Over the last few months I've been reading Paul's letters to churches in the New Testament. I've noticed that in a few of them he says something to his readers about living a life worthy of the calling they had received.
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1)
"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." (Philippians 1:27)
". . . so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord . . ." (Colossians 1:10)
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling . . ." (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
As I've read these words multiple times in different letters, the same questions have continued to run through my mind.
What does Paul mean by living a life worthy?
If the gospel is all about grace and not having to earn anything, why do we need to live a life worthy?
One of the things I like about Scripture is that there's always more to learn when we read it. This isn't the first time I've read these passages and thought about what they mean. And I'm sure it won't be the last.
The gospel is all about grace and that we can't earn God's coming to save us from our sin. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't change the way we live.
We don't live bound up by a bunch of rules. We are free from that through what Jesus did for us at the cross.
But, the very reality of what Jesus did for us should change the way we live. It should make us want to live our lives in a way that pleases God.
I think that is what Paul means when he writes these things. Even through we are free to do what we want, we should choose to and want to live a life that pleases God. And it's when we live in a way pleases God that we live a life worthy of God' calling of us.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Make the Time to Hear
Snow crunches beneath my feet with each step I take. Freshly falling snow quickly covers my footsteps. The only sound is the trees rustling in the wind and the crunching snow under my feet.
The world around me has been turned white. Everything looks so beautiful and clean.
I love going for a walk in the snow. It gives me time to think and reflect on things. It seems like God speaks to me most often when I'm out in nature and away from all that would distract.
The other day was no different. I was walking in the snow in a park near my house. I was almost ready to head home when I heard God begin to speak.
"It's been a while." Something stirred in my mind.
I stopped. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear. I had some specific things I wanted God to answer and this was not an answer to any of them.
"It's been a while since you stopped and took the time to really listen to Me."
This time I listened. I quickly realized that I had spent a lot of time recently asking God for things. But it had been a while since I'd sat long enough to hear God speak or taken the time when reading my Bible to really pay attention to what God might be saying though it. I had allowed the busy-ness of the season to crowd out that time.
I've known for a long time that to have a relationship with God it requires more than me just doing all the talking and then just getting on with life. A relationship requires two way communication. I need to listen too. I'm just not always good at listening.
But that evening on my walk, I was reminded that I need to make listening for God a regular part of my life no matter the season. Listening doesn't mean I have to just sit there for hours. But I need to stop talking long enough to hear God speak. And sometimes that may mean sitting. Other time that means paying attention to things around me to be able to hear what God may be saying through them.
"Lord, help me to make listening to You a priority. Keep my eyes and ears open to what You are saying."
With that, I headed for home.
How do you do at listening to God speak in your own life?
Has it been a while since you took the time to listen? In prayer? Through taking the time to slow down when you read your Bible to actually hear from God?
The world around me has been turned white. Everything looks so beautiful and clean.
I love going for a walk in the snow. It gives me time to think and reflect on things. It seems like God speaks to me most often when I'm out in nature and away from all that would distract.
The other day was no different. I was walking in the snow in a park near my house. I was almost ready to head home when I heard God begin to speak.
"It's been a while." Something stirred in my mind.
I stopped. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear. I had some specific things I wanted God to answer and this was not an answer to any of them.
"It's been a while since you stopped and took the time to really listen to Me."
This time I listened. I quickly realized that I had spent a lot of time recently asking God for things. But it had been a while since I'd sat long enough to hear God speak or taken the time when reading my Bible to really pay attention to what God might be saying though it. I had allowed the busy-ness of the season to crowd out that time.
I've known for a long time that to have a relationship with God it requires more than me just doing all the talking and then just getting on with life. A relationship requires two way communication. I need to listen too. I'm just not always good at listening.
But that evening on my walk, I was reminded that I need to make listening for God a regular part of my life no matter the season. Listening doesn't mean I have to just sit there for hours. But I need to stop talking long enough to hear God speak. And sometimes that may mean sitting. Other time that means paying attention to things around me to be able to hear what God may be saying through them.
"Lord, help me to make listening to You a priority. Keep my eyes and ears open to what You are saying."
With that, I headed for home.
How do you do at listening to God speak in your own life?
Has it been a while since you took the time to listen? In prayer? Through taking the time to slow down when you read your Bible to actually hear from God?
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
4 Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolutions
It's the first day of the new year and as usual there is talk everywhere of New Years Resolutions. For most of my life, I haven't been big on them. Mostly because I haven't done very well at keeping them in the past. The same seems to be true for many people I talk to.
Resolutions seems to be a word with negative connotations. Often speaking of something we make with good intentions, but fail to keep. And that can be depressing.
But what if you could make resolutions that you actually keep this year?
Resolutions you would realize you kept for 12 months when we get to the end of 2013.
It's possible. There are things you can do to make keeping your New Years Resolutions possible.
I usually call them goals, not resolutions. But they really could be called resolutions. And by doing what I'm going to share, I do often keep them.
1. Be realistic
You can't make drastic changes in a short period of time it's probably not going to work. You have to make changes in small increments. If it's manageable, you have a much better chance of being able to keep it.
If you want get in better shape, you can't go from nothing to hours every week at the gym. You need to set goals that are more realistic than that. Start with something shorter and consistent. Then increase it over time.
The same principle is true of anything you want to change.
2. Make them measurable
You have to be specific. Just saying you are going to do something more or less isn't enough. Set specifics for how many times a week and how long.
For example, if you want to memorize Scripture this year. Choose a specific number of verses you want to memorize and how often you want to start memorizing a new verse. Such as memorizing one verse every two weeks. It makes it easier to stick to it.
3. Set up accountability
If someone else knows about it, you're more likely to keep it. Tell a few people who are close to you and ask them to ask you how it's going on a regular basis. Knowing someone else is going to ask you about it, can motivate you to keep going, or to start again when life seems to get in the way.
4. Pray
This one is the most important. Pray about them before you make them. Pray while you're living them out.
Some changes we want or need to make in our lives aren't ones we can do completely in our own strength. We need God's help. So we need to pray about them.
The most important lesson I've learned about making and keeping New Years Resolutions in that you must be flexible. Sometimes we make a resolution that seems right and good in January, might not be right and good in July.
We have to be willing to allow them to change with how life changes. If something changes in our lives that requires one of our resolutions to be altered, it doesn't mean we've failed to keep them. It just means we need to alter them a bit to fit our life circumstances better.
Resolutions seems to be a word with negative connotations. Often speaking of something we make with good intentions, but fail to keep. And that can be depressing.
But what if you could make resolutions that you actually keep this year?
Resolutions you would realize you kept for 12 months when we get to the end of 2013.
It's possible. There are things you can do to make keeping your New Years Resolutions possible.
I usually call them goals, not resolutions. But they really could be called resolutions. And by doing what I'm going to share, I do often keep them.
1. Be realistic
You can't make drastic changes in a short period of time it's probably not going to work. You have to make changes in small increments. If it's manageable, you have a much better chance of being able to keep it.
If you want get in better shape, you can't go from nothing to hours every week at the gym. You need to set goals that are more realistic than that. Start with something shorter and consistent. Then increase it over time.
The same principle is true of anything you want to change.
2. Make them measurable
You have to be specific. Just saying you are going to do something more or less isn't enough. Set specifics for how many times a week and how long.
For example, if you want to memorize Scripture this year. Choose a specific number of verses you want to memorize and how often you want to start memorizing a new verse. Such as memorizing one verse every two weeks. It makes it easier to stick to it.
3. Set up accountability
If someone else knows about it, you're more likely to keep it. Tell a few people who are close to you and ask them to ask you how it's going on a regular basis. Knowing someone else is going to ask you about it, can motivate you to keep going, or to start again when life seems to get in the way.
4. Pray
This one is the most important. Pray about them before you make them. Pray while you're living them out.
Some changes we want or need to make in our lives aren't ones we can do completely in our own strength. We need God's help. So we need to pray about them.
The most important lesson I've learned about making and keeping New Years Resolutions in that you must be flexible. Sometimes we make a resolution that seems right and good in January, might not be right and good in July.
We have to be willing to allow them to change with how life changes. If something changes in our lives that requires one of our resolutions to be altered, it doesn't mean we've failed to keep them. It just means we need to alter them a bit to fit our life circumstances better.
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