Lately in my prayers, I have been
talking with God about going to the next level in my Christian walk. While
watching a Christian program the other day, my prayer was answered. The Pastor
was talking about going to the next level in Christ, which is just what I was
talking with God about, so I knew this was for me. He said that you should start your elevation
by asking God and yourself four very important questions:
1.
How shall I
live? Romans 3:21-26
We as Christians sometimes tend to think that once
we become Christian we have to stop everything we do. We have to stop dancing
and singing, stop going to concerts, stop hanging out with our closes friends
who are Christians, but not as deep as us, stop dating or going to lunch with
friends, stop watching crime shows and dramas, and stop going to the movies to
see adventure of futuristic films, because these things are not Christ like. Who
says they aren’t?
Jesus eat and drank with prostitutes and drunkards, He
hung out with a loud mouth know it all and two momma’s boys. One of His best
friends was a liar and a thief who betrayed Him, and He had a fish fry with His
boys on the beach. I believe Jesus enjoyed life and had fun, but the thing that
we must remember in all this is that, He did not allow these things or His
friends to change Him from who He was and what He came to do. He stayed focused
on His task and His purpose. If you are living a godly life in which God has
called you to and the righteousness of Christ lives in you and you are
fulfilling the will of the Father for your life, enjoy it.
2.
Who shall I
love? John 3:16
We are to love God, others, and ourselves as God
loves us. We are to love all people, but the thing in loving all people is that
we are to love them the way God wants us to love them, not the way we want to
love them. You ever give someone a gift that you wanted them to have, because
you like it for them? It might not be something they want, but it’s something
you want them to have.
That is how most of us love others, we love who we
want to love the way we want to love them. We don’t love them the way they need
to be loved, but the way we need to love them. We have to learn to get out of
ourselves and find out exactly what people need from us, so that we are truly
loving them with purpose, compassion, and truth. Jesus loved us unto death,
because that was what we needed for eternal life.
3.
How can I serve?
Galatians 5:13
I saw a video about a little boy who stole some
bread from the store to feed his mother. When he got caught, the store owner
wanted to call the police on him. A man off the streets who saw what happened
asked the boy why he stole the bread and after finding out, he paid for the
bread. Some years later the man who paid for the bread got very sick and his
family could not afford to pay his hospital bill. One day when the man’s family
came to the hospital they were in awe to find that everything had been taken
care of. At the end you see the Doctor who operated on the man as the little
boy who stole the bread.
That is how you serve, you give what you can to
someone in need, you give a little food, some clothes, some money, a prayer, a
help across the street, a smile, a shoulder to lean on, a story to a child, a
blanket to someone in the cold, a pair of shoes to someone with none. Be a
servant to as many as you can, in any way you can that is all God is asking of
you. Jesus came as a servant to the lost and the needy. He is the greatest
Servant who ever lived and He is requiring the same from us. Be a servant today
and make a difference in the life of God’s creation.
4.
What shall I
give? 2 Cor. 9:7
Paying tithes is still one of the biggest issues plaguing
the church today. People just don’t get it. They make up all these excuses as
to why they shouldn’t have to pay tithes; they argue that it is not New
Testament truth, or that God is ok with us giving what we feel like. The tithes
belong to God, period. Obedience to God in paying tithes belongs to us, period.
It is not for you to question what the church is doing with God’s money that is
for Him and Him alone.
The Bible says that a man has robbed God when he
does not pay his tithes, it also says that God will open a window of blessing
when you do, and again it says that those who give to the poor will be blessed.
The tithe is a 10th of your treasures, a 10th of your
time, and a 10th of your talents. This is required to grow the
kingdom of God here in the earth realm. How do we grow without the help of the
righteous who are already in Christ? We grow by helping one another with
whatever means we have. Jesus paid His tithes, but He paid it with 100% of His
life, not 10%, and He did not complain, question, or disobey. He gave Himself,
period. Thank you Jesus.
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