I realize that many believers, new and old, struggle with finding their place in the body of Christ. Many struggle with what to do, when to do it, and how to know they are doing what the Lord wants them to do. If we are faithful in the little things these questions usually are answered. Jesus said in Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. “ Later, when asked what the greatest commandment was he replied:
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind . 38This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments’ Matt 22:37-40. NIV
To make this as simple and as concise as possible, what better way to show our love for God and your neighbor than to be faithful in the little things? I am sure others can come up with other ways but here are three little things that I do to become more faithful and secure in my walk. Being faithful in these little things helps me see where I need to be.
1) Read the Word Daily
2) Set aside quiet time with the Lord; Pray daily
3) Give Consistently
Making these three things habitual has the additional benefit of keeping our focus on the LORD where it needs to be. It is when we lose focus that we encounter problems.
I will cover each of these points in the coming weeks. This week we cover:
Read the Word Daily
Those of us who are married realize that the best way to ensure a loving relationship is by communicating. One way for us to communicate and develop an intimate relationship with God is by reading the Word daily.
There are so many online resources and many modern English translations available to us that this should be an easy thing to do. If we can only read 15 minutes day, and be faithful in this “little thing”, many benefits start to accrue to us individually. The main benefit is that God talks to us through his word. It is a guaranteed way of hearing him and the benefits are many. Romans 10:17 states: “So Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”. NIV and 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 says: ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.’ NLT
As our faith grows so does our understanding, as our understanding grows so does our knowledge, as our knowledge grows so does our discernment. We can then have a solid foundation from which to impart our knowledge to others. One thing we can be sure of, part of God’s plan for each of us is to have his salvation plan made known to the world and reading the word daily equips us for that task. What better way to show love for God than by following his plan? What better way to show love for our neighbor than sharing his word? This is a place where every believer should strive to be.
Where to start?
Let me make a suggestion. You can start with “The One Year Bible” which is now available online. www.oneyearbible.com . It is a structured reading program that will take you through the entire bible in one year. You can start any day, it really does not matter. If you miss any days don’t worry about it, start over with that day.
When you have questions ask them, that is what your bible teachers and pastoral staff are there for. Discussing and asking questions about what you have read leads to greater understanding.
I hope and pray that this has helped somebody today.
Next week we cover Quiet Time and Prayer in part II of our series.
Until then may the Lord bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
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