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Doing good is part of our priestly service as saints in the Church. This is not something that we should take lightly. Our good actions show forth who we are in Christ, defend us from false accusation, and show a proper opinion of God to all those around us. Doing things properly and paying attention to the things that are beneficial to others is as aspect of our relationship with God that He considers to be a well-pleasing Spiritual sacrifice.
Good is a word that describes activity that is beneficial, wholesome, and sufficient to be acceptable for its purpose. It is used to describe humans, trees, treasures, speaking, and most of all God.
Although humans can do good, only God is good (Luke 18:19), for goodness is an aspect of His nature. However, even though humans are not good by nature, we do know the difference between good and evil and can choose to produce good things in our lives rather than malignantly wicked things (Romans 2:15). The heart is the center of a human, where the person resides. It is within here that we will store up good treasures to use later, or malignantly evil ones to use against others (Matthew 12:35). What we allow to remain in our minds and within our hearts directly impacts our actions; therefore, our weapons are not fleshly, but are mighty in God for the pulling down of those strongholds within us that raise themselves up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6), by which we destroy the evil treasures, so our storehouse is filled with good.
Although the law is good, we do not live by it because through it is the full experiential knowledge of the sin nature (Romans 7:12-13) and rather than giving us victory over it, it becomes the sin natures strength against us (1 Corinthians 15:56). Trying to do good by law leads us into frustration and the realization that within our flesh no good dwells, for as soon as we desire to do good, we find that we lack the ability to do it through our flesh (Romans 7:18-19), and we end up doing things that lack in character, which we do not […]
The importance of training cannot be overstated. In every aspect of our lives the people who do the best are the ones who spend the time to train. From interns to an apprentice, training is an essential part of everyday life. The same goes for living out the Christian life. Often our lives can seem to be so mundane that we could not possibly do something great with God. Getting out of our comfort zone tends to heighten our attitude, whether it is going on a mission trip or leading a crowd of people to salvation or any other goal, and we feel closer to God. We want to do something out of the ordinary, but are we ready for that?
Ever wonder why some people always seem to be in the right place at the right time to help others, and we, ever so willing, never seem to get that opportunity? Well, if you pay attention most of those people are trained to not only handle the situation but pay attention to what is going on around them so they can recognize when someone needs help. I recall a story in the news a while ago of a couple messing around on at beach pretending to drown and the lifeguard comes running over to help, which of course to them they thought it was funny, until he passed them and rescued a child just behind them that was actually drowning. You see, he knew what to look for. He was trained and ready. We should be the same way in our Christian lives, constantly training so we are ready for whenever God wants to use us.
For also you are obligated to be teachers […]
Fighting the Good Fight
Near the end of his life the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging and instructing him to guard the faith, fighting the good fight. The agony that Paul speaks of is the struggle that arises when we stand for, defend, and live by the faith. Fight1 the good2 fight of the faith, take hold of eternal life into which you have been called, and you verbally agreed the good confession before many witnesses, 1 Timothy 6:12.
“The faith” is the body of doctrine that Christians are to live by. As saints in Christ we are not under any quality of law, yet, today so many want to put arbitrary, restrictive, and un-Scriptural rules on the saints on how they are to live and please God, taking the Old Testament and miss applying it to Christians while denying in practice that the Church is under a different covenant based upon different promises. (But now He has obtained a different religious service, by as much as also He is a mediator of a better covenant which was legislated upon better promises, Hebrews 8:6).
Let us fight the proper fight. Let us stand up for the faith. Lets us take God at His Word and live out from faith, not out from law. We all have a course to run that God has set before us. Let us run it properly, not allowing those who would pervert the faith to hinder us. In doing so, perhaps at the end of our lives here on earth we can say, “I have fought the proper fight. I have finished the course. I have guarded the faith.3”
1. Struggling, contending, striving – used of competing in […]
Mental weariness (κάμνω) is an exhaustion of the soul that impacts the mind. It can result from continual struggles, long, arduous journeys, or the accusing of the conscience for wronging another person.
James writes of the vow of faith by those who are mentally weary. In the early Church, the Elders (Pastors) would assist those who were physically sick (ἀσθενέω), praying over them and anointing them with oil, which was used for relief from sickness. However, for those who are having a mental issue, it is the vow of faith that will provide calmness. This vow is to correct a wrong done, which is causing a negative impact on the mind because of the weariness of the soul.
And the vow of faith will save the mentally ill and the Lord will raise him up and if he has done a sin, it will be forgiven him – James 5:15.
A physical weariness (ἐκλύω) can cause a person to lose heart. During His earthly ministry, Jesus fed a large crowd that had come out to hear Him speak on the Kingdom of the Heavens. He has compassion on them because they were exhausted from their journey, Matthew 9:36. A person who sows should not exhaust their strength, for in due time, he will reap from his work, Galatians 6:9. Sowing righteousness will take more time to reap than sowing to the flesh, which seeks instant gratification. Patience in doing good and taking time to rest is essential so we do not grow weary in overcoming what is wrong with good. As sons of God, He corrects us when we do wrong. We are not to become physically exhausted by this child-training, for the Lord rebukes those […]