nothing happened. But she kept on praying.

Gradually her husband’s attitude began to change a bit. One day she found him reading the Bible. She didn’t say anything to him, but it was a note of encouragement. Then, one Sunday, he announced that he was going to church with her. Again she rejoiced inwardly. After a while, he said to her, “You know, dear, I’ve really been way out of it! Somehow or other I lost all my interest in the Lord. But God has moved in and met me and brought me back.” What a wonderful testimony to the power of prayer to open eyes!

It isn’t enough simply to teach truth. You never affect the whole person until the eyes of the heart are enlightened. When truth is moved from the head down to the heart, it has gripped the emotions. Then the will is properly motivated. Then the person begins to grow tremendously.  (ELAINE STEDMAN)

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus
and your love for Christians everywhere,
I have not stopped thanking God for you.
I pray for you constantly

EPHESIANS 1: 15-16

What motivates you to pray? Bad news? That seems to be a pretty common motivation. There’s nothing like a good crisis to drive us to our knees! When trouble confronts us, we tend to pick up God like a crutch, only to discard Him when trouble is past! But good news, not bad news, is Paul’s motivation. He teaches us a much-needed lesson, showing us how to pray for people who don’t need praying for! Paul describes these Christians at Ephesus as having lots of faith in God and lots of love for each other. These Christians were living a life full of joy and making their mark in society. “Why waste valuable prayer time on them?” some may ask.

There are so many needy Christians, sick people, and marriages in trouble. First of all, Paul tells us to undergird and protect the strong ones in prayer. That’s important. The devil keeps his sharpest arrows for his most effective enemies. The apostle prays that these Christians might know the Lord Jesus even better than they do already. He prays that they will have hearts flooded with light, so that they can see something of the future God has called them to share. He prays that they will experience strength of will through God’s power.

This is a fine passage of Scripture to use in praying for those who don’t need praying for. Use it – believers will thank us for making mention of them in our prayers.                  (JILL BRISCOE)

Jesus has asked us to BE an example. He wants us to set an example for others. Throughout the Bible, setting an example is stressed as an important element of discipleship.

“Take my yoke upon you’ (Matthew 11:29)  Jesus told His followers to learn from His example of gentleness and humility. What heavy burdens are we carrying…
1. sin
2. excessive demands upon our lives
3. oppression and persecution
4. weariness in the search of God
Jesus frees us from all these burdens. He promises rest, not the end of all labour. He promises love, healing and the peace of God. Connecting with God, through a relationship with God, changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. Try it!

“…Pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example.” (Philippians 3:17)  Paul urges believers to follow His example of enthusiasm, perserverance and maturity. He challenges us to pursue Christlikeness by following his pattern and example. How about our patterns and examples?
As Paul focused his life of being like Christ, so should they, and so should we. The fact that Paul could tell people to follow his example is a testimony of his character. Can we do the same? What sort of a person would someone be if they chose to imitate us?

“You imitated both us and the Lord…..You have become an example.” (I Thessalonians 1:6-7)  We need to be trained in discipleship and even in suffering, Instead of asking ‘Why me’, we should be asking, ‘Why not me”?
Our faith and the values of this world are on a collision course. Take comfort in that Jesus suffered, so why shouldn’t we? He understands our weaknesses, our fears and our disappointments. He promises to never leave us and He intercedes on our behalf. So in times of pain, persecution or suffering, please trust confidently in Jesus.

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
How many of us can say this comfortably? It’s a statement we will run away from but I am hoping today we will change our minds and try living more and more like Christ daily. We must show Christ to the world by our example. Be the visible image of our invisible God. People (pre-believers) should be able to see Christ in us and be drawn to what they see, and want what we have, which is preservation from destruction (salvation).

So here’s the thing, what kind of example are we?
Really!? What kind of examples are we setting
at home,
at Church,
at school,
in our community?

You have an attitude problem…I have an attitude problem…If I had a nickel for every time I heard a parent say “I don’t like your attitude”… I’d have a big pile of nickels… Attitude is a big deal. Your attitude is important. It makes a very big difference in life.

Paul told the Philippian church “Your attitude should be like that of Christ Jesus”. You should mimic Him and specifically His attitude. In other words, we need to change our perspective, viewpoint. Even if we are doing things well, there is room to be more like Christ. He is the benchmark we aim for. He is the goal and model which we should be seeking to emulate. And our attitude plays a big part of that.

So what is Jesus’ attitude? He starts out up high – being in very nature God. But He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. “Grasped” in this sense is more like “exploited, grabbed, taken for one’s own advantage”. The NIV editorial board updated the translation here to read “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” He was not willing to use His Divinity for His own benefit. He refused to exploit His authority.

He takes on the form of a servant. There are two words for servant- diakonos (where we get the word deacon) which is an administrator, server, waiter, attendant. But then there’s doulos – a bondservant, slave, one without any authority. Jesus becomes a doulos.

Being made in the image of mankind (quite the interesting flip- mankind was made in God’s image, now He is made in the image of mankind), he humbled Himself again, becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross. He obeys death. The cross is the ultimate in humility. He has gone from the highest heights to lowest low.

God is most fully glorified through the act of being a doulos. God is most fully glorified by serving us. You would think God would be most glorified by being up there, unapproachable, heavenly, holy, untainted by mingling with us. But God says to us: “No, the most glorious thing I can do is to be humble, be a servant of all. Because through this act, men and women will live forever with Me.” So God exalted Jesus because He obeyed,

Want God to show you favour? Want to experience what it means know the pleasure and joy of God? Humble yourself. Serve. Love. Pour yourself out. Make your attitude like that of Jesus Christ. Jesus said “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (diakonos) and whoever wants to be first must be your slave (doulos)”. Give of yourself. Lose yourself for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Become a doulos of Jesus Christ. Paul, Peter, Jude, James and John all use that title: doulos of Jesus Christ. Servant or slave is not exactly a title you’ll use if you are trying to flatter yourself. But that’s what we’re called to take on: doulos.

So, do you have an attitude problem? Do you need an attitude adjustment? Are you willing to be the servant of all to give your life over so that others might live?                                                                        (GRAHAM WARE)

There’s a Gospel according to Matthew; To Mark;
To Luke; and John too.
There’s another gospel that many are reading…
The Gospel according to You.

All teachings we find in the Bible
Are facts we know to be true;
You must live them to make them the Gospel…
The Gospel according to You

Many read not the words of the Bible;
I will tell you what some of them do…
They are reading the book you are writing…
The Gospel according to you.

There’s Great Power In Gospel Preaching
The Bible teaches that this is true.
But the sermon most likely to influence others
Is The Gospel according to You.

God help us to be faithful to Jesus…
To live all His teachings so true,
So that all may see His Spirit
In the Gospel according to You

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day;
By things that you do; By things you say.
Others read that gospel, whether faithless or true!
Say! What is the Gospel According To You?

(Leroy Brownlow)