If we truly acknowledge Him in all our ways....does that leave instances out where we do not acknowledge Him?
Summer is a time to relax, reinvigorate, and recreate for many folks. But for me, it is time of reflection and self-examination. Being an administrator and teacher, summer time is less hectic and gives me the opportunity to evaluate how the school year went and to plan for improvement in fall.
Christians too must go through an improvement cycle of reflection, self-examination, mediation, and planned improvement with the help of God to direct an ever-closer walk with Him. This cycle is not repeated from year to year, but rather from day to day.
Only through close examination of each day will we see our own weaknesses in light of our Savior’s example. Only through daily reflection can we realize how greatly God blesses us in each moment of our day. Without this type of daily retrospection, we live our lives as if we are in control thus making ourselves the “god” of our own universe.
Last week we studied chapter 9 of Absolute Surrender and witnessed how careless we can become when we speak about our accomplishments, our programs, our own efforts, and our plans, even if they are actions meant to please the Lord. If our speech does not acknowledge God as the strength and the source of all power through which all things are held together, “through whom we live and breath and have our very being”, then we glorify God less than the Greek poets to whom this phrase was given credit (Acts 17:28).
Who are we? We are nothing. Who is our God? He is Everything. Our programs, announcements, acknowledgements, planned events, practices, accomplishments, and identity have significance only through our relationship to the Lord. We are slaves. We are humble servants owned by the Living God. May our words reflect who we are….not catechisms of what our minds profess to believe, but relational truths of Who we believe in.
Proclaiming what we do or have done will not win others to Christ. Proclaiming what Christ is doing through us, brings both glory to God and shines the Light to those in Darkness.
My heart hurts when I see a missed opportunity to “glorify Christ in my body” (1 Corinthians 6:20) and as a result glorify myself. As desciples of Christ, our decisions should be based entirely upon pleasing God. “In word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord.” I often fail Christ daily by making decisions without considering whether that decision will further the Kingdom. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto to you.” These are not just statements in Scriptures to fill space. God really does want to be first in our lives.
Let's test our biblical IQ:
How many times does Scripture tell us HOW to get INTO Christ?
Only twice: Galatians 3:26-27 and Romans 6:3-11, and yet we would all agree that the concept is found throughout Scripture. We as a religious body take these two Scriptures to be the foundation of becoming one with Christ. Only twice and yet so very fundamental to our understanding of salvation.
Sometimes I think we praise the splinter and ignore the whole plank.
Exercise:
- Find examples of favorite verses which are often quoted.
- Now find vital sections which are often ignore.
Spend time this week meditating on the following Scriptures. I think God is really serious about this. What do you think? What ARE our “other gods"?
1. Exodus 20:3 “ You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exodus 20:2-4 (in Context) Exodus 20 (Whole Chapter)
2. Exodus 20:23 "You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
Exodus 20:22-24 (in Context) Exodus 20 (Whole Chapter)
3. Exodus 23:13 "Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.
Exodus 23:12-14 (in Context) Exodus 23 (Whole Chapter)
4. Deuteronomy 5:7 ‘ You shall have no other gods before Me.
Deuteronomy 5:6-8 (in Context) Deuteronomy 5 (Whole Chapter)
5. Deuteronomy 6:14 "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,
Deuteronomy 6:13-15 (in Context) Deuteronomy 6 (Whole Chapter)
6. Deuteronomy 11:16 "Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.
Deuteronomy 11:15-17 (in Context) Deuteronomy 11 (Whole Chapter)
7. Deuteronomy 11:28 "and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.
Deuteronomy 11:27-29 (in Context) Deuteronomy 11 (Whole Chapter)
8. Deuteronomy 13:2 "and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘ Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (in Context) Deuteronomy 13 (Whole Chapter)
9. Deuteronomy 13:6 “ If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘ Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known,
Deuteronomy 13:5-7 (in Context) Deuteronomy 13 (Whole Chapter)
10. Deuteronomy 13:13 "some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘ Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known),
Deuteronomy 13:12-14 (in Context) Deuteronomy
11. Deuteronomy 17:3 "and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded,
Deuteronomy 17:2-4 (in Context) Deuteronomy 17 (Whole Chapter)
12. Deuteronomy 18:20 "But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’
Deuteronomy 18:19-21 (in Context) Deuteronomy 18 (Whole Chapter)
13. Deuteronomy 28:14 "and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Deuteronomy 28:13-15 (in Context) Deuteronomy 28 (Whole Chapter)
14. Deuteronomy 28:36 "The LORD will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone.
Deuteronomy 28:35-37 (in Context) Deuteronomy 28 (Whole Chapter)
15. Deuteronomy 28:64 "Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known.
Deuteronomy 28:63-65 (in Context) Deuteronomy 28 (Whole Chapter)
16. Deuteronomy 29:26 "They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they have not known and whom He had not allotted to them.
Deuteronomy 29:25-27 (in Context) Deuteronomy 29 (Whole Chapter)
17. Deuteronomy 30:17 'But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,
Deuteronomy 30:16-18 (in Context) Deuteronomy 30 (Whole Chapter)
18. Judges 2:17 "Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers.
Judges 2:16-18 (in Context) Judges 2 (Whole Chapter)
19. Judges 2:19 "But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.
Judges 2:18-20 (in Context) Judges 2 (Whole Chapter)
20. Judges 10:13 "Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you.
Judges 10:12-14 (in Context) Judges 10 (Whole Chapter)
21. 1 Samuel 26:19 "Now therefore, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is men, cursed are they before the LORD, for they have driven me out today so that I would have no attachment with the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
1 Samuel 26:18-20 (in Context) 1 Samuel 26 (Whole Chapter)
22. 1 Kings 9:6 “ But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,
1 Kings 9:5-7 (in Context) 1 Kings 9 (Whole Chapter)
23. 1 Kings 11:4 "For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
1 Kings 11:3-5 (in Context) 1 Kings 11 (Whole Chapter)
24. 1 Kings 11:10 "and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded.
1 Kings 11:9-11 (in Context) 1 Kings 11 (Whole Chapter)
25. 2 Kings 5:17 "Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.
2 Kings 5:16-18 (in Context) 2 Kings 5 (Whole Chapter)
26. 2 Kings 17:7 "[ Why Israel Fell ] Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods
2 Kings 17:6-8 (in Context) 2 Kings 17 (Whole Chapter)
27. 2 Kings 17:35 "with whom the LORD made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “ You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them.
2 Kings 17:34-36 (in Context) 2 Kings 17 (Whole Chapter)
28. 2 Kings 17:37 "The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.
2 Kings 17:36-38 (in Context) 2 Kings 17 (Whole Chapter)
29. 2 Kings 17:38 "The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.
2 Kings 17:37-39 (in Context) 2 Kings 17 (Whole Chapter)
30. 2 Kings 22:17 "Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’
2 Kings 22:16-18 (in Context) 2 Kings 22 (Whole Chapter)
31. 2 Chronicles 13:9 "Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are no gods.
2 Chronicles 13:8-10 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 13 (Whole Chapter)
32. 2 Chronicles 34:25 "Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place and it shall not be quenched.”’
2 Chronicles 34:24-26 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 34 (Whole Chapter)
33. Jeremiah 7:6 "you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin,
Jeremiah 7:5-7 (in Context) Jeremiah 7 (Whole Chapter)
34. Jeremiah 7:9 "Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known,
Jeremiah 7:8-10 (in Context) Jeremiah 7 (Whole Chapter)
35. Jeremiah 16:11 "Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your forefathers have forsaken Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and have followed other gods and served them and bowed down to them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law.
Jeremiah 16:10-12 (in Context) Jeremiah 16 (Whole Chapter)
36. Jeremiah 16:13 "So I will hurl you out of this land into the land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.’
Jeremiah 16:12-14 (in Context) Jeremiah 16 (Whole Chapter)
37. Jeremiah 19:4 "Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent
Jeremiah 19:3-5 (in Context) Jeremiah 19 (Whole Chapter)
38. Jeremiah 25:6 "and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’
Jeremiah 25:5-7 (in Context) Jeremiah 25 (Whole Chapter)
39. Jeremiah 35:15 "Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying: ‘ Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me.
Jeremiah 35:14-16 (in Context) Jeremiah 35 (Whole Chapter)
40. Jeremiah 44:3 "because of their wickedness which they committed so as to provoke Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices and to serve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers.
Jeremiah 44:2-4 (in Context) Jeremiah 44 (Whole Chapter)
41. Jeremiah 44:5 "But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn sacrifices to other gods.
Jeremiah 44:4-6 (in Context) Jeremiah 44 (Whole Chapter)
42. Daniel 11:37 "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.
Daniel 11:36-38 (in Context) Daniel 11 (Whole Chapter
43. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:32-34 (in Context) Matthew 6 (Whole Chapter)
44. Matthew 13:45 "[ A Costly Pearl ] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
Matthew 13:44-46 (in Context) Matthew 13 (Whole Chapter)
45. Luke 12:31 "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Luke 12:30-32 (in Context) Luke 12 (Whole Chapter)
46. Matthew 10:39 "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 10:38-40 (in Context) Matthew 10 (Whole Chapter)
47. Matthew 16:25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:24-26 (in Context) Matthew 16 (Whole Chapter)
48. Mark 8:35 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:34-36 (in Context) Mark 8 (Whole Chapter)
49. Luke 9:24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
Luke 9:23-25 (in Context) Luke 9 (Whole Chapter)
50. Luke 17:33 "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Luke 17:32-34 (in Context) Luke 17 (Whole Chapter)
51. John 12:25 "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
John 12:24-26 (in Context) John 12 (Whole Chapter)
52. Matthew 10:38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:37-39 (in Context) Matthew 10 (Whole Chapter)
53. Matthew 16:24 "[ Discipleship Is Costly ] Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Matthew 16:23-25 (in Context) Matthew 16 (Whole Chapter)
54. Mark 8:34 "And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mark 8:33-35 (in Context) Mark 8 (Whole Chapter)
55. Luke 9:23 "And He was saying to them all, “ If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 9:22-24 (in Context) Luke 9 (Whole Chapter
Make a list of your "gods", "idols", "images" that you have become accustomed to promoting instead of the Living God.
The scary thing is how lightly we often take the above passages and how defensive we are about other passages, especially those which deal with the essentiality of baptism or attendance in the assembly. Are the above Scriptures just as essential?
“You cannot be my disciple” if you do not deny self, take up your cross, and walk in the same path as I walk. That seems pretty essential!
We KNOW that we have given God the priority in our lives if we “do all in the Name of the Lord", do all for His Kingdom, do all as an expression of the Light.
I, personally, am still struggling because I am still making my own decisions, setting my own priorities, making "me" the center of my day instead of God. I am still struggling with using my lips daily to give Him the glory in all things, to be thankful in all things, and to share the Light to all those with whom I meet and with whom I share a part of my day.
I am still struggling….to allow the Spirit of God to fill me, mold me, and make me after His will instead of my will. I am still struggling. I pray that we can agree to unite in this struggle together.
Acknowledge Him in All your Ways. If we truly acknowledge Him in all our ways....does that leave instance out where we do not acknowledge Him?
----FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION---------------------------
We must slay "self" and glorify Christ in our flesh. If our flesh is too busy pleasing self, then we have missed the mark. No one can glorify God in the flesh unless he/she has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:3; Galatians 5:16; Hebrews 10:16). Putting it another way….we KNOW we HAVE the Spirit of God if we glorify God in our flesh by acknowledging Him in all that we do: in word and in deed. We know we have the Spirit if we reflect the Light to the world.
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Found this video on YouTube and thought I would ask you what you thought. Will we shine the Light or hide it? What future is facing your children? Grandchildren? This video is not meant to scare you, but to involve you in the solution! The fields are white unto harvest. Christ needs willing workers.
REFLECTION: How many times does God tell us to make Him the priority of our existence? Without exception?
This is a test
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