WALK
WORTHY OF YOUR HIGH CALLING
BREAD
27 Whatever
happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then,
whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the
gospel 28 without being
frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they
will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on
behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same
struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still
have. Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV)
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in
humility consider others better than yourselves. 4
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also
to the interests of others. 5 Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Philippians
2:3-5 (NIV)
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is
like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)
11 The greatest among you
will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever
humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12
(NIV)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your
spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1 (NIV)
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what
is good. 10 Be devoted to one
another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep
your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be
joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in
need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do
not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not
be conceited. 17 Do not repay
anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it
depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do
not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is
written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:9-19 (NIV)
BUTTER
“It is important to understand that fruitfulness and growth are the results of focusing on Christ and desiring to honor Him. When growth and change are our primary goals, we tend to be preoccupied with ourselves instead of with Christ. ‘Am I growing? Am I getting any better? Am I more like Christ today? What am I learning?’ This inordinate preoccupation with self-improvement parallels our culture’s self-help and personal enhancement movement in many ways. Personal development is certainly not wrong, but it is misleading—and it can be very disappointing—to make it our preeminent goal. If it is our goal at all, it should be secondary. As we grasp the unconditional love, grace, and power of God, then honoring Christ will increasingly be our consuming passion…The only One worthy of our preoccupation is Christ, our sovereign Lord, who told Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness’”. Robert McGee
“There
is a difference between brokenness over one’s sin and living in shame for the
rest of our days. A broken and contrite
heart the Lord will never despise. This
means one agrees with the Lord that the sin was wrong and desires not to
continue on in it. It is a turning from
it into the ways of the Lord through His power, for His glory, for our
good. This leads to peace with God which
passes all understanding not continued shame over the transgression. Guilt is Satan’s trademark and often keeps
the forgiven believer paralyzed in their walk with the Lord believing
themselves to be unworthy to be used in kingdom work or even approach the
throne of grace through prayer. If Satan
can’t keep us from being saved, he desires to keep us from being used and from
feeling the comfort of God’s love and forgiveness. Believers are accepted in the Beloved.” BHY
“Our
world is hungry for genuinely changed people.
Leo Tolstoy observes, ‘Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody
thinks of changing himself.’ Let us be
among those who believe that the inner transformation of our lives is a goal
worthy of our best effort.” Richard J.
Foster
“The Holy Spirit gives the soul a natural
relish for the sweetness of what is holy and for everything that is holy as it
comes into view. He also intensifies a dislike and disgust of everything that
is unholy.” Jonathan
Edwards
“If you would grow into the beauty of
the Master, you must accept the conflicts,
and fight the battles. You
can live easy if you will, by declining every struggle — but you will then get
little out of life which is truly noble and worthy. The best things all come
after the battle — you must fight your way across the field to get them. Heaven
is only for
those who overcome. No one gets
the crown — without the conflict!” J R Miller
HEART SAVOR
·
As a
believer in Christ Jesus, I am to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.
·
I am to
leave the aroma of Christ in all my circumstances – not the stench of death.
·
Believers’
actions are to point others to the Savior.



