Resurrected

Living the Resurrected Life

Colossians 3:1

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."

Living the resurrected life is the life that God wants every Christian to live. When we live the resurrected, we exemplify the life God wants the world to see. It is in this life where you will find the greatest joy. It is in this life where you will find satisfaction. When you read Colossians 3, you see that the resurrected life consists of many things.

First, the resurrected life will have the right dreams. The verse above says, "...seek those things which are above,..." Your dreams should be the dreams which God wants you to have. Your dreams should not be selfish, but they should be that for which you were made. Every Christian should get their dreams from God if they want to live the resurrected life.

Second, the resurrected life will have the right affections. Verse 2 says, "Set your affections on things above,..." Christian, from where do you get your enjoyment? Your enjoyment should come from doing the things of Christ. Your greatest pleasure should come from serving God. The resurrected life will cause you to seek pleasure in serving Christ.

Third, the resurrected life will cause you to have the right actions. Verse 5 says, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;..." The resurrected life will be filled with actions that are pleasing to God. You will never live the resurrected life by doing wrong and going to the wrong places. When you allow the flesh to dictate what you are going to do, then you will not experience the resurrected life. The resurrected life will only come by not allowing your flesh to dictate your actions. You must act right at all times if you want to enjoy the resurrected life.

Fourth, the resurrected life will give you the right attitude. Verse 8 says, "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth." Your attitude as you serve the LORD should be one that glorifies God. The resurrected life is not filled with an attitude of anger. It is not filled with an attitude of wrath and malice. Oh, how we need Christians to get back to living the resurrected life so that their attitude will be one that the Saviour would want them to have. The best way to change your attitude is to live the resurrected life.

Last, the resurrected life will cause you to talk right. Verse 8-9 says, "...filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;" Notice that filthy communication and lying will not be a part of the resurrected life. Christian, if you want to exemplify the resurrected life, then be careful how you talk. Don't let dirty jokes and filthy language come from your lips. Don't allow lying to be a part of your life. The resurrected life will cause a person to talk in a wholesome manner, always telling the truth.

One of the greatest needs that this world has is for Christians to live the resurrected life. God intended for you to live the resurrected life when you got saved. He did not save you so that you can go back to living a life that leads to death. Be sure that your life is one that represents your salvation, and that life is the resurrected life.

Good Works

Saved Unto Good Works

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

One of the greatest areas of disagreement in religion is in the area of whether works has any part of salvation. There are many people who believe that a person must be good to get saved. There are others who believe that a person must be good and accept Christ to be saved. Then, there are others who believe that you must accept Christ and live a good life in order to keep your salvation. Finally, there are those who believe that salvation comes from accepting Christ as Saviour, plus nothing and minus nothing, and that works have no part in salvation because all the work needed for salvation was done by Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.

According to the Scriptures, the last belief is right. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." You will notice that God specifically notes that works have nothing to do with salvation. In other words, you can't be good enough to get saved, and you can't be good enough or bad enough to keep or lose your salvation. Salvation is given to us by God's grace. All a person must do to get it is to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

However, you were saved to do good works. The verse above states that when you got saved, your salvation was the work of Christ and that the reason He saved you was to do good works. You will notice that you were not saved by works, but you were saved to do good works. Works has nothing to do with obtaining or keeping salvation, but they have everything to do with having good fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Let me explain this thought more clearly. When I was born into this world, I had nothing to do with my birth. My birth happened because of my parents. When I was born, my relationship with my parents was established. In other words, my relationship with my parents was established because of them. I could do nothing to establish a relationship with them; however, whether I have good fellowship with them is totally dependent upon how I live. If I obey them and do what they tell me to do, then our fellowship with each other will be great. On the other hand, if I rebel against their rules and do what I want to do, my lifestyle will strain my fellowship with them. Notice, though my fellowship is strained, my relationship can never be severed. My works only deal with the quality of fellowship I have with my parents.

This is exactly what works has to do with salvation. Your relationship with Jesus Christ was established because of Him. You could do nothing to save yourself, only Christ could do that by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead. Your relationship with Christ was established when you accepted Him as your Saviour; however, if you want your fellowship with Christ to be unrestrained, then you need to do the good works that He saved you to do. Your works determine the quality of fellowship you have with Christ, they have nothing to do with you getting saved or staying saved.

Christian, you were saved to serve Christ. Don't hurt your fellowship by not doing good works. The reason you should be actively involved in serving Christ is so that you can have good fellowship with Him. Don't let works of unrighteousness prevail in your life, for they will strain your fellowship with Christ. Instead, every day your life should be filled with the good works of righteousness. If you do this, you will find that your fellowship with Christ will be sweet and enjoyable. If you will daily do the works that you were saved to do, then you will have the fellowship with Christ that He wants to have with you.

Hidden

Hidden Feelings Always Come Out

Galatians 2:14

"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?"

Hiding one's feelings from others often seems harmless. We think that we can hide our feelings and that nobody will ever know, but what we don't understand is that hidden feelings will often change your treatment of someone. Though hiding your feelings may work for awhile, what is better is if you work out the problems that you have with someone.

Peter, Barnabas and Paul had a quarrel with each other because hidden feelings were not dealt with properly. Verse 13 says that Paul and Barnabas were "...carried away with their dissimulation." The word "dissimulation" means, "to hide one's feelings." In other words, the separation that happened between Paul and Barnabas happened because hidden feelings were not dealt with properly. Though they thought they could hide their feelings, it eventually caused two friends to have to separate.

What is interesting is that though they thought Paul did not know their feelings, he saw that their countenance towards him had changed. The verse above says, "But when I saw that they walked not uprightly..." Paul perceived their hidden feelings because of their changed countenance. You may think that you can hide your feelings and that nobody will figure them out, but what you don't understand is that it affects your countenance. Have you ever had a time when you felt that something was not right between you and someone else? You had those feelings because their countenance towards you changed. Though they thought they could hide their feelings, their hidden feelings changed their countenance and put a strain on your relationship with them.

I have found that it is better to work out your differences in a private setting than to allow hidden feelings to fester to the point where you lose a friendship. Barnabas hid his feelings, and because he did not approach Paul about them, they festered to the point that these two men who worked so well together had to separate. When you have problems with someone, instead of letting it destroy your relationship with them, it would be wise to approach them in a prayerful manner to try and solve the situation.

When you go to approach someone about your hidden feelings, don't approach them with an accusatory manner. Instead, approach them with the intent to find out what you have done wrong. Don't play the blame game for that will destroy a relationship. Furthermore, approach them in a humble spirit. Don't approach them as if you are better than they. Before you approach them, you would be wise to spend much time in prayer asking the LORD to intervene in your conversation with them. While you are talking to them, don't allow a heated discussion. Your whole purpose is to work out your differences, not to magnify them.

Everybody will at one point in their life have differences with close associations. When you have a difference, be careful not to hide your feelings and let it fester. If it is something that you cannot let go, then you need to approach them in the right attitude and manner so that you can correct what is causing the difference. It is better to save a relationship than to lose it over hidden feelings. Most of the time people don't realize that they may have done something that caused harm to a relationship. Most people will want to work things out. If you approach these things before they fester in your heart, then you have a better chance of working them out. Whatever you do, be sure to bathe these things in prayer before you try to handle them.

Universal Law

The Universal Law of Sowing and Reaping

2 Corinthians 9:6

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."

The verse above is certainly about financial giving, but the principle applies to every area of life. Sowing and reaping is not just about money, but it is a universal law that cannot be reversed, and it will always work. When I worked in the strawberry fields as a teenage young man, we spent about three weeks planting strawberry plants in the fall. This was not a pleasant time for several reasons. One of the reasons is because there seemed to be no immediate reward. Another reason was because the pay was not the best. However, what I did enjoy was the next summer when it paid off with strawberries on the plants. The universal law of sowing and reaping worked.

First, let me apply this principle in its context of this verse. The LORD will give back to you according as you give to Him. If you give sparingly, then the LORD will return in the same manner; however, if you give in a generous manner, then the LORD will give back to you in a generous manner. Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Whatever measuring cup you use to give is the same measuring cup God uses to give back.

Second, let me take this in another direction. If you need something in your life, then you would be wise to start sowing what you need so that you can reap later in life. You have heard the statement, "What goes around comes around." This statement is nothing more than the universal law of sowing and reaping. If you do good to others, then you will reap good from others. If you sow bad to others, then you will reap bad from others. If you are friendly to others, then you will reap friendliness from others. Whatever you do to others will eventually come back around to you.

Christian, if you want people to love you, then you would be wise to start loving people right now. You will never receive love from others if you don't start loving them right now. If you want to reap joy in life, then you would be wise to start sowing joy in the lives of others. You will never receive joy if you don't start giving joy. If you want to reap companionship when you are old, then you better start sowing companionship to older people right now. If you want to reap mercy when you do wrong, then you better start sowing mercy when others do wrong. Whatever you need in life, now is the time to start sowing.

Finally, reaping is never an immediate process. Don't give up hope in the area of reaping. Sowing takes a season for the fruit to ripen before it can be picked. Likewise, you will never immediately receive what you are giving right now; however, if you will be patient and trust that the law of sowing and reaping never fails, then you will find that you will reap if you don't quit. You keep sowing what is right, and eventually when the reaping season comes you will find that the fruits of your labors were worth the effort and the wait.

Overcoming

Overcoming Circumstances

2 Corinthians 4:8

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;"

The verse above is the beginning of several amazing verses concerning overcoming adverse circumstances. There are a few people in the Scriptures who faced many adverse circumstances who we all should study to see how they overcame them, and the Apostle Paul is one of those characters. When you look at Paul's life, you don't see a person who complained about his circumstances; rather, you see a person who overcame every circumstance that he faced.

Paul said he faced troubles on every side. Problems were everywhere, but he said he was not distressed. In other words, he was not anxious about how he would get through them. He said that he was perplexed, or completely baffled, but he did not live in despair. He kept hope while he was baffled about all that came his way. He was persecuted or harassed by enemies who wanted him silenced, but he did not feel that he was forsaken or abandoned in life. He said that there were times when he was cast down, or down for the count, but he did not feel like he was destroyed or ruined. These statements are amazing in that no matter what circumstance came Paul's way, he found a way to overcome them. The same way that Paul overcame his circumstances is the same way you are going to have to face your circumstances if you want to overcome them.

First, Paul overcame his circumstances with a good attitude. In spite of everything he faced, he always had a good attitude. I cannot stress enough how important attitude is to everything you face. I'm sure there were times when Paul had to give his attitude an adjustment, but the majority of the time he kept a good attitude. You will never overcome your circumstances with a bad attitude. If you are one who always has a bad attitude, then you need to let the Word of God give you an attitude adjustment so that you can keep a good attitude through all of your circumstances.

Second, Paul kept a right perspective. Verse 18 shows us that Paul did not look at the temporal, instead he looked at the eternal. In other words, he didn't see the negative in life. He always looked to the other side. I get weary of trying to help people look see the other side of every circumstance. There are some who all they ever see is the negative. Christian, there is always another side to every circumstance. Train yourself to see the positive side instead of the negative.

Third, Paul kept his purpose in focus. Verse 10 shows us that Paul never lost his purpose of what he was doing. You must keep the purpose of your life in focus or else the circumstances will overcome you. Keep your focus of why you are in the ministry. Keep your focus of why you are serving God. Keep your focus of why you serve in the church ministry. Keep your focus on the fact that you are trying to help people turn their lives around for Christ.

Fourth, Paul never lost hope. Verse 14 shows us that Paul always kept the hope that Jesus is coming again. The one thing that will help you overcome every adverse circumstance you face is that Jesus is coming again. All heartache and sorrow will one day be gone. That day is soon! Keep focused on the fact that Jesus will come again.

How you face your circumstances highly dictates how much God can use you. I don't know about you, but I want God to use me in a mighty way. Circumstances can either be obstacles to block you from God using you, or they can be the springboard for God to use you in a great way. Let these four areas help you to make your adverse circumstances the springboard for God to mightily use you.

God's Pet

God's Pet

Romans 9:18

"Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth."

Do you remember when you were in school how there seemed to be one student who everyone called the teacher's pet? The reason this student was called this was because they seemed to get away with things that others did not. You could say that the teacher showed them mercy when they would not show others mercy.

How would you like it if you could be God's pet? I know, God has no favorites, but I do believe that God is a merciful God. God's mercy will often cause Him to protect someone from doing things that would cause them much harm in life. This is nothing more than the mercy of God. I can recall in my life many times when God protected me from doing something that would have changed the whole course of my life for the worse. I don't know why God did this other than He is a merciful God. You may wonder how you can obtain this mercy so that you could become God's pet? The answer is found in the previous verse.

First, you need to realize your purpose. Christian, you must realize that God made you for a specific purpose in life. It does not matter what you consider your weakness, God made you with that weakness for a specific purpose. You will never obtain the mercy of God on your life if you are not living according to your purpose. Why should God give mercy to those who are running from the purpose for which they were made? God made you to do something for Him, and when you run from that purpose you are running from the very reason that would cause God to exercise His mercy. When a person sincerely desires to live in the purpose for which they were made, God will protect that person from things or decisions that would pull them away from their purpose. If you want God's mercy on your life, then you need to live to fulfill the purpose for which you were made.

Second, you need to realize your power. You will notice in verse 17 that God raised Pharaoh to show His power through Him. God also made you for a purpose so that His power can be shown through your life. You will never fulfill God's purpose for your life without the power of the Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit will empower you to be able to fulfill that purpose. You may think that you can't do it, and you are right; however, with God's power you can fulfill that purpose. This is why you must yield yourself on a daily basis to the power of the Holy Spirit, because only through God's power can you fulfill your purpose. Without God's power you will fail at God's purpose for your life.

Third, you need to realize your source. The biggest reason that Pharaoh did not obtain God's mercy is because he took credit for that which God did. Christian, when God fulfills His purpose in your life, you need to be sure that you give Him the credit. The quickest way to lose God's mercy is to start taking credit for what God does. Always give God the glory for everything that He does in your life.

Being God's pet is accomplished by doing these things. Yes, if you will fulfill the purpose for which God made you through the power of the Holy Spirit, and if you give Him the glory for this work, then you will find God's mercy will protect you from things that will pull you away from His purpose. Anybody can be God's pet, because anybody who will do these things will see God's mercy on their life.