| Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth (John 17:17) bellecofc@centurytel.net |
James wrote: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is
your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth
away” (Jas. 4:14). None of us has a lease on life. We don’t know what this
life holds for us from one day to the next. There are but few guarantees in
this life and how long we will live isn’t one of them. In looking at the
question that James asked we want to notice what our life really is.
1. Our life is one of service to God. Paul, in writing to the church in Rome,
wrote: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service” (Rom. 12:1). This is why we are on this earth; to serve God and
prepare for serving him in eternity.
Many have the idea that their life is their own and what they do with it is no
one else’s business, but they ware woefully mistaken. Paul tells us: “What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:
19,20). Even when Jesus was in the form of a human he was here to do God’s
will: “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do” (Jno. 17:4). We are no better than Jesus and he felt that it
was his duty to be of service to God and do his will while he was in the flesh.
We have been bought with a price and we do not belong to ourselves. Our
lives do not belong to us; they belong to God, and since such is the case we are
to live in service to him
2. Our life is one of service to each other. Jesus said: “A new commandment I
give to you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another” (Jno. 13:34). When we love each other we will serve one another.
Only those who don’t have love for their fellow man refuse to be of service to
mankind. In context Jesus was dealing with the fact that his followers were to
love one another, but there is a lesson there that says that we are to love all
of man kind. This does not mean that we endorse the evil things that man
does, but we must love the man. If we love all of mankind we will work to be
of service to man. And this is especially true with the way we treat other
Christians. Our love for each other is shown by our service to each other.
Jesus instructed his apostles that “whosoever will be chief among you, let him
be your servant” (Mt. 20:27). They had the same idea that many in the world
have today, if you are going to be great you have to have servants serving
you. However, in Jesus’s kingdom the one who serves the most will be the
one who is greatest (or chief) in the kingdom.
If we are going to be great in the kingdom of heaven and be pleasing to God
we are going to have to be servants, not only of God, but of our fellow man
and brethren as well. We as humans cannot seem to figure out that our lives
are to be lives of servitude.
3. Our life is one of obedience to God. Paul wrote “but God be thanked that ye
were the servants of sin, but that now ye have obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine which was delivered you” (Rom. 6:17). Jesus said, “if you love me, keep
my commandments” (Jno. 14:15). The apostle John wrote: “For this is the love
of God that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous” (1 Jno. 5:3). There are many passages in the New Testament that
teach us that we are to be obedient to God.
In our day and age we find many who want to go in opposition to the
commandments of God. They teach us that by being obedient to the laws of
Christ that we are attempting to merit our salvation. However, nothing is
further from the truth. This is nothing more than a ploy that liberals engage
in to justify their sinful deeds and intimidate those who stand against them.
There are too many passages in the New Testament that teach us that
obedience is required by God in order to be saved. James, for example, wrote:
“ye see then, that how by works a man is justified and not by faith only...for as
the body without the spirit is dead so then faith without works is dead also” (Jas. 2:
24,26). Obedience to God is as important as faith in God is.
So what is your life? Since it is like a vapor that appears for a while then
vanishes away, then it ought to be a life of service to God, service to mankind
and to each other and one of obedience to God. It should be like this because
none of us has a lease on life, and none of us knows when we will leave this
life for our eternal abode. What Is Your Life? Only you can answer that
question. Make it a good one!
your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth
away” (Jas. 4:14). None of us has a lease on life. We don’t know what this
life holds for us from one day to the next. There are but few guarantees in
this life and how long we will live isn’t one of them. In looking at the
question that James asked we want to notice what our life really is.
1. Our life is one of service to God. Paul, in writing to the church in Rome,
wrote: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service” (Rom. 12:1). This is why we are on this earth; to serve God and
prepare for serving him in eternity.
Many have the idea that their life is their own and what they do with it is no
one else’s business, but they ware woefully mistaken. Paul tells us: “What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:
19,20). Even when Jesus was in the form of a human he was here to do God’s
will: “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do” (Jno. 17:4). We are no better than Jesus and he felt that it
was his duty to be of service to God and do his will while he was in the flesh.
We have been bought with a price and we do not belong to ourselves. Our
lives do not belong to us; they belong to God, and since such is the case we are
to live in service to him
2. Our life is one of service to each other. Jesus said: “A new commandment I
give to you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another” (Jno. 13:34). When we love each other we will serve one another.
Only those who don’t have love for their fellow man refuse to be of service to
mankind. In context Jesus was dealing with the fact that his followers were to
love one another, but there is a lesson there that says that we are to love all
of man kind. This does not mean that we endorse the evil things that man
does, but we must love the man. If we love all of mankind we will work to be
of service to man. And this is especially true with the way we treat other
Christians. Our love for each other is shown by our service to each other.
Jesus instructed his apostles that “whosoever will be chief among you, let him
be your servant” (Mt. 20:27). They had the same idea that many in the world
have today, if you are going to be great you have to have servants serving
you. However, in Jesus’s kingdom the one who serves the most will be the
one who is greatest (or chief) in the kingdom.
If we are going to be great in the kingdom of heaven and be pleasing to God
we are going to have to be servants, not only of God, but of our fellow man
and brethren as well. We as humans cannot seem to figure out that our lives
are to be lives of servitude.
3. Our life is one of obedience to God. Paul wrote “but God be thanked that ye
were the servants of sin, but that now ye have obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine which was delivered you” (Rom. 6:17). Jesus said, “if you love me, keep
my commandments” (Jno. 14:15). The apostle John wrote: “For this is the love
of God that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous” (1 Jno. 5:3). There are many passages in the New Testament that
teach us that we are to be obedient to God.
In our day and age we find many who want to go in opposition to the
commandments of God. They teach us that by being obedient to the laws of
Christ that we are attempting to merit our salvation. However, nothing is
further from the truth. This is nothing more than a ploy that liberals engage
in to justify their sinful deeds and intimidate those who stand against them.
There are too many passages in the New Testament that teach us that
obedience is required by God in order to be saved. James, for example, wrote:
“ye see then, that how by works a man is justified and not by faith only...for as
the body without the spirit is dead so then faith without works is dead also” (Jas. 2:
24,26). Obedience to God is as important as faith in God is.
So what is your life? Since it is like a vapor that appears for a while then
vanishes away, then it ought to be a life of service to God, service to mankind
and to each other and one of obedience to God. It should be like this because
none of us has a lease on life, and none of us knows when we will leave this
life for our eternal abode. What Is Your Life? Only you can answer that
question. Make it a good one!
Bulletin Article
Belle church of Christ
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| Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth (John 17:17) bellecofc@centurytel.net |
| What Is Your Life? Jerry D. McDonald |