It is imperative that each believer not only do what is right, but also examine himself to make sure that he is doing what is right for the right reasons.
How would making your motive match the Lord's motive change how you approach the Christian life (from witnessing to praying to Bible reading and so on)?
It has been said that an individual is not truly ready to live for the Lord until he is willing and ready to die for Him. As a believer, one should not fear death.
There is one murder that far surpasses every other murder ever committed. That particular murder occurred when Jesus Christ was crucified.
Many who understand the wickedness involved in murder fail to realize that the scripture also warns “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.”
At times, God called people to enter into war with the goal of killing their enemies. The Bible clearly distinguishes between this type of killing and murder.
Science frequently uses natural reasoning and ordinary terminology to explain away the hand of God as He interacts with mankind. Without God, the more book learning that people get, the more ignorant they seem to become. It should come as no surprise that the Lord said that the last days would be plagued with people who could not see the truth due to their educated state (1 Timothy 6:20; Daniel 12:4; 2 Timothy 3:7). The reality is that the process of bringing a child into this world is a process that declares the handywork of God. It is God that works in the life and health of an unborn child to ensure that the child grows and matures properly. When men seek natural explanations for God’s work, they dismiss the miraculous involvement of God.
Elijah was a good man who loved the Lord. He could not bear the thought of the people of God rebelling against the Lord. Although misguided into thinking that he was the only remaining person who cared about the things of God, he certainly did care. Elijah took things personally when the people forsook the Lord’s covenant, threw down His altars, and killed His prophets. Elijah constantly pleaded with them to make things right. The apostle Paul felt the same way, but his feelings even extended to a jealousy over the people of God (2 Corinthians 11:2). Unfortunately, few people today seem to take such a personal interest in the Lord or His people.
Increasingly prevalent today, it seems more than at any other time in history, man continues to experience a sense of emptiness. Every day, people expend an enormous amount of time, money, and energy in hopes of obtaining this ever elusive goal of being happy. How can a people so desperately intent upon finding happiness find happiness so unreachable? The answer is quite simple. Happiness is not found in entertainment, money, one’s appearance, social acceptance, careers, achievements, spouse, or any other number of things where men continually search for this happiness. Instead, the Bible points out that happiness is attainable for the man “whose hope is in the LORD his God.” Hope can keep a man going when all other wells have run completely dry. Regardless of man’s circumstances, hope can put a song in a man’s heart and praise upon his lips.
The world contains far too many wicked people possessing no concern for God, the Bible, and eternity. Sometimes those who know the Lord as Saviour lose hope concerning others coming to a saving knowledge of Christ. Bible-believing Christians must always keep in mind that as long as a man remains breathing there is hope for his redemption. Isaiah told the Lord, “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth” (Isaiah 38:18). Once death occurs, all hope ceases. The individual’s destination and/or his reward are settled. Yet, up until that point in time, there is hope for salvation, hope for growth, and hope for spiritual change.
