Every Christian wants to serve the Lord Jesus and leave an imprint of His Presence everywhere they go and upon everyone they encounter. However, not every Christian is willing to pay the cost to do so. Many Christians are eager to be used and bear fruit for the Lord, but few are willing to go through the only path do so. The path to being a fruitful servant of the Lord in His harvest involves taking up a cross daily (willingness to suffer), denying oneself (refuse to be self-centered), and following Him (radical obedience to His Word). But something must occur in the life of a servant of Jesus before these three necessary elements for fruitfulness will be lived out in our lives. We must be broken of self-will, self-sufficiency, and self-interests. And that brokenness only comes from walking the same path of servitude Jesus did; a path of suffering.
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Ministries
Luke 14:27 – Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Here you will find activities and information that promotes growth in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ and our journey of discipleship.
As summer kicks into high gear and vacations unfold, it’s time for our seasonal book recommendation for your encouragement and growth in the Lord. This summer’s selection is titled LOVING JESUS MORE. It is a paperback consisting of 145 pages and includes a nice study guide for personal or group studies. The author is Phil…
Every person has mannerisms. One is found in how we walk. Take some time in a public place and notice the various gaits put forth from people. Some are fast-paced; others at a snail’s pace. Others may walk with a limp while others seem to just glide along. The word “walk” is used extensively in the New Testament to describe the life of a Christian. So, how’s our walk with the Lord today?
There are times, perhaps more than I want to admit, that I wish the Christian life would be easy and not so demanding. Let’s face it. We cannot honesty read the New Testament and come away with a description of following Christ as easy, requiring little effort and not demanding the surrender of our entire bearing to His Lordship. Yet, equally so throughout the New Testament we find the Christian life defined as spiritual freedom, liberty, delight, full of joy, and providing true contentment to the soul. I can see where a person may say, “Okay, which one is it?” The Bible teaches the Christian life is hard, yet, easy. The way to harmonize the two is found in the illustration Jesus uses in today’s scripture and that of the yoke.
We are fearful people. We were created to be fearful people, but when sin entered the world, the wrong type of fear came upon humanity. Originally, the fear God placed upon His choice creation was that of delight, purity, and a healthy reverence for Him. But then sin . . . then the devil comes and gets Eve to question God’s Word and goodness. Gone is this healthy fear. Now born into every human being is what characterized our first parents after the fall – unhealthy fear of God and being afraid in life’s circumstances. How may we overcome the many fears that come into our lives as a result of remaining sin in our hearts? How do we overcome fears that our children may not be followers of the Lord Jesus? How do we overcome the worries of life such as finances, security, and safety in a dangerous world? In today’s scripture, there are three helpful truths given to Joshua by Moses to overcome fears of all kinds.
There are two works of grace that occur in the Christian. The first is what we may call “the grace of justification.” This is a once and for all work of God declaring us “righteous” or “just” as we receive Christ Jesus as our Savior. The other work of grace in the Christian we may call “the grace of sanctification” and has two aspects. Like justification, it is a declaration by God. The word “sanctify” means to “separate for a specific purpose.” The primary work of sanctification in the believer is a process; the process of becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus. It is strongly implied in today’s scripture and a truth carried throughout the New Testament. However, unlike justification, in the process of sanctification, we play a part; a huge part.