Note here that the people who truly cause disunity in the Body of Christ are those teach false doctrine! That is why there are so many verses dealing with false teachers and prophets. Our allegiance beloved is not to a church building, a pastor, or even a denomination. It must always be to Christ and the pure representation of His Gospel.
The next point from the key verses is one that is talked about a lot but lived out a bit less. As Christians we are supposed to live thankful lives. Perhaps if modern preaching would stop blathering on and on about blessings that God owes us and started focusing on the blessings He has already given us, we might find more Christians living thankful lives. We are creating a generation of petulant Christians who think that God, who watched His only Son die a horrible death for us, is infinitely concerned about our comfort. What is tied to our being thankful? Letting the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill our lives! Not just the concept of Christ but the message about Him - the Gospel. How rich is the Gospel? It saved us from an eternity or damnation! It assures us of having our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life! You want to live more of the Christian life? Stop storing up treasures on this earth! Eternal treasures are always worth more than earthly pleasures.
The next part of the instructions does not always go over well with Christians. We are our brother's keeper. We are supposed to be intricately connected to one another through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are all supposed to act as the Bereans. Our counsel to one another is supposed to be based upon the wisdom He has already provided for us through His Word. Unfortunately, some of the worst advice we get sometimes seems to come from other Christians! I took a class once on Genesis and the first day I answered a question using all of the wisdom I had acquired in my life. The teacher calmly asked me "what verse." Confused, I asked what he meant and the answer was, "I do not want to know your opinion. I want to know God's. What verse did you base your opinion on." It forced us to think in that class from a strictly Biblical perspective. Always asking ourselves first - what verse? Can you imagine how sharp our iron would become if every conversation or advisement contained this caveat? What verse? Come, let us reason together using the Word of God as our guide!
The key verses and this devotional series start to wrap up now as Paul reminds us that we are to sing psalms and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. So much of the challenge in living the Christian life is tied up in what we choose to focus on. As much as prayer and being found in the Word of God are vital to our walk, so is praise. Unfortunately, the worship of Almighty God has also become distorted in many modern churches. Forty years ago we sang about "How Great Thou Art" and today we sing about how much He loves us. While love us He does, our worship has become man-centered. Even worse, a lot of contemporary worship is overtly romantic or even sexual in nature, confusing a generation of young female believers. Completely unbiblical notions such as 'holy fire falling" and "jumping in the river" have more to do with blatant emotionalism than praising the one true God. As the key verses indicate, it all stems from the condition of our hearts. If our hearts are taught in church to expect the next great blessing and that sin is a passe notion we do not need to worry about then it is no wonder that we sing carnally minded songs to a god that does not truly exist. If our heart however is truly thankful for the all powerful creator of the universe saving us then our walk will be grounded in what blessings God has already provided instead of the entitlement Christianity that is running amok today.
This series ends with a simple global reminder of what it means to be Christian. Of what it means to live this Christian life we hear so much about. In whatever we do or say, we must do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus. That means everything! We do not stop being a Christian when we leave church. We do not stop behaving as a Christian when we go to work. We do not leave our Christianity at home when we go to the mall. When someone cuts us off on the highway. When someone wrongs us. We are not dating Jesus. It is a full time commitment. We must remember that we are always representing Christ. When we counsel someone. When we reach out to help the helpless. When we get angry and curse. When we cheat or steal at work. When we tell crude jokes or forward hateful chain emails. Representing Christ is not something that should be taken lightly. Living the Christian life may never be easy beloved but the rewards will always outweigh whatever the perceived sacrifice may be.
Reverend Anthony Wade - February 26, 2014
