We are called to walk in hope-filled obedience and Christlike character. It’s interesting to think about obedience like a glass that can be filled with something. And it’s also interesting to think of that same glass with little beads of perspiration on the outside that proves how hot or cold the character of the glass is.
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We are called to walk in hope-filled obedience and Christlike character. We fill our lives with some flavor of hope and then like a glass with perspiration our obedience has a certain character to it.
The early church was totally devoted to the gospel and totally devoted to one another. What a radical picture!
But to you who are listening. What a way to begin one of the toughest teachings in all of Scripture! It’s almost as though Jesus knew that some people would stop listening at this point.
The way we walk out our Christian life is a direct result of the way we hear the call of God on our lives. This can be illustrated by thinking about my children playing in the backyard. When I call them to come inside for a meal they have been looking forward to, the way they walk (or run) into the house is much different than when I call them inside to get some chores done.
The apostle Paul was a man that knew who he was in Christ Jesus. He knew what Jesus did for him at the cross of Calvary and nothing would stop him from obeying the call of God on his life. He’d been called by God. He belonged to God. And he took his calling seriously because his hope was in Christ alone for the glory of God alone.
When you give your time, your talent and your treasure away you do it because God has made you into a new person and he has made you part of a new family.
How do I pray? This is a question we all ask occasionally. Jesus’ disciples asked this question too.
One of my favorite quotes is that good theology (Godly truth) leads to good doxology (Godly praise). To put it another way, authentic worship flows out of Biblical truth.
We need the truth of God to straighten out our worship disorders. The word worship means: to honor or revere someone as a divine or supernatural being. It means to regard someone with great or extravagant respect, honor or devotion. It means to exalt or adore or treasure or to be satisfied with or to desire someone more than anything else.