LIVING AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS (part-08)

READING GOD’S WORD SHOULD BE A DELIGHT FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather,
in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to
your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
(Philippians 2:3-4)

MEDITATION:
Reading the Bible should be a daily desire (more than a habit) of every Christian.
Why? Because as believers, we are called to emulate Christ, and if we are going
to do that, we need to know how Jesus views everything, how He responds to the
things around Him, how He treats others, what type of relationship He has with
our Heavenly Father, and what we should do and say as His representative.

In addition, when we read the Bible, we can discover the importance of how
various scriptures work together for the good of all people.

For instance, in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he tells them (and us) to put others
first. That is contrary to a world philosophy which encourages us to think only of
pleasing ourselves. Jesus walked in a different direction than the world and we are
called to do the same.

In addition, as we become more familiar with the scriptures, we discover that Paul’s
instructions for living as followers of Jesus, are closely linked to important words we
read from our Savior.

Look at what Jesus said about our consideration of others. He tells us that
when we see Him face to face, we will be held accountable for the way we
have treated others.
    “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels
       with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will
       be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from
       another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will
       put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

    “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who
       are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom
       prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was
       hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and
       you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
       invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was
       sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came
       to visit Me.’

    “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see
       You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something
       to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in,
       or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see You
       sick or in prison and go to visit You?’

    “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
       one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did
       for Me.’
       (Matthew 25:31-40)

We have seen the benefit of emulating Christ and His concern for others,
but we are also given the cold hard truth of the consequences for those
who choose not to follow the guidelines in God’s Word.
    “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are
       cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For
       I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you
       gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me
       in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison
       and you did not look after Me.’

    “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty
      or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help
       You?’

    “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the
       least of these, you did not do for Me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal
       punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
       (Matthew 25:41-46)

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – If I am a Christian, am I reading the Bible on a daily basis
       and am I delighting in the absorption of these God-inspired words?
           Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
           or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of
           mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who
           meditates on His Law Day and night.
           (Psalm 1:1-2)

           Take delight in the Lord, and He
           will give you the desires of your heart.
           (Psalm 37:4)

           Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
           and delight in His salvation.
           (Psalm 35:9)

           The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him;
           though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds
           him with His hand.
           (Psalm 37:23-24)

           Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my
           delight. I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.
           (Psalm 43:4)

           Great are the works of the Lord;
           they are pondered by all who delight in them.
           (Psalm 111:2)

           Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the
           Lord, who find great delight in His commands.
           (Psalm 112:1)

           Direct me in the path of your commands,
           for there I find delight.
           (Psalm 119:35)

           Let your compassion come to me that
           I may live, for Your law is my delight.
           (Psalm 119:77)

          Trouble and distress have come upon me,
          but your commands give me delight.
          (Psalm 119:43)

           I long for Your salvation, Lord,
           and Your law gives me delight.
           (Psalm 119:174)
    – How has reading the Bible changed my habits, attitudes, words
       and actions so that I am emulating the One I am following?

The life of Jesus was an expression of love for others, and we are
called to love others as He loves us. He has shown us what love
looks like: it is putting aside our self-interests to do something
for others.

Whenever we see an example of something being done, it becomes
possible for us to do things that seem unusual and take us out of
our ‘comfort zone’.

Jesus gave us a visible example of a life filled with pure love and
pure service. He served undeserving people at a great personal
cost to Himself.

When we surrendered to the Lord and received His salvation,
these things happened:
    – We were assured of our eternal destiny in Heaven.

    – We received the Holy Spirit to help us with our weaknesses,
       to protect us, and to assist us in transforming into the person
       God wants us to be.

    – We received a ‘spiritual gift’, which is a special gift tailored
       to the person He created us to be. Why? Because He wants
       those who belong to Him, to serve Him using our spiritual
       gift.

    – God initiated a process in our lives called, ‘sanctification’ where
       He would purge us of unrighteousness and fill the void with more
       righteousness. It is a lifelong process of transforming us into the
       person God wants us to be. We can either choose to reject His
       efforts to change us and suffer the consequences, or we can embrace
       His process and enjoy the rewards of becoming more like Jesus.

We should ask ourselves:
    – How has the Holy Spirit affected my life?
    – Do I know the spiritual gift I have been given and if so,
       how am I using it to serve and honor the Lord?
    – How has God’s sanctification changed my life?
       Have I rejected or embraced God’s transformation process?
    – What are the things I am doing that show my desire
       to please God by considering the needs of others a
       higher priority than my own selfishness?
    – Would someone be able to report that I have
       done or said things that show my concern for them?
    – Would others be able to report that I have prayed for them?
    – When I try to encourage someone, are my efforts to make me
       feel good about myself, or to lift the spirits of another person?
    – When I remind someone I am praying for them, what are my
       intentions? Is it to make me appear to be concerned about them
       or is it to encourage them, and do I actually pray for them?
       Note:
           When we tell someone we are praying for them,
            it is a reminder to us of our commitment to pray.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I admit that I have been living way
too long under the influence of worldly values that have
caused me to think mostly of myself. I want to change
and start emulating the life of the One I have chosen
to follow. Help me to make this transition and realize
the positive impact I can have on others by the things
I do and say. Forgive me for the things I have done
that caused others to doubt the sincerity of my faith.
Help me to replace these worldly and selfish habits
with Godly and unselfish actions which assure others
that my faith in Jesus is ‘real’, and that I am not just
playing at being ’religious’. Thank You, Jesus, for
setting the example for me to follow. Help me to love
and have concern for others in the same manner
You love and have concern for me.”

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