Memorise: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1st Corinthians 11:1
Read: Hebrews 6:9-15, 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For
God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye
have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints,
and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 18:17-20:42, Proverbs 6:28-7:9
There
are certain spiritual pacesetters in the Church who when a
conscientious Christian takes time to emulate, heaven would be his
limit. It is unfortunate, however, that these spiritual pace setters are
very few nowadays unlike in the days of old when an apostle wrote:
“And
ye become followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in
much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So that ye were ensamples
to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”
1st Thessalonians 1:6-7
When
were the outstanding Christian living standards that the early
disciples lived by? Some could be deduced in the above quoted scripture:
Firstly, they received the Word with joy despite the fact that it was
hard. Today, Christianity has become a ‘bread and butter’ affair. Any
New Testament injunction that brings about a slight affliction is thrown
away as it comes from the pulpit. This has made many post-modern
preachers not to bother about preaching the hard truth any more. They
see it as an exercise in futility, so you hear them say, “don’t preach
such things; they won’t accept that from you!” At the beginning of this
apostasy, it was the modern day Christians who picked and chose what
they would accept, while they threw the rest back at the preacher. These
days, it is the preachers who ‘carefully’ select the message that will
be ‘offensive’ to their congregation. These are no spiritual pace
setters. I will like to warn a preacher using this devotional with the
Words of the Lord in Ezekiel 33:7-8
“So
thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of
Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them
from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely
die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked
man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I required at thine
hand.
”
Apart
from warning the evil-doers and sinners against wickedness by word of
mouth, a spiritual pace setter must practice what he preaches. A
Christian, and particularly a preacher, must live as a light in this
world. The Bible says:” … of all that Jesus began both to do and teach”
(Acts 1:1). This exactly was the pattern of life of the early apostles;
the reason they were able to admonish brethren to be followers of them
as they were of Christ. In transparent faithfulness, Christians should
set the pace for the unbelievers. In godliness, believers in Christ must
be spiritual pacesetters and perfect examples of their generation.
Jesus Christ said:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
Prayer Point
Father, please make me a spiritual pacesetter so that millions may come to Your Kingdom through me.
