Tag Archives: righteous living

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Making Changes to Fulfill God’s Plan

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Matthew 16:24-27

As god’s adopted children, we’ve been given a new purpose: glorifying our Father through righteous living. Yesterday we saw that this means making certain modifications in our life. Let’s consider two more changes that may be necessary for followers of Jesus.

One potential adjustment relates to our belief system: A Christian’s thinking should match Jesus’. The world’s influence is strong—if we listened to the culture, we’d push ahead of others, take all the credit for our accomplishments, and keep material possessions for our own use. But Scripture teaches that the last shall be first (Mark 9:35), God is the one deserving our praise (Psalms 96:4), and Christians are to be generous people (1 Timothy 6:18). What we believe needs to match what the Bible says is true.

Lastly, we may have to redefine our commitments to be sure the Lord comes first. His desires for us should take precedence over what we want and what others ask us to do. We must evaluate our choices in light of God’s plan for us. This may mean letting go of a favorite activity, taking on a new responsibility, or remaining where we are despite yearning to leave. Our Father wants and deserves His children’s full devotion (Matthew 22:37).

These changes do not all happen instantly at salvation; rather, they take place over a lifetime. Whenever the Holy Spirit reveals a deeper truth or calls us to a new work, we will have additional alterations to make. But such changes are accompanied by the confidence of knowing that God will use us to fulfill His plan.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Wings and Weights

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Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. —2 Timothy 2:22

Have you ever noticed that when you hang around certain people, you end up eating the wrong things? They always want to order the pizza or the hamburgers and French fries and onion rings. Then there are the people who eat very well, and when you are around them, you kind of adapt and make healthier choices too.

In the same way, there are some people who either will drag you down spiritually or make you want to do better spiritually. There are some people who either will dull your spiritual appetite or make you want to walk more closely with God. So here is the question: What kind of person are you in the way you affect someone else? And what about the people you hang around with? How do they affect you?

We want to think about the things we do and about the people we hang out with, because running the spiritual race is not just running to what is right; it is also running from what is wrong. Paul said, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22).

For example, there are a lot of things you could do with your weekend, but you make going to church a priority. That’s a really good decision. Think about the people you hang out with and the things you do. Do they speed you on your way spiritually, or do they slow you down? Do they build you up, or do they tear you down? Or, to put it simply, are those people or activities wings or weights? Are they wings that help you on your way? Or, are they weights that slow you down?

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Spiritual Lethargy

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For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. —1 Thessalonians 5:5–6

It scares me when I meet people who profess to be believers, but they are engaging in extramarital or premarital sex and have rationalized it somehow. They say that God is cool with it. But God is not cool with it. It is a sin against Him.

When you are spiritually lethargic, you are more vulnerable to these sins. Case in point: King David. He was plucked from obscurity as a shepherd boy to become a giant killer in the valley of Elah and later the great king of Israel. He was a wonderful, powerful, and godly man. But after years of walking with the Lord, David put his spiritual life on cruise control, and we read that “late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath” (2 Samuel 11:2). That woman, by the way, was Bathsheba.

Interestingly, this was the time when wars were being fought. David’s troops were out on the battlefield, and David, the warrior-king, should have been leading them as he always did. Instead, he was kicking back. He was taking some time off. But you don’t feed lust—you starve it. The moment you back off in the spiritual battle, you will be vulnerable. The moment you fall asleep, you will be weak. You can’t take a spiritual vacation.

That is why Paul wrote to Timothy, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22).

This is the warning: Stay away from those things. Stay away from anything that would encourage immoral living.

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Our Riches in Christ – Charles Stanley

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Philippians 4:19-20

As believers, we are truly wealthy because of the riches and grace that are ours in Christ. We have been chosen, redeemed, justified, united with God, and made citizens of heaven. But there is even more to include on our list.

Jesus told the disciples that His departure was necessary: it would actually benefit His followers, as He could then send the third member of the Trinity to indwell each believer (John 16:7). Upon salvation, we are given the Holy Spirit, who seals us as God’s children, comforts us in our pain, and teaches us how to live righteously.

Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, we become more and more like Jesus, which is another blessing from the Lord. His Spirit transforms us from the inside out and produces godly fruit in our life (Gal. 5:22-23). He also empowers us to choose righteous living and break unholy habits.

Another amazing blessing for Christians is access to the throne of grace. At any time, we can enter into God’s presence through prayer and worship. And resurrection and glorification are also treasures for the child of God. Just as the Savior’s body was resurrected, our bodies will likewise be raised; in heaven, they will be made perfect, and we will be free from sin’s presence forever.

Our wealth in Christ surpasses anything this world offers. Don’t let yourself be seduced by earthly thinking, which values comfort and pleasure above all else. Instead, treasure who you are in Christ and what you have been given. When you do, peace and contentment will become yours.