Judgment Begins Here

 1 Peter 4:17 "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?" 

 Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows." 

James 4:17 "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." 

Stop gossiping about sin being judged in other churches and start praying about it,  about your own church, your own self. Seek forgiveness for our own sins against God. The time is coming and even now is here when we must prepare for the coming storm of fire and judgment against those who have heard the Word and done nothing with it: not believed it, not accepted Christ as Lord, not acted upon the hearing of the Word. Even in our churches. 

We, the believers, are responsible for what we believe. We are responsible for first living the gospel, then sharing the gospel with everyone we are led to. We are responsible for being faithful witnesses, ambassadors for Christ. 

We, the believers, are accountable for the words we speak. These words must be spoken in the love of Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit leading us, guiding us. These words must be used to encourage and lift up those around us, even in rebuke, love must be present. Even in discipline, words of love must accompany the actions taken. 

We are accountable for the words we don't speak. There are times we must remain silent, even as our Lord and Savior remained silent before Pilate. He didn't bite his tongue, nor did He fight any urges to speak in His defense: He merely remained silent before him who was judging Him. 

We, the believers, will be judged by God for our lack and our sloth. Our lack of compassion for they who are lost in sin and dying without Christ when we could have spoken up but chose not to. Our sloth, our unwillingness to serve in the fields to which we have been sent to work, will be judged by God. 

We who believe had better fall to our knees and repent now before we are called to judgment and held accountable for our actions/inactions and words/silence. Even me. 

Crown of Life

 

What is this Crown of Life? It refers to a crown received by a person(s) who has run a race and won, as we can see by reading the verses below.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!

 Now every athlete who [goes into training and] competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a crown that withers, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither].

2 Timothy 4:7-8

I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error].

In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.

1 Peter 5:4

And when the Chief Shepherd (Christ) appears, you will receive the [conqueror’s] unfading crown of glory.

Revelation 2:10

Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested [in your faith], and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death [if you must die for your faith], and I will give you the crown [consisting] of life.

Today's WORD

 

TONGUE

Psalm 34:13

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

James 1:26

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.

1 Peter 3:10

For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."

Psalm 39:1

I said, "I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present."

Psalm 141:3

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

 Evil -- bad; to cause misery, to cause unhappiness; malignant, disagreeable, deadly, unclean

Deceitful -- treachery, deception, dishonesty, false, crafty

When it comes to food and drink, our tongue discerns what is good and what is bad. But it does not have the power to discern whether or not we speak bad words or good words. That decision lies within the power of our thinking and our believing.

The thoughts we think, when thought upon at length, affect the heart, the decision maker of our lives. It is the heart that determines which words roll across our tongues. Therefore, in order to maintain healthy speech, we must maintain a healthy heart. Can't do it on our own, though. We need Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit.

We need Jesus to wash away the sins that are growing in our heart. We need to acknowledge our sins before God and ask Him sincerely to forgive us. We need to repent, to turn away from these sins. We need God to forgive us, to apply the blood of Christ to our hearts as only He can. Then, and only then, do we ask for to be baptized with His Holy Spirit. Do you not know that the Holy Spirit is for every believer?

We need the Holy Spirit to guide us in God's Word to find the attitudes, behaviors, we must grab hold of and apply to our hearts that our hearts would be a reflection of God's Word. Then our tongues will speak of Him and His Truth, His grace, His love, His mercy, HIM. 

Any words not spoken with grace, mercy or lovingkindness will harm another person's heart and affect them adversely. The old saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, is not always true. Words hurt. And the wounds these unsavory words cause take longer to heal than many physical wounds do. 

So, Lord, please keep near to me. Guide me, Holy Spirit, through God's Living Word and speak it to my understanding. Help me to retain the knowledge I am learning that I might be a deep, deep well and not an empty cistern. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Stand My Ground

 

STAND MY GROUND
Ephesians 6:13

I take up the full armor of God, 

so that when the day of evil comes,

I am able to stand my ground, 

and having done everything,

to stand.

And just so we know what that full armor looks like, Paul compares it to the armor of the Roman soldier of his time. 

Verse 14 Belt of Truth buckled around the waist

Verse 14 Breastplate of Righteousness arrayed ( put on )

Verse 15 Shoes/Sandals of Peace: Feet bound (wrapped) and ready (firm foundation/prepared) to go out and preach the gospel of Peace

Verse 16 Shield of Faith, which extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one

Verse 17 Helmet of Salvation

Verse 17 Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Zechariah 4:6; John 1:1-14)

Verse 18 Praying in the Spirit at all times, for everything and everyone 

Verse 19 Pray for the delivered persecutors, for wisdom to preach the gospel boldly

Verse 20 Pray for the delivered to speak freely and fearlessly

James 4:7-8

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.

While Ephesians 6 outlines most of the armor we put on as Christ's elect, there are others which are woven into the Breastplate of Righteousness: 

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the Breastplate of Faith and Love, and the Helmet of our Hope of Salvation.