Above all, rejoice !

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Above all, rejoice !

Searching the Scriptures

What does it matter ? Either way, whether for the wrong reasons, whether sincerely, Christ is announced. I am happy about it and I will be happy about it again. Philippians 1.18

I once heard someone say that we judge others by their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intentions. We don’t know why people do what they do, but if they’re doing something that we don’t like, we tend to suspect the worst about them, right ? However, when we make a mistake, we justify ourselves by saying that we did not mean to do harm. Our intentions were good ; we simply failed.

When we think of the early church, we rarely think of all the unknown preachers and teachers who went from town to town and from church to church. Still, it was not much different from today. Some preachers had correct doctrine, while others were wrong. Some preachers probably sacrificed everything to share the gospel, while others saw preaching as a way to make a fortune.

According to Paul's words in Philippians, chapter 1, verse 18, some saw preaching as nothing more than a means of earning money and gaining some fame.

Paul may have suspected some preachers of having bad motivations, but he didn't mention any in particular. He didn't judge their motives ; he only rejoiced that the message of Christ was preached. These preachers obeyed Jesus' command to go into the world and share the gospel. Their hearts may not have been pure, but they were spreading the Good News !

You can assume that you know someone's motivations for ministry, but you don't. Let’s leave that to God and rejoice when we hear of revival, Church growth, and new souls saved !

Listen to the voice of God

Let’s take the time to listen to what God means. Ask God to change your perspective, not to judge the motives but to rejoice with him in the spread of the gospel.

Praying is easy. Talk to God as you would your closest friend. God loves you and he can hear everything. Here is an example of a prayer : "Lord, like the apostle Paul, I do not want to waste my time in judgment but to redeem the time and share the gospel with good motivation."

Praise God

To praise God is to show him our gratitude. What are your subjects of recognition today ? Take a moment to thank the Lord for this.

Act today

Now dig deeper into what you have received. What can you do to apply what God has told you ? Write down the concrete actions you can take.

Honor the Lord

Our route for the day ends. Let us pray together to honor our God.

“Thank you Lord for the mirror of your Word, which reflects my own heart when I judge others. Help me to keep it pure and to speak your Word to others with the same love, the same grace, that you have for me. Yours be the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. So be it !"

Keith Butler

Source (The Thought of the Day)