Two Bookends : Fear of the Lord & Being Kept in His Love.Sample

PART 1

INTRODUCTION

Bookends are a pair of supports that hold a row of books upright by placing one at each end of the row of books.

As Christ’s followers, it is good to remind ourselves of some truths that help us walk close to Jesus. I am convinced that the church is the Hope for the world. For the church to be the answer, we must retain our distinctiveness.

Before we dive into our topic here are some points to ponder and reflect upon.

·How salty are we or our church?

Salt can only lose its saltiness when it’s adulterated with something.

·Have we allowed other beliefs and lifestyle choices to cut our saltiness?

·How bright is our light?

·Do we let truth prevail when tempted to compromise?

·Have we grown tolerant of sins in our lives and the church?

We are not called to judge the world. That is Jesus’ job. We need to have compassion for the world and be salt and light. The world cannot be that because they do not know Jesus.

So, what will keep us on the straight and narrow?

Let us first remind ourselves of who we are.

1Pet 2:9-10 tell us that we are the chosen people. We are image bearers who are meant to show off His glory to the world. We are betrothed to Jesus. We are the beloved of Jesus. We are betrothed to Him. The marriage is going to take place at the end of time. But in the meantime, we can flirt with our old boyfriends/girlfriends. We would not tolerate it in our marriage. But we do that with Jesus so often.

Let’s pause and reflect.

What are some of those things that I need to put cut off from my life that I am flirting with which if I continue to allow in my life, can trip me up in my walk with God?

·Is there a need to keep up appearances at all costs? That means pride in my heart will choke humility and I will struggle to admit I am wrong. I will cover up, lie, pretend, and masquerade.

·I will struggle with hidden sins because I need to show myself as strong.

·Because I see the need to present myself as perfect, I will be intolerant of other people’s imperfections and be unloving and ungracious towards them.

·Has ministry become an idol in my life?

·To be in control of people, circumstances and the outcome do I manipulate the truth?

What will keep us strong till the end? Let us look at that tomorrow.