It is easy to respect something when there are no issues. This devotion looks at how to be consistent even if there are issues that threaten our respect.
Nuggets
- We must follow through with any oath we make to God.
- We must submit our lives to God rather than just declaring to know Him..
- Well doing has nothing to do with our feelings.
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Devotions in the Commit to Grow Our Habits study
Okay. The title is kind of a “duh” moment. Of course, we are more consistent when we respect something.
Are we really going to keep doing something when we have lost all belief n the value of something?
But how do we consistently respect ourselves when – a lot of the time – we don’t even like ourselves? How do we consistently respect the church?
How do we consistently respect the world when it is polar opposite of what God teaches? Burns addressed those questions.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Here is a running list of nuggets for the study.
The foundation of this devotion is built on Burns’ Constancy in Well-Doing and Punshon’s Perseverence in Well-Doing.
Respect for Ourselves
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Cor. 5: 17 ESV)
We are to respect ourselves as we see us the way God sees us.
Upon regeneration, we become new creations. Burns said that respect for ourselves “… supposes that we have been converted from the evil of our ways, for we cannot do well in the ways of depravity and practical evil.”
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But how many times do we struggle with seeing ourselves as new creations? Don’t we continue to see all our past sins?
Being a new creation, God sees us through the blood of Christ. He sees us how we will be upon sanctification.
- “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3: 3 ESV).
- “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Eph. 2: 13 ESV).
- “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Cor. 5: 21 ESV).
- “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Gal. 3: 26 ESV).
I didn’t plan it that way, but every one of those verses started with the word for. Jesus died on our behalf. Everything He did was aimed at restoring our relationship with God.
Because we are new creations, our former sinful nature has been substituted with God’s nature. Yeah, that is a total about face.
Parry described how that shakes out for a person. He wrote, “There has been no change effected in his constitution, only the whole course of his activities has been changed as to direction. And the change in these respects has been so entire as to justify the statement that he who has undergone it is a new creature. The new life is so different from the old, so changed as to its employment and aims, as to be like the life of another person.”
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Ooo, baby! Can’t we see why some may think we aren’t new creations an inward change?
The change alluded to is a moral change — an inward change. We have to remember that we can’t save ourselves. Only God can through Jesus.
Unfortunately, Satan tries desperately to get us to disobey God again. We can lose respect for ourselves when we fall into temptation.
We can respect ourselves when we are new creations. Our new character received when we submit to God gives us healing.
Respect for the Church
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4: 11-14 ESV)
It takes a lot of people to run a church, but unfortunately, they may not all be on the same page.
Pastor Steve just gave us the results of a survey. Most congregation members stated the purpose of the church is to meet their needs. Pastors said the purpose of the church is to save the lost.
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Burns kind of combined that. He wrote, “Our first concern must be our personal salvation and happiness, then the mystical body of Christ, the Church. We must be eyes to see, ears to harken, mouths to plead, hands to labour, feet to walk, or shoulders to bear for the body the Church.”
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But if I were to guess, salvation was not what the congregation members meant. They probably thought it meant being healed from their sicknesses, steady employment, full tummies — need I go on?
Just like the American Dream of all having a success story that promotes them to a higher level of society, many think we have the Religious Dream that we gain many worldly things because we become disciples of Christ.
True, one purpose of the church is the edification of the saints, but that isn’t the Church’s marching orders. They are “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28: 19-20 ESV).
How many people kick at that because we say witnessing isn’t our thing? Shouldn’t have to be? That is a Pastor Steve-thing?
But the edification of the saints is more getting them to grow in their relationship with God than getting them a prosperity gospel with warm fuzzies.
The reason we are all to grow, according to Paul, is that we are “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4: 12 ESV).
Equip the saints — the holy ones who has been set apart. That is everyone.
What is everyone supposed to do? Cunningham said we are to speak the truth. He wrote, “‘To speak the truth’ means here to hold and to maintain sound and correct views of Christian doctrine — of the great principles of the oracles of God. And this is an acquisition of great importance, lying at the very foundation of all true religion, which is built upon right views of the Divine character, and of the Divine plans and purposes with regard to the human race.”
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That is the job of every member of the church. Man, have we failed at our job!
What makes it even more sad is that Boston said this is the way we are to be sanctified.
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We are perfected as we minister for Christ. The Church isn’t perfected if their members think the only ministers are the Pastor Steve-types.
But Boston didn’t stop there. He went on to say that this process of perfection is a restoration process for dislocated members.
Ouch! This is for members who have gone astray. When we think of gone astray, we think of backsliders.
But what about those who want to keep doing something in the church because that is always the way we have done it?
Let’s go back to the Great Commission for a second. Where does it say we have to keep singing traditional hymns instead of contemporary songs? It doesn’t.
It says make disciples and teach them the truth. Some contemporary songs have just as much truth in them as some traditional hymns had.
We have issues because of preferences — our preferences. We need to be attracting people to Christ.
Respect for the World
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (Jn. 17: 14-15 ESV)
Even though we are not to be of the world, we must serve God in it.
In a way, Burns said something screwy, but not really. He wrote, “Believers are not of it, or conformed to it; but they are in it, and they must live to promote its welfare.
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We may not think we have to respect that which is opposite to God’s laws and commandments. I mean, respect is not only agree, but also to admire something.
In a way, it seems Jesus agreed. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (Jn. 17: 15 ESV).
Jesus wanted to protect us from evil.
We shouldn’t agree, admire, or respect the worldview! How do we admire the character of a worldview person that is the opposite of a child of God?
Many people just look at the surface. They see people as good people, and that is enough.
It isn’t because they are focused on themselves.
Disciples aren’t interested in just the outward appearance. We are interested in an inward transformation.
This transformation has to transform us into the character of God.
But we do have to live in the world.
We benefit the world. We have what they need.
If we isolate ourselves from the world, they will not learn of Jesus, their Savior and Redeemer. We don’t want them to not give their lives to Jesus.
They need us.
Making the Connections #1
Thomas made a great observation. He wrote, “God did not ‘strive’ to create, but He strives to save.”
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God doesn’t have to work hard to create us. Since we have free will to make our own decisions, He makes every effort to convincing us to accept His gift of salvation.
It is God’s desire that everyone be saved. Unfortunately, not everyone will.
Making the Connections #2
Spurgeon made a very interesting comment. He wrote, “We conceive that the greatest blessing we shall ever receive of God is to die; but it is better for us to tarry, because — (1) A little stay on earth will make heaven all the sweeter. … (2) We should not have fellowship with Christ if we did not stop here. … It is for the good of other people. … It is for God’s glory.”
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Wow! Isn’t that a kick?
We think of Heaven being the ultimate reward. You know, “… Well done, good and faithful servant …” (Mt. 25: 23 ESV).
We see Paul’s “… to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. : 21 ESV) as the ultimate.
This says it is better to keep serving, winning the lost, and being perfected.
How Do We Apply This?
- Break all bonds made with Satan through sinful activities and pursuits.
- Look at old and familiar things through a new lens.
- Commune with God.
- Minister to people to point them to Christ.
- Live for Christ, don’t live to die.
- Fulfill our calling to do good in the world.
- Provide an example for the world.
- Provide a testimony for God.
- Pray for the world.
Resource
Father God. We want to be consistent in our obedience to You. Because we live in a sinful world, we are challenged by many things. Help us to grow closer to You. Amen.
What do you think?
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