Christian Daily Word (1)
[b]Daily Word for Christians...Here's the scripture to meditate on![/b]
[b]2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)[/b]
"Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of Love and peace will be with you."
[b]Analysis of the Daily Word[/b]
In a sense, the life of Christians is a journey. Our destiny, our goal, is to live in Paradise ruled by our Loving God. Every day, we try to go on the path that leads to life. But, as Jesus said, the way is narrow and sometimes difficult to go through. [b](Matthew 7:13, and 14)[/b] To stay on the narrow path that leads to life, we must be willing to correct our thinking, acting, and attitude. That is what the apostle Paul means when he encourages us to keep correcting ourselves. It is not easy to analyze our thoughts and feelings. Why? Our hearts are treacherous, and it is hard to know where they will lead us. [b](Jeremiah 17:9)[/b] We tend to deceive ourselves with "false reasoning". [b](James 1:22)[/b] This is why it is imperative that we use the Word of God to analyze ourselves. The Bible helps us see what we are like inside, "the thoughts and intentions" that are in the depths of our hearts. [b](Hebrew 4:12, and 13)[/b]
Have we ever started down a path that was leading us away from God?
[b](Psalm 73:2, and 3)[/b] If a mature friend had the courage to correct us, did we listen to him and put his advice into practice?[b] (Proverbs 1:5)[/b]
God's Word reminds us that "the wounds caused by a friend are faithful" [b](Proverbs 27:6)[/b] What does this mean? Imagine that we are waiting to cross a busy street and we get distracted by looking at our phones. We start to cross without looking up, then a friend grabs our arm and pulls us back. He grabs us so hard that he bruises us. But, because of the fact that he acted quickly, he saved us from danger. Our arm may hurt for a few hours, but won't we be upset with our friend? Rather, we will be grateful for their help.
Here's the point: If a friend makes us see and understand that our way of speaking or acting is going against God's righteous standards, we may be hurt at first but to be offended or upset with them would be foolish. [b](Ecclesiastes 7:9) [/b]We would do well to thank our friend for having the courage to speak with us.
What could make someone reject the loving advice of a good friend? Pride. The proud like "to be given their ears"; they stop "hearing the truth". [b](2 Timothy 4:3, and 4)[/b] They don't listen to anyone because they think they are smarter and more important than others. However, the apostle Paul made this connection in [b](Galatians 6:3),[/b] "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself." King Solomon summed it very well too: "A poor but wise child is better than an old but foolish king, who no longer has the sense to take advice." [b](Ecclesiastes 4:13)[/b]
[b]2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)[/b]
"Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of Love and peace will be with you."
[b]Analysis of the Daily Word[/b]
In a sense, the life of Christians is a journey. Our destiny, our goal, is to live in Paradise ruled by our Loving God. Every day, we try to go on the path that leads to life. But, as Jesus said, the way is narrow and sometimes difficult to go through. [b](Matthew 7:13, and 14)[/b] To stay on the narrow path that leads to life, we must be willing to correct our thinking, acting, and attitude. That is what the apostle Paul means when he encourages us to keep correcting ourselves. It is not easy to analyze our thoughts and feelings. Why? Our hearts are treacherous, and it is hard to know where they will lead us. [b](Jeremiah 17:9)[/b] We tend to deceive ourselves with "false reasoning". [b](James 1:22)[/b] This is why it is imperative that we use the Word of God to analyze ourselves. The Bible helps us see what we are like inside, "the thoughts and intentions" that are in the depths of our hearts. [b](Hebrew 4:12, and 13)[/b]
Have we ever started down a path that was leading us away from God?
[b](Psalm 73:2, and 3)[/b] If a mature friend had the courage to correct us, did we listen to him and put his advice into practice?[b] (Proverbs 1:5)[/b]
God's Word reminds us that "the wounds caused by a friend are faithful" [b](Proverbs 27:6)[/b] What does this mean? Imagine that we are waiting to cross a busy street and we get distracted by looking at our phones. We start to cross without looking up, then a friend grabs our arm and pulls us back. He grabs us so hard that he bruises us. But, because of the fact that he acted quickly, he saved us from danger. Our arm may hurt for a few hours, but won't we be upset with our friend? Rather, we will be grateful for their help.
Here's the point: If a friend makes us see and understand that our way of speaking or acting is going against God's righteous standards, we may be hurt at first but to be offended or upset with them would be foolish. [b](Ecclesiastes 7:9) [/b]We would do well to thank our friend for having the courage to speak with us.
What could make someone reject the loving advice of a good friend? Pride. The proud like "to be given their ears"; they stop "hearing the truth". [b](2 Timothy 4:3, and 4)[/b] They don't listen to anyone because they think they are smarter and more important than others. However, the apostle Paul made this connection in [b](Galatians 6:3),[/b] "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself." King Solomon summed it very well too: "A poor but wise child is better than an old but foolish king, who no longer has the sense to take advice." [b](Ecclesiastes 4:13)[/b]
22-25, M
