Beloved, there is so very much I
want to share with you concerning His Words of life. Yet, it has become
abundantly clear that far too many have need of basic teachings by which to
grow. God’s Word says that “whoever does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.” Too
many fail to recognize that WE must practice righteousness. Our righteousness
is in Christ and we must walk in Him and His ways to attain His righteousness.
Here is a tool I used to explain the parallels of practicing righteousness
and sports to my son. He played baseball. Everyday he practiced many of the same
drills for game time. He practiced his swing and repeatedly covered
potential situations for readiness. He built what is called muscle memory. So
that when it was game time, he reacted instead of having to take time thinking,
what should I do, how do I adjust to hit this curve ball? You get the picture,
right?
Well, dear ones, we are to practice
righteousness in like manner. So that when we are faced with the challenges of life we
don’t have to stop and call our Pastor to ask, what do I do? Nor do we need to
ask everyone we know for prayer, because we know what to pray and how to go to
His Word for ourselves to hear what He says regarding our situations. Then we obey Him and have faith in His Word. If we practice walking daily in
Christ and exhibiting His righteousness when we are faced with the challenges
of life we will walk as practiced.
Another simple tool for your
toolbox is using the Word of God effectively in your own lives regarding
encouragement. Far too often brethren you wait to be encouraged. This breaks my
heart. For you wait until Sunday and what if the Word spoken isn’t about your
situation? So you wait for the prayer line. Or you wait until someone has a
word of knowledge and then you think God really does care, God really does see.
Oh, what a childlike mind. For babes wait for their needs to be acknowledge. WE
must be like David and ask ourselves, “Why are you cast
down, O my soul? And why are you
disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, for the help of
His countenance.” WE must practice encouraging ourselves in Him
and build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
keeping ourselves in the love of God.
I will not call this a tool yet
it necessary to state. Sin is sin. We must stop pretending sin is oops, I
didn’t mean to do it. Yes you did! The devil didn’t make you do anything! In
fact instead of practicing righteousness many have been practicing
sin. I will not list the deeds of the flesh or works of lawlessness you know
them as well as me. But I will warn you that “those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
And for those that would say, Lord, Lord, look at everything I’ve done
in your name, remember He said, “I will declare to
them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
What am I saying to you? For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need
someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you
have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of
milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness for he is a babe. But solid food
belongs to those who are of full age that is those who by reason of use (practice)
have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil. Use these tools and others to practice the righteousness of
God and Grow up!
