17/04/2021
RESTORATION TODAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2021
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT (2)
“But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” 1 Timothy 4:7
MESSAGE
When writing to the church in Laodicea, John said: ‘So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:’ (Revelation 3:16-17).
These seem like harsh words, but they can often apply to us too. We can become lukewarm in our faith, we lose our passion for God and our spiritual life becomes mundane and stationary. But that is not how God wants us to be. We need to be growing our faith, and moving forwards. The Bible says: ‘But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1 Timothy 4:7-8).
Just as athletes need to keep training in order to stay fit and healthy, we need to keep training ourselves to be spiritually fit and healthy. So when we recognise that we have let our faith become lukewarm, we need to do something about it. Spiritual growth is about progress, not perfection. We can work on it little by little, God does not expect us to be able to have strong and passionate faith immediately. He’s willing to work with us as we begin to exercise it again.
So we need to stop procrastinating and avoid perfectionism. But how can we exercise in God? We can devote more time to building our relationship with Him through prayer, reading the Bible, worshipping and spending time with other Christians. When we come to Him, He comes to us. ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you’ (James 4:8). And He can take our cold hearts and set them on fire for Him again.
ACTION POINT
🖋️Each day for the next one week, do something to build your faith and relationship with God.
SCRIPTURES
James 4:8; 2 Peter 3:18; Romans 12:1-2
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lord, thank You for saving me;
2. Father, help me to identify the actions I need to take and help me to do them in the name of Jesus;
3. Lord, show me opportunities to grow in my relationship with You in the name of Jesus.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Lev. 24, Ps. 136-137, Mark 10:32-52