He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
--Micah 6:8
Benjamin Disraeli, who long ago served as Prime Minister of Great Britain, once said, “The secret of success is constancy of purpose.” Now what does that mean? Well, all too often, people today flex and change in their life’s purpose. They act on impulse, not thinking about how their actions will ultimately impact their lives.
Think about it… there may have been a time when things were tight financially, but you were lured into spending money on something you really didn’t need. Or, maybe you were having a great day of walking in obedience when that old temptation hit and you, once again, fell into its trap. Those things happen when, for a moment, we take our eyes off what really matters.
Yet, constancy of purpose in the Christian life means staying focused when the world, the enemy, and the flesh try to take your focus off what’s important and tempt you with the lure of immediate gratification. But the truth is that those things which seem to fulfill that impulse will never truly give you joy. Sticking to your purpose in Christ, however, will.
So whenever you’re tempted to follow an impulse that’s not of God, remember your ultimate purpose: to do what’s right, to be kind, and to walk humbly with your God!
STEER CLEAR OF SPIRITUAL TRAPS BY STICKING WITH YOUR GODLY PURPOSE!
The Patience of the Prophets
Thursday, January 02, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.”
James 5:7–10
It’s popular in our day for people to say that if you love God everything will go just great for you. While it’s easy to understand why that message is attractive, it is false. We live in a world that hates what we believe, and if we hold fast to the truth, there will be trouble. Difficulty doesn’t always come because we are doing wrong; sometimes it comes because we are doing right. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
The key for us is not in avoiding trouble, but in how we respond when it comes. Amy Carmichael spent fifty-five years as a missionary in India without ever taking a furlough. She constantly suffered health issues, and faced threats against her life because of her commitment to rescuing children from prostitution and slavery. Her life was anything but easy. Yet Amy wrote, “There is nothing dreary and doubtful about [life]. It is meant to be continually joyful. We are called to a settled happiness in the Lord whose joy is our strength.”
The Lord did not promise us easy lives or a quick end to troubles. What He did promise is that if we are patient and faithful in those hard times, we will reap a great harvest of blessing. Rather than complaining, we should patiently wait for God to work.
Today's Growth Principle: Only when we are patient during our trials do we receive the full benefit they can bring to our lives.
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