Let Us Grow In Teachability

    Let Us Grow In Teachability

      Each of us must be able to be taught – we must be teachable. We never grow too old to learn. Learning is a life long experience. If we get to the point where we think that we don’t need to learn anymore there is something seriously wrong with us.

Psalm 25:4-5   NKJV    “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.”

      We could learn something new about God every moment of our life and we still would not know everything about Him and His ways.

Let Us Grow In Reliability

      Let Us Grow In Reliability

      We must grow in our reliability. As a Christian we must be trustworthy and dependable.

1 Corinthians 4:2  NKJV     “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”

      People that are trustworthy can be depended on and trusted. You can place your confidence in them because they are honest, faithful, and reliable. They will do what they say they will. People will judge our reliability based on past experiences.

Matthew 5:37  NKJV     “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

Let Us Grow In Purpose

Let Us Grow In Purpose

We must set our mind on and give attention to guarding our hearts, being honest in what we say and steadfast (diligent) in our walk with and for Christ.

Proverbs 4:22-27  NKJV     “My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”

A. We must purpose to guard our hearts.

We are what we think in our hearts. Everything that we see, hear and read takes root in our hearts.

Matthew 15:17-19 NKJV     “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

Our actions are determined by what we allow to settle in our hearts, therefore we must be careful about what we allow into them.

Psalm 101:3-4  NKJV     “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;

I hate the work of those who fall away;

It shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall depart from me;

I will not know wickedness.”

B. We must purpose to be honest in what we say.

When we are truthful in what we say we are worthy of trust.

Ephesians 4:25  NKJV     “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.”

We have been instructed by God to be honest – to speak the truth. A lying tongue is one of the things that God abhors.

Proverbs 6:17  NKJV     “These six things the Lord hates,

Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

A proud look,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that are swift in running to evil,

A false witness who speaks lies,

And one who sows discord among brethren.”

C. We must purpose to be steadfast (diligent) in our walk with and for Christ.

We must be firm, consistent, and determined to follow Christ no matter what comes our way.

Hebrews 12:13  NKJV     “and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.”

 

1 Corinthians 15:58  NKJK     “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Colossians 1:21-23  NKJV     “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight – if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I Paul, became a minister.”

Let Us Grow In Holiness

   Let Us Grow In Holiness

      Holy is specially belonging to or devoted to God; set apart for God’s service; coming from God; set apart for religious use or observance; sacred; declared sacred by religious use and authority; like a saint; spiritually perfect, very good; pure in heart; devout; worthy of reverence.

1 Peter 1:16  NKJV    “because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ ”

      We are to be dedicated to God and separated from sin – we are to live holy lives. Our lives should reflect Jesus in everything we do and say. Our bodies are to be used to serve God. Each one of us are to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice unto God.

Romans 12:1  NKJV    “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Let Us Grow In Unity

Let Us Grow In  Unity

      Unity is being united, oneness (agreement), singleness, or harmony.

1 Corinthians 1:10  NKJV     “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

      True unity in the body of Christ (the church) is not a facade (outward appearance), but a genuine (without pretense) harmony that recognizes we are one body in Christ, and that Jesus Christ Himself is the head.

Psalm 133:1-3  NKJV     “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is 

For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head,

Running down on the beard,

The beard of Aaron,

Running down on the edge of his garments.

It is like the dew of Hermon,

Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing- Life forevermore.”

      God desire for there to be true unity in His body, not hypocrisy. God takes pleasure in the body of Christ being united. When there is unity in the body there will be an anointing of the Holy Spirit. God will also bless the people and the church, both in this life and the one to come.

Let Us Grow In Submission

Let Us Grow In Submission

      Submission is yielding to the power, control, or authority of another. It is also obedience and humbleness.

Ephesians 5:20-21  NKJV    “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”

      God has ordained that there should be people in authority that govern over different areas in our lives. Every person (the believer and the nonbeliever) is subject to some type of authority. Obeying those that God has placed over us (leaders) is a type of submission to God.

1 Peter 2:13-14  NKJV    “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.”

      Leaders will give an account for how they carried out their duties as a leader.

Hebrews 13:17  NKJV    “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Let Us Grow In Generosity

Let Us Grow In Generosity

      Generosity is giving of myself and what I have with a willing and joyful heart. God promises blessings to those who are generous. Wealth is given so that it can be shared. We are not to be greedy or selfish with what God gives us.

Proverbs 11:25  NKJV    “The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-8  NKJV    “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

      Giving is like planting seeds. The more you give (sow) they greater your harvest (blessings). God will see to it that the person who is generous will not go without. They will always have what they need. When people observe the needs of others and act upon what they see, they will be blessed.

Proverbs 22:9  NKJV    “He who has a generous eye will be blessed,

For he gives of his bread to the poor.”

Let Us Grow In Prayer

Let Us Grow In Prayer

      Prayer is communicating with God. Communication is an exchange of thoughts and ideas. It is impossible to have a personal and intimate relationship with God unless you have regular communication with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:17  NKJV    “pray without ceasing”

      There are many types of prayer and many different ways to pray. One way is not any better than another – the important thing is that you communicate with God. Talking with God, intercession and worship all have there place in a Christian’s prayer life and it is very hard to separate each one. They all go hand in hand.

Romans 12:12  NKJV    “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer”

Let Us Grow In Self-Denial

Let Us Grow In Self-Denial

      Self-denial is sacrificing one’s own desires and interest or going without things one wants.

 

Luke 9:23  NKJV    “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’ ”

     If a person desires to follow after Jesus Christ they must sacrifice their own desires and interests for His desires and His interests.

Let Us Grow In Obedience

Let Us Grow In Obedience

Obedience is doing what I am asked to do immediately, and willingly; following instructions.

Romans 13:1-2  NKJV    “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”

     God expects us to obey Him and those that He places in authority over us. He ordained that there should be governing authorities over everyone. Every person (the saved and the unsaved) is to be subject to various authorities. Even evil authorities are allowed to be in their positions by God for a specific purpose. Every person in authority will give an account for their actions and how they handled the authority that God gave them.

Hebrews 13:17  NKJV     “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.”

     We must be people of integrity and be obedient even when no one is looking. God sees us in all that we do or don’t do. He knows if we are truly submitting to authority or not – God knows the very intent of our hearts.

Ephesians 6:5-8 NKJV     “Bondservents, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservents of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”

      Obedience is the key to blessings. God blesses those who obey.

Jeremiah 11:4  NKJV    “…Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God”

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV    “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

 

If we do many good things for God but fail to obey Him it will get us no where. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22-23  NKJV     “So Samuel said;

‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,

And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

He also has rejected you from being king.’ ”

     Obedience is a prerequisite for true worship to God. Disobedience is like idolatry because you put your will before God’s will. God expects us to obey Him in all that we do.

Acts 5:29  NKJV    “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’ ”

      When an authority commands what God has forbidden, or forbids what God has commanded, a Christian must obey God, the author of all authority.