Western Hills Christian Church: “You are family here!”

For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10

At times you will have to make a choice between pleasing God and pleasing those around you; for God’s ways are not man’s ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  As important as it is to strive for good relations with others, it is even more important to maintain a stead fast and obedient relationship with Christ.  Disobeying God to keep peace with other people is never wise.  Peace with God is always paramount.

Jesus warned that obeying Him might cause division in your relationships (Matthew 10:35-36).  If Paul’s primary goal had been to please others, he would never have become an apostle of Jesus Christ.  Paul went completely against the wishes of his colleagues in order to obey Christ.  At times, obedience to God sets family members at odds with each other .  When you follow Jesus’ Lordship, your family may misunderstand, or even oppose you, yet your obedience to God reflects your identity as His child.  Jesus said that those who obey His will are His brothers and sisters (Mark 3:33-34).  God does not intend to divide the home, but He places obedience before domestic harmony.

It is important to get alone in quietness with God so that you understand what pleases Him.  The world’s thinking will mislead you more easily when you are not clear about what God desires. It broke Peter’s heart to know that the opinion of a servant girl had mattered more to him than the approval of his Lord!  If the desire to appease others tempts you to compromise what you know God wants you to do, learn from Peter’s mistake.  Determine that you will please your Lord regardless of the opinions of others.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him,”Zacchaeus, make haste and come down,for today I must stay at your house.”
Luke 19:5

In our large world it’s easy to feel that we are nothing more than an insignificant speck in the midst of a multitude.  Our world tends to depersonalize us, seeking to make us like everyone else, but God loves us in specific ways that are particular to us.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to fulfill His assignment on the cross.  The multitudes thronged around Him in such numbers that the diminutive Zacchaeus could not see Jesus unless he climbed a tree.  Zacchaeus would have been satisfied simply to catch a glimpse of the great Teacher.  But Jesus stopped, turned, and looked directly at him!  In that moment, Zacchaeus was oblivious to the crowd around him.  Thus began a special time with Jesus that radically changed his life.

Jesus will relate to you in ways that are unique to you. He knows your past; He knows what you will face in the future.  Because He knows everything about you, His word to you will perfectly fit the circumstances of your life.  You may be in a group of Christians who are listening to God’s Word, and you may hear things from Him that no one else hears.  Don’t become frustrated with others if they are not as excited about a truth from God as you are.  Don’t be impatient with them if they are not implementing God’s word in their lives exactly as you are.  God will personalize His word to you.  He will relate to each of your friends in a way that specifically meets their needs as well.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

(8 September 2008 )

Now all things are of God,who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18

The world abounds with people whose sin has alienated them from God. Christ’s sacrificial work has restored Christians to a love relationship with the heavenly Father. As Christians, we are appointed as ministers of reconciliation. Once Christ dwells within us, we become His ambassadors, and we entreat others to be reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:20). We are God’s messengers of peace, urging others to return to God (Matt. 5:9).

Sin breaks our relationship with God; it severs relationships with others as well. Broken relationships are the epidemic of our day. Sin alienates family members, separates friends, divides churches, and destroys marriages. Sin creates mistrust, jealousy, hatred, and greed, all of which devastate relationships. Only Christ has the remedy for the disastrous effect of sin on human relationships. As His ambassadors, we are to take the message of reconciliation to a broken, divided world. We urge reconciliation first with God, and then with each other.

How tragic when God’s messengers of peace harbor enmity toward each other. It is a travesty to carry a message of love and yet be filled with hatred. Is there is someone whom you refuse to forgive; your message of reconciliation is hypocrisy. The evidence that you are a disciple of Jesus is that you love your fellow believers (John 13:35). In each of your relationships, make certain that your actions share the love and forgiveness that reflect what you received from God. Then you will not only speak the message of reconciliation, but you will live it as well.

Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Henry T. and Richard Blackaby

Text: Matthew 5:13-16,21-24,38-48

I.  God calls us to a new participation in society. (Matthew 5:13)

1. We are to be the salt.
   1. We can influence others by preserving the standards of morality given us by God.
   2. As followers of Christ, we should penetrate into the heart of society.
   3. As followers of Christ we should be a purifying presence.  SEE: 1st Corinthians 11:1; 1st Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7-8
2. We are to be light exposing evil and promoting righteousness. (Matthew 5:14-16) SEE: Ephesians 5:8-16

II.  God calls us to a new relationship with people. (Matthew 5:21-24)

Steps from anger to murder:

III.  God calls us to a new obligation to our neighbor. (Matthew 5:38-48)

Conclusion:

What kind of an influence are we going to be on others?

Isn’t it time we begin to be a positive force - salt - light in a dark world?

Are you willing to be an influence in your school, in your home, at your work?