Matthew 5:13-16. Romans 12:9-21.
9: Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10: Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another ;
11: not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12: rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13: distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15:Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16:Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17: Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18: If it is possible, as long as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19: Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it’s written, ” Vengeance is Mine, I will repay”, says the Lord.
20: Therefore ” If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head”
21: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21. , NKJV.
Apostle Paul in the passage quoted above gave us the portrait of a believer, after the manner given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:13-16. Indeed, it would be beating the air and living in self vain deceit for anybody whose lifestyle contradicts these ancient landmarks or established biblical principles to consider himself/herself as a child of God.
For instance, verse 17 says: … provide things honest in the sight of all men , KJV.
The import of that passage is that even if one decides to deceive himself, he will have to convince others to believe his deceit, if he must be justified before God and men. That is a Herculean task. That explains why living our lives in such a manner as to please God cannot be achieved carelessly, thoughtlessly and unintentionally. For certainty , no man who lives in the realm of anything goes can please God because most often, men live to please their fellow men, their families , their employers, their fans or supporters and those they want to receive favors from. Man can really be pretentious .He can do anything to create a false image insofar as it will avail him so advantage. Such a life cannot please God.
But as a child of God, whom do you live to please? I am persuaded that you would want to live to please God as His child. This is the whole duty of man according to Solomon in Ecclesiastes.
But what are the things a believer can do to please God?
1. Soul Winning . Proverbs 11:30.
The Bible tells us that he who wins souls is wise. This is because it can really be difficult to convince somebody to follow you to your faith. And whereas, there are several beliefs today that do not make much sense, and will naturally lead their adherents to eternal damnation, yet not a few will be willing or ready to abandon such unhelpful beliefs. And whereas, the believer could live with characteristically exemplary and Godly character, it will still take ,at least, four years for those watching him or the beneficiaries of his ( Believer’ s )goodness to repent or be converted or to follow him to church. This is why God classified soul winning as a thing of wisdom. Soul winning challenges you to the point of questioning your Christian testimony. Indeed, the Great Commission as assignned to the believers in Matthew 28:18-20 demands that we bring souls to Christ by preaching to them ; establish souls in Christ by teaching them , and deploying souls for Christ by engaging them for kingdom service. Anything anybody is doing in the kingdom of God or in the Church should be attached or linked to these core assignments . They all , in fact, conduce to soul winning. And God will always be pleased that we are doing our beat to prosylite many for His kingdom. Apostle Peter said in Acts 6:4 that they will devote themselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer . Paul told Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season, while he Paul said of himself that necessity was laid upon him to preach the gospel. No doubt, soul winning pleases God because it depopulates hell. It turns men to their Maker. And it makes men to reciprocate God’s love by receiving His only Begootten Son Jesus, whose death on the cross of Calvary reconciled all men everywhere to their Saviour. Convincing men of this simple truth has always been difficult over the ages. Therefore, as a child of God , be involved in soul winning. Your labor in soul winning will never be in vain in Jesus’name. Amen.
2. Prayer.
God gave us a command in Jeremiah 33:3 to call upon Him. In Luke 18, Jesus also gave a parable which whole essence is to point man to pray. This shows that Prayer actually pleases God. When men do not prayer, they are fainting, and, at the same time unconsciously denying God’s usefulness in their lives. Praying brings us closer to God through faith in Christ Jesus. Prayer makes us to depend in the ability of God to help us. Those who don’t pray are telling God that they do not need His help Yet, God is our Ebenezer, our ever- present help . God is therefore well pleased when we pray. Jesus also prayed to please His Father. It was through prayer that He received anointing as recorded in Acts 10:38, that He went about doing good and delivering them that were oppressed by the devil. We cannot afford not to pray. Prayer brings down power to do great and mighty things in Christ Jesus.
As a child of God, what is prayer to you?
Make prayer a subject of pleasure to God, going forward in Jesus’name. Praying without ceasing pleases our Father who dwells in the heavens.
3. The Reading and Study of the word.
God’s word is such a beauty that if it captures your whole being, you will be operating in a different frequency from mortal men. The sons of Isachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 were said to have understood the times because they knew what Israel should do at any point in time. Their brethren were at their command because they got understanding by the WORD. The Bible also tells us that Daniel got understanding by reading of the word.
The Bible says that God’s word is light and lamp . It directs. It lightens our darkness.. it’s the word of God that saves us through faith in Christ Jesus. When we study the word and applies it to our daily lives, our faith is built up the more. And we, as believers are better placed to do exploits.
God told Joshua that this book of the law must not depart from him – if he must have good success.Yes, Paul challenges us to study the Scriptures very diligently so that we will not be ashamed in interpreting it to our hearers. In studying the word and meditating in it, we have life. The volume of God’s word in us separates us from the ordinary person who doesn’t know the plan and purpose of God for their lives or for their generation. This was what made the Isachars different from their brethren.
What is the word of God to you,?
How often do you read and study it?
The Bible says that when we study and think on the word of God, we have eternal life. John 5:39.
Through the study of the word, God speaks to you. And it pleases God that you study His WORD.
4. Good Works.
(To be continued in the next Conversation). God bless. Happy Sunday.
Pastor Okoro can be reached on:
08051000462.
October 31.
