"When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." - Genesis 4:12
This coming Sunday morning at Fairystone Baptist Church I plan to preach a message entitled "Vagabond Christianity." I do not want to give away my entire message, but I just wanted to share a quick thought with you. I was very intrigued by the word "vagabond" as I was reading through this chapter. After Cain murders his brother Abel the Lord tells Cain that he will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth.
What does vagabond mean? How is that significant to us in our walk with Christ? Websters 1828 Dictionary defines vagabond as someone wandering, with no settled habitation, no certain direction, and driven to and fro. Do you see the relevance and significance now?
I can help but wonder how many people we have in our churches that are simply vagabonds. They are wandering, they have no settled habitation, they have no certain direction, and they are driven to and fro. Does this describe you? Is this an accurate description of where you are spiritually today?
There are so many people in our churches today that are simply existing, they are wandering into the middle of nowhere in their spiritual life. They literally are floundering and starving to death spiritually because they are vagabonds. I'm afraid this is why we are not seeing the spiritual growth in our churches like we should is because of this very thing.
If you read on in Genesis 4, you will find one of the saddest statements ever made. The Bible says that Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. Unfortunately, that is the end result of "Vagabond Christianity." Examine your heart today and ask God to show you if this describes in you spiritually today. Are you a "Vagabond Christian?"
Prayer For Today:
Lord, please help me today to examine my heart to see if I am vagabond in my spiritual walk with You. Help me Father to be rooted and established in Your Word everyday. I desire to grow closer to You each day and to have a higher level of intimacy with You than I presently do. If I begin to wander and stray towards being a vagabond, I pray that You would open my eyes and show me through Your Word. In Jesus name, Amen!
Showing posts with label Walk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walk. Show all posts
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Growing In Christ
"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." - 1 Corinthians 13:11
I would like to share a few thoughts about growing in our walk with Christ. As I read through Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth I cannot help but think of how spiritually immature they were in their walk with Christ. From the very beginning they were split into factions, one saying that he was of Apollos and another saying he was of Paul. It is very similar to what we see today in Fundamentalism. People are so quick to identify which camp they are in and then they want to know which camp you are in. Of course, if you are in what they perceive is the wrong camp, then they will want nothing to do with you. Before I run too much of a rabbit trail here, the point I am making is that we must get past our spiritual immaturity and grow in Christ to be spiritually mature Christians.
Our journey towards spiritual maturity will last a lifetime. That means that we are never going to arrive at complete spiritual maturity on this side of eternity. Each day that God gives us to serve Him we must continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that we just accumulate more head knowledge about Jesus Christ, it means that we are to become more like Christ each day.
I'm afraid that there are many in our churches today who have ceased to grow spiritually. There are some who are not faithful to their church services so they miss out hearing God's Word preached and they miss out on growing with the body of that local congregation. There are others who never have a time of daily worship with Christ. While it is VERY important to be faithful to all of the church services, it is also EQUALLY important that you have a time of worship with Christ EVERY day. This means you must set aside time each day to spend in God's Word, pray, and fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Many of us have become stagnant in our spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. Why? It is because we fail to spend time in God's Word, we fail to have a prayer life, we do not obey His commandments, we are not faithful to our local churches, and we are not cultivating the relationships with other believers that are necessary for our spiritual growth.
John Maxwell said, "Every great company, every great brand, and every great career has been built in exactly the same way: bit by bit, step by step, little by little." How are you going to grow in Christ and be a spiritually mature Christian? You must do it bit by bit, step by step, and little by little. You can start by being faithful to your local church, then you must determine to spend time EVERY day in God's Word, develop a prayer life and not just a prayer time, and cultivate relationships with other believers in Christ that will further your spiritual journey.
Examine your heart and spiritual journey today. Are you growing in Christ or has your spiritual walk become stagnant?
Prayer For Today:
Heavenly Father, help me as I continue on my walk with Christ to grow in Your grace and knowledge. Help me today and each day to become more like You and reflect more of You in my life. Help me to put away childish things that would hinder the work of Christ. May I reflect your grace in my life today. In Jesus name, Amen!
I would like to share a few thoughts about growing in our walk with Christ. As I read through Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth I cannot help but think of how spiritually immature they were in their walk with Christ. From the very beginning they were split into factions, one saying that he was of Apollos and another saying he was of Paul. It is very similar to what we see today in Fundamentalism. People are so quick to identify which camp they are in and then they want to know which camp you are in. Of course, if you are in what they perceive is the wrong camp, then they will want nothing to do with you. Before I run too much of a rabbit trail here, the point I am making is that we must get past our spiritual immaturity and grow in Christ to be spiritually mature Christians.
Our journey towards spiritual maturity will last a lifetime. That means that we are never going to arrive at complete spiritual maturity on this side of eternity. Each day that God gives us to serve Him we must continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that we just accumulate more head knowledge about Jesus Christ, it means that we are to become more like Christ each day.
I'm afraid that there are many in our churches today who have ceased to grow spiritually. There are some who are not faithful to their church services so they miss out hearing God's Word preached and they miss out on growing with the body of that local congregation. There are others who never have a time of daily worship with Christ. While it is VERY important to be faithful to all of the church services, it is also EQUALLY important that you have a time of worship with Christ EVERY day. This means you must set aside time each day to spend in God's Word, pray, and fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Many of us have become stagnant in our spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. Why? It is because we fail to spend time in God's Word, we fail to have a prayer life, we do not obey His commandments, we are not faithful to our local churches, and we are not cultivating the relationships with other believers that are necessary for our spiritual growth.
John Maxwell said, "Every great company, every great brand, and every great career has been built in exactly the same way: bit by bit, step by step, little by little." How are you going to grow in Christ and be a spiritually mature Christian? You must do it bit by bit, step by step, and little by little. You can start by being faithful to your local church, then you must determine to spend time EVERY day in God's Word, develop a prayer life and not just a prayer time, and cultivate relationships with other believers in Christ that will further your spiritual journey.
Examine your heart and spiritual journey today. Are you growing in Christ or has your spiritual walk become stagnant?
Prayer For Today:
Heavenly Father, help me as I continue on my walk with Christ to grow in Your grace and knowledge. Help me today and each day to become more like You and reflect more of You in my life. Help me to put away childish things that would hinder the work of Christ. May I reflect your grace in my life today. In Jesus name, Amen!
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