I was blessed with the opportunity to share the message Graduate Sunday at Tabernacle yesterday morning. I am thankful for that opportunity and that the Holy Spirit spoke to me and hopefully to others who were present. I'll try to share each point here over the next few days since the message really spoke to my heart.
TAKE HOLD
Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
The graduates of 2015 would not have made it to where they are today without role models. Through their success and graduating they have become role models to younger children in the church. If you don't believe that, do something bad and just watch how quickly they start telling people about it.
We have been given the perfect role model in Jesus Christ. He came to earth to be our example of how to treat others. I wish the WWJD bracelets would come back in style and be trendy again. How much differently would we react to things, or treat people sometimes if we would pause for just a second to ask ourselves 'What would Jesus do?', how would he handle this situation or what would He say in return to that comment? We have a perfect role model that we can follow and has shown us how to treat others.
He is also our example of the influence that we can and should have on those around us. We're not called to be quiet or timid about our faith. God used people throughout the Bible that seemed like nobodies of the time and turned them into people we consider mighty by today's standards. Matthew was a tax collector, one of the most corrupt careers of the day, yet he became an apostle. Moses was a murderer, but he was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. David, who was kind of 'the man' in the Bible (he killed Goliath, was king, wrote books) was also an adulterer and had a man killed to cover it up. What kind of scandal would that make for in today's world of social media? These examples show us that even if we have done things in our past, and we all have, that it is our future that matters. The past is gone and the future is what we are to take hold of.
God has a purpose for shaping us to be like Jesus. We are to be his hands and feet for everyone around us, our family, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and anyone we cross paths with. Each and every Christian is a personal representative of Jesus Christ and by that we are called to strive for perfection and being more like Him. Our lives and daily walk may be the only Jesus that some people see.
Now we won't reach perfection until we see Jesus face to face. But one day at a time, He can make us who we need to be if we will focus on him and allow him to work through us. I could remember back to my graduation Sunday and barely wanting to say thank you in front of the church but now by God's grace and desire I was standing in the pulpit delivering a message to the graduates. There's a popular luxury car brand who's slogan is "passionate pursuit of perfection". One, are we pursing a deeper and closer relationship with Christ? Two, are we doing it passionately? Is our time of reading and prayer something we truly want to do or is it another chore on our daily to do list?
I'm not perfect, none of us are. But I am trying daily to become better and to become more like Christ.
TAKE HOLD
Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
The graduates of 2015 would not have made it to where they are today without role models. Through their success and graduating they have become role models to younger children in the church. If you don't believe that, do something bad and just watch how quickly they start telling people about it.
We have been given the perfect role model in Jesus Christ. He came to earth to be our example of how to treat others. I wish the WWJD bracelets would come back in style and be trendy again. How much differently would we react to things, or treat people sometimes if we would pause for just a second to ask ourselves 'What would Jesus do?', how would he handle this situation or what would He say in return to that comment? We have a perfect role model that we can follow and has shown us how to treat others.
He is also our example of the influence that we can and should have on those around us. We're not called to be quiet or timid about our faith. God used people throughout the Bible that seemed like nobodies of the time and turned them into people we consider mighty by today's standards. Matthew was a tax collector, one of the most corrupt careers of the day, yet he became an apostle. Moses was a murderer, but he was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. David, who was kind of 'the man' in the Bible (he killed Goliath, was king, wrote books) was also an adulterer and had a man killed to cover it up. What kind of scandal would that make for in today's world of social media? These examples show us that even if we have done things in our past, and we all have, that it is our future that matters. The past is gone and the future is what we are to take hold of.
God has a purpose for shaping us to be like Jesus. We are to be his hands and feet for everyone around us, our family, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and anyone we cross paths with. Each and every Christian is a personal representative of Jesus Christ and by that we are called to strive for perfection and being more like Him. Our lives and daily walk may be the only Jesus that some people see.
Now we won't reach perfection until we see Jesus face to face. But one day at a time, He can make us who we need to be if we will focus on him and allow him to work through us. I could remember back to my graduation Sunday and barely wanting to say thank you in front of the church but now by God's grace and desire I was standing in the pulpit delivering a message to the graduates. There's a popular luxury car brand who's slogan is "passionate pursuit of perfection". One, are we pursing a deeper and closer relationship with Christ? Two, are we doing it passionately? Is our time of reading and prayer something we truly want to do or is it another chore on our daily to do list?
I'm not perfect, none of us are. But I am trying daily to become better and to become more like Christ.
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