1 Thessalonians 1 (The Message)
7-10Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore—you're the message!
I have had so many people say they read my blogs. So, every night I sit down, look through the verses for the night and instantly feel pressure. I feel like I just have to come up with something "valuable" to write. I don't know exactly how big the provinces of Madedonia and Achaia were. Maybe they were the size of Dekalb County or maybe northeast Indiana. Regardless of how big they were, I am sure Paul felt a little pressure when he was asked to share the message. i don't want to build-up my little blog as having a bigger impact than it has. But, I do feel pressure when I think about what I write and then how I live my life every day. I feel so exposed in that, just like Paul, I am sharing my faith. What happens if I mess up? What happens if people discover the mistakes I have made in the past? What happens if I don't live up to my own words? I don't want to be a hypocrite!
The message for Christians is the same across the entire planet. People are watching you and you ARE going to mess-up! I really think that's why so many Christians don't share their faith. It exposes them to the pressure to live up to the message of christ. When people really don't know your beliefs, it's easier to just act how every you want. When we openly talk about our faith, we open ourselves up to criticism by those who don't understand the true message of Christ. We should not feel that kind of pressure. We need to know that we are going to sin. We are not perfect. We will mess up. We shouldn't spend so much time worrying about messing up. We should spend more time trying to figure out how to react to our mess ups. We should be more humble, more honest, more accepting, and more open about our mess-ups. The only way we can lead a life where we are exposed to the scrutiny of "the world", is to rely heavily on the grace of God to help us through. When we rely on our own understanding, our own will, and our own resolve we are in for a big fall and we are in danger of destroying the message we are trying to share.
God's grace is sufficient to get us through. He is the only judge we need to face. When we accept the fact that we will fail and that Gods grace wipes away those mistakes, we can live a life that is truly free!
Dear Lord, Please provide me with your wisdom. Please provide me with your grace. I want so much to present your pure message to the people I know. Yet, I know I am a sinner. Help me to be open and honest with those who see me everyday! Help them to see me as a humble servant who accepts your grace and realizes without it I have no message to share. With your grace, I am the message! Amen!
I have had so many people say they read my blogs. So, every night I sit down, look through the verses for the night and instantly feel pressure. I feel like I just have to come up with something "valuable" to write. I don't know exactly how big the provinces of Madedonia and Achaia were. Maybe they were the size of Dekalb County or maybe northeast Indiana. Regardless of how big they were, I am sure Paul felt a little pressure when he was asked to share the message. i don't want to build-up my little blog as having a bigger impact than it has. But, I do feel pressure when I think about what I write and then how I live my life every day. I feel so exposed in that, just like Paul, I am sharing my faith. What happens if I mess up? What happens if people discover the mistakes I have made in the past? What happens if I don't live up to my own words? I don't want to be a hypocrite!
The message for Christians is the same across the entire planet. People are watching you and you ARE going to mess-up! I really think that's why so many Christians don't share their faith. It exposes them to the pressure to live up to the message of christ. When people really don't know your beliefs, it's easier to just act how every you want. When we openly talk about our faith, we open ourselves up to criticism by those who don't understand the true message of Christ. We should not feel that kind of pressure. We need to know that we are going to sin. We are not perfect. We will mess up. We shouldn't spend so much time worrying about messing up. We should spend more time trying to figure out how to react to our mess ups. We should be more humble, more honest, more accepting, and more open about our mess-ups. The only way we can lead a life where we are exposed to the scrutiny of "the world", is to rely heavily on the grace of God to help us through. When we rely on our own understanding, our own will, and our own resolve we are in for a big fall and we are in danger of destroying the message we are trying to share.
God's grace is sufficient to get us through. He is the only judge we need to face. When we accept the fact that we will fail and that Gods grace wipes away those mistakes, we can live a life that is truly free!
Dear Lord, Please provide me with your wisdom. Please provide me with your grace. I want so much to present your pure message to the people I know. Yet, I know I am a sinner. Help me to be open and honest with those who see me everyday! Help them to see me as a humble servant who accepts your grace and realizes without it I have no message to share. With your grace, I am the message! Amen!
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