Having a Good Name

Pro 22:1 A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favour rather than silver and gold. If I have my name on it, I insist on it being of good quality. If God puts His name on it, we must insist on not besmirching it. If you're redeemed, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Make up your mind to mortify the deeds of the flesh and live in fear of the Lord. The only way of insuring a good name. Choose it.

Hid in Christ!

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Much is made in this day and age of finding your passion; why you are on the earth. The career gurus and spiritual peddlers are pressing you to explore your strengths and capitalize on finding these passions for riches and fulfillment. They desire to take you through visualization exercises, take you along some journey of discovery. They encourage you to write your goals down and focus on them.....burn them into your soul where you will realize your potential.

Perhaps these desires may be laudable, but they are fleeting. If you are born again you need not pursue these methods. First, these are recycled new age mysticism, eastern philosophy inspired from the pits of hell. Most importantly the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "set our affections on things above, not on earthly things" Col 3:2. Notice here that the Apostle explains that we are dead; our lives are hidden in Christ. People should not see us, they should see the exalted Savior. Gal 2:20 says "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

I believe that God cares very little of our vocation. If you're in the Will of God minister where God put you. If you desire to be a minister that is good...if you're in His Will, you and your ministry will be blessed. Stay in the Will of God and magnify Him with your life. Significance is the crowns you lay before the Almighty! That is the only purpose you need!

The Sweetness of Christ Flowing Out of Our Lives

Have you ever been really thirsty? I mean having such a dry parched mouth that it sticks together? You’re in a place of oppressive heat; its consuming and you cannot escape it. You walk left and walk right and cannot find a place of solace, a place of respite. You venture over the sandy hill and there in the distance at the bottom of your view is a beautiful glade, green and lush. You hurry your pace and find a flowing beautiful shady brook. Your hand discovers cool and clear water so clean. You satisfy your thirst and a coolness sweeps over you like a calm of a gentle rain; it is sweet and it satisfies. What a picture.

In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul starts with this idea. He says, “If [there be] therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind. He uses the term consolation, that is simply, a “sweetness” in Christ. You get that? Think about this: the sweetness of Christ should so exude from our lives that we are like a refreshing drink of cool water to the dry around us; that we are a cool calm to the hot torrent of life to those who are our friends in Christ, and to the thirsty world….a satisfying drink. Ah, but read on dear friend.

You will notice that Paul teaches here to illustrate this thought: Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind. [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. He calls us to a place of humility, one contrary to strife or vainglory. Each of us is to esteem others better than ourselves. Contrary to the world, we are to put others before our own life. Jesus taught, to die to ourselves; He taught to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is sacrifice; this is sweetness. How is your sweetness towards others? Do you have the “mind of Christ? Paul commands us to have the Mind of Christ, verse 5, one that embraces sacrifice and slavery to God; one that commands sweetness to others. Let your sweetness wrap its splendor to reach the thirsty. In His Honor! Sherrell