Quick Encouragement
This page contains a few short teachings to give you a boost of encouragement today. For a list of all articles and teachings, please click HERE.
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You Don't Have To Do It All Yourself
Blessed are the Meek not the Weak
How Fear Gives Sin a Vote in Your Life
Take the Deal. Don't Blame the Judge
You Don't Have to Do It All Yourself
I think it's human nature to feel like we have to do everything and be everything to everyone. We learn at an early age that success alone isn't good enough. We must do more than just succeed. We must go above and beyond and become "overachievers." Later, our employers reward those who neglect family, health and happiness in exchange for their jobs. This only reinforces the behavior more. Unfortunately, what started with good intentions becomes an unbalanced lifestyle that is focused on the praise of man rather than God.
Look at Ephesians 2:8-10 in the Message Bible.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
When our goal is to receive the praise of men, we start focusing on what we can do ourselves to achieve it. As a result, we lose sight of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We forget that it was by grace through faith that we are saved.
Now, what I say next may come as a shock so hold on to your chair....
God never expected us to do everything!
Yep, no joke. He only wants us to do what He called us to do.
Look at Ephesians 2:8-10 in the Amplified Bible.
For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
In this translation we see that God predestined good works for us to do beforehand. It doesn't say that God wants us to do everything and be everything to everyone. It doesn’t say that we are supposed to work ourselves to the bone day and night neglecting our health, family and happiness. It says that there are specific works God wants us to do. We just need to find out what those works are and do them to the best of our ability. And even then, God didn’t leave us to complete them on our own. He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us wisdom. He also reminds us in Philippians 4:13 that we get our strength to do all things through Christ. I think we mistakenly read that to mean we are supposed to do all things. I believe it means that we get our strength to do those good works He predestined for us through Jesus. Isn’t that a relief to know that we don’t have to be supermen or superwomen? We just need to rest in Jesus and do what we are called to do.
Blessed are the Meek not the Weak
I believe that we've mistakenly assumed that meek meant weak and missed the true meaning of the word. Meekness is a quiet confidence and assurance in God's Word. When you have complete confidence that God will do what He said, you don't feel compelled to defend, protect or promote yourself. You have confidence in the authority that God gave to you and you know that you have all of heaven's resources at your disposal if you need them. There's no need to get uptight or anxious because you know how it's going to end. You win. God's got your back. You can then simply rest in His promises.
I believe the world has seen Christians resting in God and mistaken it for weakness. This isn't surprising though because many have an inaccurate picture of Jesus' character as well. Even though Jesus believed in peace and love He wasn't a push over or a wimp. I believe that Jesus demonstrated a strong, quiet confidence that instinctively demanded respect. He didn't need to yell and shout and fight. People were drawn to Him because of that confidence of knowing He was the I Am and because of the Father’s love that exuded from everything He said and did. They felt God's love through Jesus' gentleness.
You've probably seen a picture of a big, strong man holding a delicate, little baby. Without words or movement, the picture says so much. The man's muscles and physique prove his strength and power, but the way he cradles the baby shows his love and gentleness. I believe that's the picture God wants us to have about Him. God is our Father with unsurpassing strength and power. He stands guard over us to defend and protect us. He is omniscient and omnipresent. He is also Love which is the gentle side of His character. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us. He loved us so much that He worked out an intricate redemption plan to save us. He welcomes us back like the prodigal son and puts out a grand party to celebrate our arrival. This is regardless of our mistakes or shortcomings. He has made us righteous and joint heirs with Christ. He has stored up an inheritance for us that we can enjoy here on earth and for eternity in heaven.
With all that said, I wonder if we could close the door on this question with some Biblical truths. We were made in the likeness of God. We know that God isn't weak therefore we aren't either. And, if the meek are the blessed, then meek can't mean weak because we are blessed. We are blessed coming in and going out. We are blessed in the city and in the fields. Everything we set our hands to do is blessed. We are blessed to be a blessing. You can't be a blessing to others if you're weak. This seals it for me, how about you?
Further Explanation of "Meek"
Source: "The Strong's Concise Concordance and Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible," 1997 Thomas Nelson, Inc.
"It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself; but the Lord was "meek" because he had the infinite resources of God at His command. Described negatively, meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all."
How Fear Give Sin a Vote in Your Life
Wow! That completely caught my attention tonight as I was reading in Romans.
Romans 6:6-14 (Message Bible)
Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life - no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time remember, you've been raised from the dead - into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
My first thought about the word sin was the really bad stuff like murder and stealing or even unforgiveness. But then I got to thinking that this also refers to fear. Fear is in the old kingdom not God's kingdom. When we allow ourselves to worry or fret about something, we are giving sin (i.e. fear) a vote in how we respond to a situation. By even considering the option of "what if this happens" we may be giving fear the time of day as we are warned against doing.
In Philippians 4:6 we are told "do not fret or have anxiety about anything."
In John 14:27 (Amplified Bible) we are told:
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]
We are making choices everyday as to which kingdom's principles we want to live under. If we choose to be troubled, afraid, etc. we are chosing the old kingdom . . .The old lifestyle we have been freed from. God gave us a new lifestyle but if we choose to go back to our old house in the old kingdom, He can't stop us. (Romans 6:1-3) But, if we choose to not let our hearts be troubled and afraid, we are making an active decision to choose God's kingdom which gives us peace.
Take the Deal. Don't Blame the Judge.
Have you ever heard someone blame God for something that happened because of that person's own free will?
Our pastor gave a great example on Sunday. You are in a courtroom. Your son is on trial and has been found guilty. The judge must sentence your son to life in prison without parole because that is the punishment under our country's law. It wasn't the judge's fault that your son broke the law. He did that under his own free will. The judge just had the unfortunate responsibility of having to declare the s entence based on the facts presented.
People often have difficulties understanding how a God who is Love could sentence a person to hell. However, people often miss the role that their own free will plays in the sentence.
God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to suffer and die in our place and pay the punishment for us. Jesus exchanged places with us and paid the sentence for us so that we could walk free. The blood He shed on the cross erases all of our sins as if we never committed them. For people who have committed their life to Christ, God sees them through that blood. He sees a person who is blameless.
However, if you don't accept Jesus as our Savior, His blood cannot cover us. Matthew 10:32 tells us that if we choose to avoid a relationship with God, Jesus can't help us.
There are only two options as to what will happen when we approach the judgment seat in heaven.
Option 1
If we are "in Christ", our list of sins will have been erased because Jesus already endured the punishment for us. God will declare us to be in right standing with Him and He will welcome us home.
Option 2
If we chose to refuse the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, our sins will still be visible on the slate. Although God loves us, He cannot go against His Word. Mark 16:16 tells us that those who do not believe must be condemned. God will have no choice but to sentence us to eternal life in hell as punishment for our sins.
God gave us a free will so that we could freely decide whether or not to choose eternal life with Him in heaven or eternal life in hell. Take the deal that Jesus is offering and accept Him as your Savior. You can then rest assured that you will hear "This is my son or daughter in whom I am well pleased," when you approach the judgment seat in heaven.