Main Point and Overview:
“Sit back and relax, you’ve done enough” is a cultural slogan that doesn’t fit Christianity! Neither is, “you could never be used by God because of your past!” Those two thought processes are in contrast to the challenge the Apostle Paul gave to the Philippians. Remember, Paul wanted the church to follow his passionate example. He was a man who had experienced it all! From great prosperity to great poverty, Paul had lived both extremes. Now, he was planting churches all over the known world, and that wasn’t enough for him. Literally, Paul would “work for the Gospel” until the day he died. There was no retirement plan for the great apostle. He is the perfect model for us to follow. No matter what “Kingdom good” you’ve done in the past, there is much more to do for God. No matter what failures you’ve experienced in the past, God still desires to use you if you’re willing. What you need is a short memory. No one should be resting on their “spiritual accomplishments” when there are more and more people in Genesee Country in need of a loving Savior. Neither should anyone be allowing the enemy to cast guilt over grace in his life because of something he did in the past that is under the blood of Jesus Christ. Instead, we need to passionately pursue our purpose for God as long as we have breath in our lungs. Paul often used the metaphor of “running in a race” when it came to his journey of faith. He literally saw his life as a never-ending race until he was ready to meet Jesus face to face. We must adopt the same aggressive spirit that embodied Paul. Instead of apathy, he chose action. Instead of complacency, he chose commitment. Instead of laziness, he chose love. No matter what your feelings tell you, your purpose is not over! Push and push again!
“Sit back and relax, you’ve done enough” is a cultural slogan that doesn’t fit Christianity! Neither is, “you could never be used by God because of your past!” Those two thought processes are in contrast to the challenge the Apostle Paul gave to the Philippians. Remember, Paul wanted the church to follow his passionate example. He was a man who had experienced it all! From great prosperity to great poverty, Paul had lived both extremes. Now, he was planting churches all over the known world, and that wasn’t enough for him. Literally, Paul would “work for the Gospel” until the day he died. There was no retirement plan for the great apostle. He is the perfect model for us to follow. No matter what “Kingdom good” you’ve done in the past, there is much more to do for God. No matter what failures you’ve experienced in the past, God still desires to use you if you’re willing. What you need is a short memory. No one should be resting on their “spiritual accomplishments” when there are more and more people in Genesee Country in need of a loving Savior. Neither should anyone be allowing the enemy to cast guilt over grace in his life because of something he did in the past that is under the blood of Jesus Christ. Instead, we need to passionately pursue our purpose for God as long as we have breath in our lungs. Paul often used the metaphor of “running in a race” when it came to his journey of faith. He literally saw his life as a never-ending race until he was ready to meet Jesus face to face. We must adopt the same aggressive spirit that embodied Paul. Instead of apathy, he chose action. Instead of complacency, he chose commitment. Instead of laziness, he chose love. No matter what your feelings tell you, your purpose is not over! Push and push again!
Posted in Devotional