Opportunities to Witness

God calls us to always be looking for opportunities to help people understand the urgency of turning from sin to live for Christ. Paul depicts this Christian responsibility as telling the people in our world to “wake up” (Eph.5:14) – a duty not always eagerly accepted. While the thought may be intimidating, the prospects are exciting. Especially when we realize that Ephesians also reminds us that the results don’t rest on a set of well-crafted words or a skilled apologetic. Because the problem is spiritual death (and not simply an intellectual or moral deficiency), it is ultimately a work of God. As God sovereignly uses our ambassadorship, he periodically takes the reiteration of biblical truth to immediately transform and eternally redirect the lives of lost men and women. It is an awesome transaction to witness – one we wouldn’t want to miss because we weren’t looking for it. In the words of Ephesians 5, “be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (vv.15-16).  May God use you this week to make a difference in someone’s life.

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Know Your God

According to God’s word there is nothing more rewarding or more satisfying than using your mind to focus on your Creator. The Psalmist declares, “Blessed are they who seek him with all of their heart” (Ps.119:2).  Jesus affirmed that the greatest directive from the Old Testament was a supreme love for God that included “all of your mind” (Mt.22:37). When you take time to ponder the Triune God or when you seek to deepen your knowledge of the Almighty, you are engaging in the primary goal of your existence. The Bible tells us that everything about your lot in life is strategically designed to get you to do more of just that!  Acts 17 states that the time of your birth and the exact place in which you live are both sovereignly aimed at getting you to “seek God and reach out for him” (vv.26-27).  And that is not just a “pre-Christian” concern. There is so much more for us all to know about our transcendent God! Paul’s prayer for the Philippians was that these growing Christians would “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” about their God. So today be sure to engage your mental faculties in the ever-deepening quest of knowing more about your God.

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Rejoice

In Philippians 4:4 we are commanded to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” That is quite a remarkable command given that we had already been warned by Christ that life won’t always feel good (cf. Jn.16:33). But the directive is given and our response is expected just the same. Perhaps at some point in your Christian life you have humbly sought to implement this instruction, even when life was painful. If you have, you may have discovered that it is not only possible, it is often the catalyst of a whole new and energizing perspective. Consider the person God used to write this command. The Apostle Paul was unjustly imprisoned and robbed of his “freedom” when he was moved by God to pen these words. First century incarceration is probably not the backdrop we would imagine for a broad and direct call to rejoice in God. However, it’s true. As Paul sat in prison he was able to find strength and hope as he recounted God’s goodness and oft-overlooked reasons to be thankful (cf. Phil.1:12-30). So, no matter what is going on in your life this week, remember these words and put them into practice. It would do us well to “rejoice in the Lord always!”

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Antinomianism

From time to time we speak of the error of “antinomianism” – the belief that for Christians the rules of the Bible don’t apply. “Anti,” of course, means “against,” and “nomos” is the Greek word for “law.” “Antinomians” are opposed to the rules – they do not see them as needed or required in any practical sense. Antinomianism has always been a popular heresy, in part because we would all naturally like to hope that there are no rules for which we will be held accountable. It is also a common error because many don’t read the New Testament with care. Many passages speak of “grace overcoming law” and “Christ being the end of the law.” However, before we conclude that God’s rules don’t apply to us we must be careful to read all of the New Testament and thoughtfully discern the context in which these statements are made. There are clearly two basic components of the Bible’s rules – the old covenant’s religious ceremonial laws, and the various laws of moral and ethical conduct. When the Apostles speak of grace prevailing over the law they are plainly arguing that our imperfect attempts at keeping any set of biblical rules are insufficient to earn our justification (Rom.2–7). Secondarily, the case is made that the ceremonial laws for worship have become obsolete with their fulfillment in Christ (Heb.4–10). While we can’t earn our salvation, and we should not engage in already fulfilled ceremonies, the New Testament is clear that “grace” will always “instruct us” to live “upright and godly lives” (Tit.2:11-12). We can only do that by humbly following God’s ethical and moral instructions – i.e., keeping the rules.

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/