Taking ACTION on the Word of God
I Timothy 6: 11,
12 -- But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight
of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast
professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Did you every notice
all the action verbs in these verses? We are to 'flee' the things
mentioned in I Timothy 6: 10 (temptations, error, etc.), yet 'follow' after
Godly things. We are exhorted to 'fight' the good fight of believing, so that
we may 'lay hold' on eternal life. We don't just sit around talking about God
and the Bible, but we are to get up and DO these things.
James 4: 7 -- Submit [addict] yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We are to 'submit' to
God FIRST, which allows us to 'resist' the devil. If we do this, the devil will
'flee' from us. That is certainly some action we would like to see!
Hebrews 12:
12, 13 -- Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of
the way; but let it rather be healed.
Verse 12 is saying
'Stand up and live!' Then we are told to make straight paths for our feet -- we
are to make the paths straight. Don't rely on someone else doing it. That way
our weaknesses won't cause us to falter, but rather we will overcome them.
Ephesians 6:
11, 12 -- Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles [methods] of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [from on high].
We must 'put on' and
use all the resources God made available to us, so that we can 'stand' against
the devil. For we 'wrestle' not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual
wickedness. The battlefield is in the mind.
Philippians
2: 13 -- For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God works within us to
help us do what we should. It is wonderful to know that we don't have to go it
alone.
Galatians 6:
9 -- And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if
we faint not.
God tells us to endure
in our well-doing. Don't give up, even if it looks like there is no reward.
When the time is right, we will receive back the fruit of our labor. How do we
'do' what the Word says? We, of course have to read it to find out, and then we
have to renew our minds, change our minds, so that we do the Word instead of
what we used to do.
Romans 12: 2
-- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Many of the other
verses in this chapter 12 continue with some of the action we are to take:
v. 9 – Let
love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor
that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
v. 10 – Be
kindly affectioned one to another
with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
v. 11-- Not
slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
v. 18 -- If
it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
verses 20 and
21 -- Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of
evil, but overcome evil with good.
Verse 20 contains an
orientalism that is difficult for those from modern day western cultures to
understand. In eastern cultures, the fire used in everyday life was very
important. If you did not have a fire, you were cold and you could not cook
food. In the village, not all households were equipped to start a fire in the
morning. A woman who had a flint would start a fire, and she would place hot
coals on a shard of pottery. Her young son would take the pottery and place it
on his head, then go from house to house in the village, sharing the coals so
everyone could have a fire. On those cold mornings, the boy was warmed by the
coals he carried on his head. This verse is telling us that our actions toward
our enemies should 'warm them'. In this manner, we are not to be overcome with
evil, but we are to overcome evil with good. That's what the Word of God says
we should do. If you want to argue about it, argue with God. We, at Absolute
Bible Study, WITNESS God's Word. Truth needs no
defense -- you can only WITNESS to it. We love you, but we are not
wishy-washy Christians.
I John 3: 18
- 22 -- My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in
deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall
assure our hearts before him [God]. For if our heart condemn us, God
is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart
condemn us not, then have we
confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we
keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
It does no good to say
that you love others if your actions do not back up your words. We are supposed
to 'walk the talk'. If we do that, we have confidence and more believing toward
God. If we don't 'walk the talk', our heart will condemn us, and we won't have
the believing that is necessary to receive answers to our prayers. It is by
'doing' the Word that we can believe, and then receive great things from God.
We are to look toward Jesus Christ as an example of how we are to act. Many
times, throughout the New Testament, we are exhorted to 'think' the way Christ
did. Then we can't go wrong.
Hebrews 12:
1, 2, 3 -- Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in
your minds.
We need to 'lay aside'
every weight or hindrance in our work for God, and then 'run' with patience. We
look at Jesus Christ as the beginner and finisher of his race, who endured
torture and death on the cross. We look at his example, so we don't think that
our life is so tough, and don't stay our mind on our race alone. We
should always strive to think and walk like Jesus Christ finding ways to teach
God’s Word and bless others.
Romans 13: 14
-- But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh,
to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Philippians
2: 5 -- Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Put Christ on in
your mind.
II
Corinthians 10: 5 -- Casting down imaginations [thoughts and
reasonings], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ [control
your thinking];
Colossians 2:
6, 7 -- As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in
him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving.
Hebrews 10:
35, 36, 37 -- Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great
recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done
the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he
that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
We have confidence
toward God that He will deliver what He has promised, but we must be patient.
What is the promise? The return of Jesus Christ. When Christ comes back for his
saints, we will meet him in the air (see teaching "The Hope of the Return"). This is the great
reward that we will receive for ‘doing’ -- TAKING ACTION
ON THE WORD OF GOD.
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