Partnerships
2 Corinthians 6: 14 Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? 15 Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? 16 Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God’s holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way:
“I’ll live in them, move into them;
I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people. 17 So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself. 18 I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to me.” The Word of the Master, God. (Message Bible)
– Enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord.
– Keep away from wordly desires. Don’t temp yourself with what you know is wrong.
– Don’t get involved with the world & it’s traps! Stay away from it because it’s a temptation to you.
– Don’t TEAM up (in terms of dating, business, etc) with the unsaved.
There can’t be harmony between the devil & God. We are the temple of God & he lives within us.
Seek the Lord and wait to hear from Him before you make a choice. Don’t be pressured into anything. There is Results in Waiting!
What can we expect from the Lord if we CHOOSE to let Him direct our path?
* First of all, He promises to hear and answer those who wait patiently for Him (Ps. 40:1)
* give them clear instructions so they can follow His path (Ps. 25:4-5).
* They will also experience all the good He has in store for them, since they’ve remained in His will instead of running in their own direction (Lam. 3:25).
*One of the most surprising results will be increased strength (Isa. 40:31).
Normally,we feel strong when we are actively taking charge, plotting our course, and making things happen.
BUT the Lord’s ways are so different from ours.
* He promises to strengthen the one who remains still and quiet before Him, actively listening for His voice.
* He empowers us to endure the wait, and when He finally speaks, He gives us the strength to do what He says.
I don’t know what WE are always waiting for, but I do know that if we BELIEVE what God tells us in His Word and patiently REST in His choice and timing for our situation, we’ll experience a NEW spirit of joy and confidence.
You see, the Lord is ALWAYS faithful to those who seek Him and watch for His plans to unfold right on schedule. He NEVER fails to come through.
Believe His promises and rest confidently in the assurance of Isaiah 49:23: “Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.”
Phil. 4: 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, PRAY. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Phil. 4: 19 You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. (Message)
Every time I read this scripture, it stirs my heart. It is such a beautiful picture of the uninterrupted community and selflessness we are called to as members of Christ’s body.”LISTEN”
Acts 2: 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Through Christ we bask in the light of the new heaven and new earth and become the avenue of redemption for God on this old earth.
Our MISSION is to let the light of Christ reflect from our lives so that others will follow. In doing so we are preparing for the day when “the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.”
Our primary PURPOSE is to live and build the glory and honor for God on that day. This drives our worship, mission, and life.
This is a time when decisive action will be required if you are to make any progress. Your challenges will come in situations where you have been ambiguous. Ask the Lord for wisdom, direction, and guidance, and He will certainly impart it to you. But, when you sow double-mindedness into your circumstances, you will only reap confusion and uncertainty. Refuse to get stuck in indecision. We have His Word to guide and Counsel us.
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in FAITH, with NO doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
What is the “excellent way”
Paul speaks of in the New Testament? It is God’s Way of Agape…His Way of Love.
1 Corinthians 12:31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Amen