Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A Fresh Encounter”
Our Bible verse for today: “Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1:27 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “A fresh encounter empowers us to live in a way that honors God.”
Throughout this month we’ve considered what it means to have a fresh encounter with God and how such fresh encounters typically happen. We’ve also addressed the truth that the primary reason we should desire and seek fresh encounters with God is simply so we can enjoy Him and He can enjoy us. God created us to have a love relationship with us.
But another important reason we need frequent fresh encounters is so that the practice of our faith with remain fresh and vibrant, and so we will honor the Lord by the way we live. When our relationship with the Lord becomes stale and routine it frequently results in the individual becoming spiritually lukewarm and lazy. That then will often lead to unbiblical behavior.
As was noted earlier in our study, when God finds it necessary to bring discipline into the life of one of His children He does so out of His deep love for us. He does it in order to bring us back into right relationship with Himself and it is always in our own best interest. But it’s also in God’s interest. If we claim the name of Jesus Christ, but are then behaving badly out in the world, that brings dishonor upon the Lord and it impedes His kingdom-building work. Unbelievers seeing a Christian behaving badly will often be put off and turned away from the faith as a result.
As a child of the King we have a responsibility to conduct ourselves in such a way that we bring honor to Him. That’s what Paul was writing about in Philippians 1:27. For one thing, if our faith is lukewarm, and if the practice of our faith is lackluster and just a matter of routine, what does that say about our Lord? Is that as much enthusiasm as He is able to elicit from His followers? Rock stars, actors, and sports figures get a better response from their fans than that.
And what if a person professes to be a Christian but then curses like a drunken sailor, is mean to co-workers and family members, is dishonest, or gets involved in other unbiblical behavior? What kind of a witness is that to the unbelieving world?
As followers of Christ we have to live in such a way that to even to the casual observer it will be obvious that “That person is a Christian. I can tell by how they conduct themselves.”
Frequent fresh encounters with God will keep us in a dynamic and fruitful relationship with Him – one that pleases Him, is a good testimony to others, and brings blessings to us as well.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 