bear one another’s…

170309My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. (Galatians 6:1-10, NRSV)

We are to bear one another’s burdens and restore those who have fallen away in the Spirit of gentleness with which we were brought into the relationship with God.

We need to look on our own works as well and judge not others by what we do, or take credit for things they have done, but lifting each other up and holding fast the family of faith. All good things work through the Body of Christ, the family of faith. So uphold one another as Christ upholds you.

watch out

170308I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:1-13, NRSV)

Do not desire evil and give not yourself into temptation.

Even when we think we are standing we could fall over. We are tested by things around us every day. We can endure when we hold fast to what God has given us and to His love. He walks with us through everything and guides our steps. Follow after God and give not into the temptations of the flesh, but hold to the glory that He gives us all.

God is faithful and He will not let us fall when we trust in Him and follow His lead.

remember

170307When the LORD your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the LORD your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth. Do not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You must diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to give you, thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised. (Deuteronomy 6:10-19, NRSV)

Do not test the Lord, remember all of the things He has done for you already and how He has proven that He is one who keeps His promises. We should then follow where He is leading us and do what He is asking us, for He is good to us and cares for us. We should therefore keep all His statutes.

Remember all He did for us, and follow where He is leading.

by bread alone

170306This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors.  Remember the long way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the LORD your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. (Deuteronomy 8:1-9, NRSV)

Man does not live by bread alone. We need more than that. More importantly, we need the word of the Lord. The Lord lead the people through the wilderness, and made it so their feet did not swell after all the walking, and that their clothes did not wear out. Imagine that, clothing that does not wear out.

God gives us what we need when we follow after Him.

Trust in the Lord, and He will supply your every need.

Since

170305Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. (Matthew 4:1-11, NRSV)

This passage always gets me because we think that Satan is questioning Jesus as to if he is the son of God or not. But the word in the Greek is the word that means if or since. Maybe Satan isn’t questioning if Jesus is the Son of God, but telling Him, since you are the Son of God you can make bread from stones, so eat. Doesn’t dimish the temptation, but changes the whole passage. Satan knows who He is. He is trying to make Him use His power in ways He shouldn’t, for self-gratification.

And Satan quotes scripture because everyone can read and know scripture, but only those who follow after Jesus will read it and understand it. Others will use it out of context and cause others to stumble.

So do not look to yourself, but look to God and follow where He is leading. Since He is the Son of God He will not steer you wrong.