And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
NKJV
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If you are living the same way you did before you met Jesus, then something is wrong. "Do you mean the bad things I used to do... like lying, drinking, and profanity?" Yes, but only in part because this kind of thinking is what's wrong with the modern-day church. We tend to focus on the 'things' we have turned from and not on the 'One' we've turned to. You see, we should be following Jesus. Jesus said, "Follow Me" and "DO the things I do." What did Jesus do? He reached out to the hurting, loved the unlovable, and challenged the religious people of the day. We have made Christianity all about what we 'don't do' so that when we don't smoke dope or drink ourselves into a coma, we think we are living the Christian life. Indeed, that is part of it, but it is when we love and serve one another that we are living the Christian life. Look at the difference Paul made through his ministry. The world would never be the same because of the life of Paul. Galatians 6:2 What is your commitment to God? You can judge that by your commitment to ministry, to the Church, and to serving others. Think about it. The fruit of our faith should be active. We should be 'Bible-doing' and not just 'Bible-reading.' It is my job to ask the hard questions and to help you with the answers. Here's a hard question... Are you making a difference? You probably already know the answer, but if you are not serving the Lord and others, then, friend, you are probably not making a difference. Life Lesson: We should make a difference in this world for God. Dear God,
Living to tell what He died to say, |
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 Scripture quotations marked "NKJV™" are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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