“Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” Galatians 6:4 NLT
God tells us that He prepared good works for us to do before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:10). When we focus on our own work, we are able to give it our best effort. We are also too busy to look around and compare ourselves to others and what they are doing. Focussing on our work helps us to be satisfied that we are playing our part in God’s unfolding plan for this world. Remember, we could have be born at any time in history, but God chose for us to live now to do certain things for Him. Let us all pay careful attention to them today.
Prayer
Lord, help me to keep focussed on the work You have created me for and called me to do. I pray that I will not compare myself to others and the work they are doing. Help me to remain focussed on You and Your work for me. Help me to give it my absolute best. Amen.
Wisdom is said to be comprehensive knowledge put into practice. It is more than just knowing something, it is about doing something with it.
So how do we become wise? What things can we do to gain wisdom? Here are six ways to become wise.
Fear and obey the Lord – Psalms 111:10 “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise Him forever!”
Walk with the wise – Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”
Ask for it – James 1:5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
Take advice – Proverbs 13:10 “Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.”
Walk with Christ – Colossians 2:3 “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Study the Proverbs – Proverbs 1:5 “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance.”
So if you want to be wise. Start with these six things and mine the Scriptures for more.
Several years ago I was asked to speak to a small group of leaders on the topic of Christian Leadership. In this talk I was asked to share my top five thoughts. Here is a summary…
The talk emphasizes that Christian leadership extends beyond mere influence, highlighting the importance of a close relationship with God, a servant heart, and character integrity. Effective leaders must care for their community and commit to making disciples, following Jesus’ teachings to foster spiritual growth and fulfill the Great Commission in their ministry.
Would you like to find salvation and peace with God? If we are thinking about God and His plan for our salvation, it is important to look at His book – the Bible.
When the Bible talks about salvation it touches on two main areas.
Being rescued from the penalties of sin.
Being brought in to right relationship with God.
In the Bible we see that when Jesus came and died on the cross. He came to pay the price for our sin. He took the punishment that was rightfully ours.
Jesus’ death opened the way for us to be forgiven of our sin and to be brought back into a right relationship with God. In a future tense it means that those those who put their faith and trust in Jesus will spend eternity with God.
The Bible tells us that salvation is found in Jesus Christ and He is the way to the Father in heaven.
Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.
Each of us must respond personally to God’s plan for our salvation. God played His part by giving His Son to die on the cross for us to pay the price for our sin. Our part is to receive what Jesus has done for us. God requires us to do three things to find salvation.
They can be described as the A, B, C of salvation –
A – Admit and Ask
We need to admit to God that we have sinned and fallen short of His standards and to ask for His forgiveness.
The Bible says…
Romans 3:23-24 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
1 John 1:9-10 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
When we admit to God that we have sinned and not fully followed Him or His ways, it is like a huge weight is lifted from our shoulders. We can know that we are right with God and our sins are forgiven.
B – Believe and Become
We need to believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sin.
The Bible says…
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 1:12 – Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
When we believe in Jesus and what He has done for us, we become God’s children and have the promise of eternal life with Him. We can know in this life that our eternal destiny is sorted out by God. God promises us this in the Bible.
C – Call and Confess.
We need to call on Jesus to save us and we need to confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
The Bible says…
Romans 10:13 – Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
The final step in the ABC of salvation is to call and confess. We call out to Jesus to save us and we confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. This means we are trusting Jesus to save us from our sin (our Saviour) and we are asking Him to be our King and ruler of our life (our Lord).
Prayer to find salvation
Responding to God is as simple as praying a short prayer that expresses our thanks for what He has done, confessing your sin and asking Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour. You can pray this prayer right now.
Heavenly Father, I thank You that Jesus came and died on the cross for my sin. Right now I ask for Your forgiveness for all of the wrong things I have done in my life. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, that You died on the cross for my sin and that God raised you from the dead. Right now I surrender my life to You and I ask you to be my Lord and Saviour. Please guide me and lead me in all I do. Help me to live for Your Kingdom by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
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