Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Rebuking Others - God's Way

“Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him (Daniel 6:4, KJV).

Daniel’s godly life was a constant rebuke to others. His loyalty, integrity, and honesty condemned his peers. Daniel was difference. His only weak point was His relationship with God. Enemies of a believer often seek to create a conflict based on the believer’s relationship with God. I remember one such accusation leveled against me some years ago. As pastor, I insisted on my mornings for uninterrupted time of prayer and Bible study, a leader of the church who did not spend time in deepening his relationship with God tried to create a conflict saying, “The pastor is not available to our members.”

As spiritual leaders, we do not always have to be available, but we do have to be loyal and faithful to God. We are to live such a moral life that charges brought by the enemy will be seen as a lie or a trap of the enemy. Philippians teaches us to “Do all things without murmurings and disputing: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shines lights in the world; holding forth the word of life…” (14-16a). I never heard anyone pick up my enemies battle, God fault that battle.

There is nothing more important for you as a believer, than spending time with God and deepening your personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to be strong and determined to deepen my relationship with you. Help me to look only upon that which honors you, speak only that word that builds up, and labor only to strengthen your Kingdom. Lord, help me to be different from the world, a pleasing representative of you. Amen”

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

thanks doc - meaningful