It is
easy to become discouraged when you have children who turn from faith in Christ
to follow after their pursuits without the love of Christ guiding them.
It can
be disheartening and difficult to take after a lifetime investment of time,
energy, and money into their lives. You can only pray that the “good seeds”
planted will take root and produce something good in their lives. “Good seeds”
are not just sound doctrine or theology; it is how we live our lives before our
children, which leaves a lasting impact.
The same can be said for when we interact with others who
are our brothers and sisters in Christ, do we exemplify Christ in our attitudes
and our actions? Do we love wholeheartedly? Sometimes we can be a hindrance to
the love of Christ by our opinions or our attitudes toward others. Love is
described as “unfeigned” in various translations; it means not to be counterfeit
but genuine, not hypocritical, real, sincere, and wholehearted.
“Now that by your obedience to the truth you have
purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers,
love one another earnestly with all your heart. For through the living and
eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is
immortal, not mortal.”
1 Peter 1:22-23 (GNT)
1 Peter 1:22-23 (GNT)
Our interaction with others who are not of the faith is
an open door for us every day, every man or woman is a child of God and
possesses the light of God which resides within their Spirit, our job is to
call it forth which is where the “seed” comes in.
We do plant the seed of the Kingdom in the lives of
others with the hope that the harvest will come soon, and everyone we interact
with will come to faith in Christ Jesus.
I wholeheartedly believe that every
knee will bow before Jesus either in this life or the life to come, for the
scripture is clear that Christ died to redeem everyone. Salvation isn’t just a
beautiful thing that Jesus did, He bought and paid for all of humankind through
His sacrifice, all of humanity belongs to Him, and He has redeemed them back to
Himself.
There is great benefit now for those who believe now as opposed to
later, that benefit is the life of Christ being made available to us who
believe, that is the true treasure of the Kingdom.
The part of being encouraged is recognizing that this new
life within us is transforming us into powerful witnesses for the Kingdom. The
Spirit is transforming our minds as he calls us into a deeper relationship with
Him.
“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture
around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total
reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as
you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Romans 12:2 (TPT)
As we grow in the Spirit daily, we put on Christ, which
is our strength and our hope for the present and the future. Christ abides
within us to release more of Himself within us and to live powerfully abundant
lives. The life of Christ is dynamic and demonstrative and can save anyone it
touches to the uttermost.
“Take every opportunity to be a blessing to others,” this speaks of
being a financial blessing. God gives you the resource to benefit others, so as
we freely receive from Him, we freely give. Many of us have fixed incomes,
which are limited, but God always seems to make a way to give when there is a
need to be met.
I admit that there are times when I have meager resources
available to meet others needs, and I hold on to my resources to make ends meet
to buy food or gas, but it is at those times when I pray for God’s purpose in
my giving that He may be honored and blessed and that I can somehow bless others.
It is never about just getting more from God; it is about
giving more from God.
Here is a quote from my former pastor John Wimber who
said:
”Ministry is a life of giving. We give our whole life, as
God should have ownership of everything. Remember, whatever we give God control
of, he can multiply and bless, not so we can amass goods, but so we can take an
active part in his enterprise.”
That is the purpose of being in Christ is to be Kingdom
people, which demonstrate the attributes of God’s Kingdom.
Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett
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