"Be humble, cast
your concerns and cares on Him; be sober of spirit, stay on the alert for your
adversary the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour" (I Peter 5:6-8- Hainley
rendition)
Hey Gang: When I was a little squeezer I tried to be
an imitator of all my heroes. Saturday morning was a ritual in my life, I
would truck off the movie theater and watch Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Lone
Ranger and all the other heroes of that day. On the way home from the
theater I visualized myself as an imitator of those great heroes. But the
agreement with my mom was, I could go to be with my heroes in the morning but
the afternoon and chores belonged to her. It did not take long after
arriving home that the imitations went by the board and reality set in.
Is it okay to be an imitator? Paul said, “If you really want to be great in God’s
kingdom then be an imitator of God.” Paul also wrote, in his first
letter to the Corinthians, “For in
Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore, I exhort
you to be imitators of me” (4:15b-15). Do you think it would be
okay to be an imitator of Paul?
Paul also wrote, “Examine
everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess.
5:21). But notice he laid a solid foundation for this statement, just as
he often did in his teaching, by setting prerequisites before giving us the
practical application.
He said, "rejoice
always!". I have learned that 'rejoice always' is an attitude that is
controlled by my will. I can choose to
be in an attitude of praise or I can choose to let the adverse circumstances
take control of me. Oh, I wish I had
more time to expand on this vital point!
Paul's second prerequisite is the foundation of all we do in
our Christian walk, "Pray without
ceasing". I do not believe Paul
is talking about the ‘hit and run’ variety of prayer that fits into the tiny
holes left in our day planner, but when we give sacrificial time to the
Lord. Oh, I wish I had more time to
expand on hits vital point!
Paul's third point is equally tough and requires a deep
discipline: "In everything give
thanks: "Why?"…for this is
God's will for you in Christ Jesus".
Do you have times when it is just nigh on to impossible to ‘give thanks?’ I certainly have, but as the Amish man said, “It
is at those times we have to have the positive things on file in our soul so we
can draw on those victories.” Oh, how I
wish I time to expand on this point!
Paul's fourth and fifth prerequisites are "Do not quench the spirit" and “Do not despise prophetic
utterances". How does one do
that? Paul addresses this in Colossians three and it is worth reading weekly.
Oh, how I would like to expand on this point!
Sixth, "Examine
everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every from
of evil". I mean, why would
Paul include that? Does not every
Christian examine everything? Give the bad the boot and only keep the
good? Okay I am being a wee bit
factious. Not every Christian checks and
chucks the bad stuff. Oh, how I would
like to expand of this point.
Sooooo, Paul caps his
teaching on how to live very effective lives for Christ with a large, juicy
cheery, "Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be
preserved complete, without blame at the coming of Lord Jesus Christ"
(I Thess. 5:16- 24). Now my friends it
is time to lay aside the cares of the world and expand on what God is saying to
you through His Word.
Blessings,
Gramps
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