Baptist City Blog

Stablished in the Faith

2 Thessalonians 3:3

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil."

One of God's desires for every Christian is to be established in life. What the world does not understand about the Christian life is that if one will live it, they will be a person who is established in every area of life. The Christian life is not some weird lifestyle by which people live, but it is common-sense living to help people be established so they can achieve great things for God.

The word "stablish" is the same word we use for established. Four times in 1 and 2 Thessalonians you will find the word "stablish." God gave us the Word of God to establish us. These four verses show what a person must do to establish their life. Let me say that if a person will follow these things in business or in their career, they will also be able to establish themselves in these areas.

First, holy living will help a person to be established. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says, "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." Notice that holiness is a part of being stablished. Holy living is setting yourself apart for the purpose of serving and pleasing God. It is living a life blameless from sin. Let me help you to look at this through different eyes. Unholy living will cause you to be unstable in life. If holy living establishes us, then unholy living makes us unstable. Living your life according to the Word of God causes you to be stable for everything you do will be right, which will make you stronger. Don't listen to the lies of the world. Listen to the Word of God and live the holy life that God commands you to live. Doing right always causes a person to be more stable.

Second, 2 Thessalonians 2:17 shows us that comforting the hearts of others will help you to be established. The reason it will establish you is because you are no longer living a life for yourself, you are living for others. When you live for others, you are not concerned with how you are treated. You are concerned with making sure others are treated right. This will cause your surroundings to have less turmoil caused by selfish living. Live your life to help others, and you will find yourself becoming a pillar among those you are around.

Third, 2 Thessalonians 2:17 also shows us that good works will help you to be established. There are many who can talk about all the things they don't do, but what things are you doing? Christian, it is not enough to do away with the bad works of your life, but you must replace those works with good works. When you do good works, then you are setting the foundation for a healthy future.

Fourth, the verse above teaches that staying away from evil will help establish you. Evil is doing wrong with the intent to hurt someone. Don't ever do anything with the intent to hurt someone. Evil always causes instability. For instance, gossip is evil. Gossip is done to hurt people. Don't ever let a desire to destroy someone enter your heart.

Last, James 5:8 shows us that a resolute belief that Jesus is coming again will help establish you. The reason it establishes you is because it gives you a confidence that what you are doing will eventually be repaid. It will keep you from jumping from one thing to the other. Let me assure you that God will reward you one day. We don't know when that day will come, but you can rest assured that Jesus is coming again, and that all that you do and go through in life will eventually be worth it all. If you keep the hope that Jesus is coming again, then you will find a stable life.

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.

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 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.

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 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

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.

Guilty by Relation

Acts 23:16

"And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul."

There are a people in this world who are forgotten by most churches. These people will not clamor for your attention. These people will not let you know they have been forgotten. These people have been convicted of no crime, yet they are people who are looked upon as if they have committed a crime. These people carry a secret of which they tell no one. These people I am talking about are the immediate family members of those who are imprisoned.

In the verse above, Paul is in prison when his nephew visited him. Paul had not been convicted of a crime, but was being held for trial. While still in Jerusalem, it seems as if Paul's family visited him in prison. Though Paul was hated by most in that community, he still had family that loved him. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for this family to go and visit Paul? Can you imagine how they must have been looked upon as word got around that they were the family of the hated preacher? Many did not realize that even though Paul was being held for a crime, his family had committed no crime. What many did not realize was that though the community accused Paul of a crime, the love of the family did not cease. This family was guilty of one thing, being related to Paul.

I come to you on behalf of a large group of people who are forgotten and need your love. This group of people are the families of those who are incarcerated for crimes against society and humanity. The purpose of this devotional is not to defend the incarcerated, the purpose of this devotional is to defend the families of those who still have a great love for a family member who did something wrong. Sure, their family member probably is justifiably paying for a crime which they committed, but the family members committed no crime other than being related to the incarcerated.

Let me simply remind you that many of these families who have a loved one in prison hurt more than you will ever know. They certainly don't justify the crime of their loved one, but love doesn't stop just because their loved one did something terribly wrong. Yet, many in society look down on these family members as if they committed a crime. May I remind you that the only "crime" they committed was being related to the one who committed the crime. If you were to go to the waiting rooms of prison and jails, you would find inside those waiting rooms are dads, moms, children, brothers and sisters who carry broken hearts. Many times these family members feel like they are being treated as the criminal only because they are related to someone who has done something wrong.

Christian, one of the greatest ministries you could perform is to help these families. They need someone who will accept them and love them, and not hold them accountable for what their loved ones have done. You could probably lead many of these people to Christ if you would simply reach out and love them. Sure, this may not be the most flashy ministry which you could be involved, but let me remind you that Christ did not try to reach the righteous. He went after the lost.

Let me encourage you to think about helping the families of the incarcerated. No, I'm not asking you to help them financially, but I am asking you to reach out and love them and let them know that you don't hold them guilty. Let them know that Christ loves them and wants them saved. Don't be guilty of convicting a person because their loved one is incarcerated. If you would simply love them and let them know you will be a friend, you would be surprised how they would open their hearts to Christ.

Misdirected Drive

Acts 20:22

"And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:"

Some things are not wrong in themselves, but when performed in the wrong order they become wrong. A burden is not a bad thing, but a burden that blinds you from God's will becomes bad. It is hard to believe that a burden could be bad, but a burden, if not carefully controlled, will cause a person to leave what God called them to do.

The Apostle Paul had a great burden for the Jewish people. Romans 9:3 shows us how much of a burden Paul had when he said, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" Paul had such a burden for his people that he said he was willing to go to Hell so that they could go to Heaven. Though this was Paul's burden, having a ministry to the Jews was not God's will for his life. We find God's will for Paul's life in Acts 22:21 when it says, "And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles." God's will for Paul's life was to reach the Gentile world; however, he allowed his burden to drive him to the degree that it caused him to waste much time that could have been spent doing what God called him to do.

There is nothing wrong with you having a burden, but when your burden drives you, it can cause you to leave God's will for your life. I have watched preachers allow a burden to take them away from God's will for their life. They left where God called them to go to another place for which they had a burden, only to regret leaving God's will. Sure, where they went needed the Gospel. Sure, their purpose in going to where they went was good, but your burden should never be the driving force in going some place, only God's will should do that.

Furthermore, when your burden drives you, it can cause you to waste time. Look at how much time Paul wasted trying to convince the Jews to get saved when he could have used that time to go after the Gentile world like God called him to do. Yes, he certainly reached the Gentile world, but one can only wonder how much more could have been done if he would have stayed focused on what he was supposed to do. If you allow your burden to become the driving force in your life, you could find yourself wasting time on that which God has not called you to do.

Moreover, when a burden drives you, it can cause you to make foolish decisions. Paul's burden caused him to take a Jewish oath. That oath resulted in Paul being bound for the rest of his life. A burden can blind you from what you are supposed to do. It can cause you to justify leaving God's will for your life. An uncontrolled burden can blind you and lead you away from God's will.

A burden in itself is not a bad thing, but a burden being the driving force of your life can cause you to make some very unwise decisions. Always keep a good perspective of your burden, and only let the Scriptures and God's will for your life direct you. If a burden comes because you are doing God's will then that is fine, but always keep God's will as your top priority. Sometimes, God's will is not always going to be exciting and flashy, as can be seen in the lives of many of the Old Testament prophets. If you allow your burden to become your driving force, then it will take you away from God's will when it isn't producing like you thought. Remember that God is more interested in you doing what He called you to do more than He is in results. If you keep that in mind, then you can keep your burden in its proper place.

Beware of the Scribes

Luke 20:46

"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;"

When you have been around Christianity as long as I have, you begin to understand the frustration Christ must have had with the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were people who copied documents, especially the Scriptures, so that people had something to read. Because there were no printing presses in these days, the scribes were very important to society. In the verse above, Jesus warned the people to be cautious of the scribes. His caution was because their actions were something that should not be copied. Let me show you what was so dangerous about the attitude of these scribes.

First, they loved to be known for their education. The wearing of "long robes" was something that educated people would do so they could be recognized. These scribes thought their education made them better than others. We must be careful that we don't let education cause us to look down on others. Truthfully, there are many educated idiots in our day. Just because someone has education does not make them smarter than others. I would rather have someone working with me who has common sense over someone who has education and no common sense. I'm not against education at all, but education never makes anyone better than someone else.

Second, the scribes loved to be recognized by famous people. The "greetings in the markets" was merely being recognized by influential people. This made the scribes feel that they were more important than others. Christian, you need to be careful about striving to be recognized by the influential. It is better to know God than it is to know someone famous. Stop trying to be recognized by an influential person and strive to be recognized by God.

Third, the scribes loved position. The "highest seats in the synagogues" were simply holding a position in the council of the synagogue. It would be like holding a seat on the city council or some board of the church. There is nothing wrong with having a position, but you should not strive to obtain it. You should simply strive to do your job. When you do what you are supposed to do, then you will find that position will naturally come. Don't do things so you can acquire position, and don't fight others to get it. Simply, be the type of person who works hard at doing what you are supposed to do.

Fourth, the scribes classed people. What I mean by this is they would have an "in" crowd, and then there was everyone else. Let me make this clear, in God's eyes there is no "in" crowd, there are only people. If you start to think that there are classes of people in Christianity then you will be guilty of thinking you are better, or not as good as, others depending on how you are classified. Jesus warns us not to be guilty of classifying people.

Fifth, the scribes ran over anyone just to get what they wanted. Christian, be careful about hurting others so you can get position or title. Don't make people your stepping stones; rather, make your life about helping people and you will be surprised how they will push you up.

Finally, the scribes lived their life as a show. What they were in public was not what they were in private. Be careful about living two lives. Always strive to be the same in private and in public. If you live a double life, you will hurt those closest to you, and most of all, you will hurt yourself.

When Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes,..." He was warning us not to act like them. Be sure that your life does not resemble the attributes of the scribes. If you will simply live your life to please God, then these things that the scribes strove for will only be a tool to better help people if God gives them to you.