1 Thessalonians 5:18-22, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Paul taught that the primary mark of a Christian is their peace and joy, as he stated in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” I want to display that better. How do you model that? What are your house rules, as a Christian, based on what the Word of God says? Our small group just had this assignment, and each one of us shared verses that support and make up our own individual “house rules,” of what God requires of each of us. It provided great thought and discussion.
Have you noticed how our flesh high jacks us when getting caught up when offended? That is one way Satan takes us out, as his strategy is to steal, kill, and destroy. We all have our trigger points. We know that the model for living with love is Jesus Christ. That is how we have peace and joy. But what does that look like while dealing with people? The power of Christ constantly changes behavior with forgiveness and love and will never quench the Holy Spirit from working within us. However, when we respond in unloving ways, we do that; we snuff out the Holy Spirit, such as our anger leashing out like a bazooka gun. We need to drop our rocks and remember John 8:7, when Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Have you had some rocks that need to be dropped as I have this week?
We cannot control our circumstances. But our attitudes, actions, and words need to have good responses in reflecting that we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Circumstances will change, but our God doesn’t. The Holy Spirit’s image is like a fire or a flame. I need to provide an environment where He can burn brightly through me, despite problems, conflicts, the pandemic, and anything, because my God is greater, and He is never overwhelmed.
Adrian Rogers has said: “Every day, we must present ourselves to Jesus and ask Him to transform us. We must ask Him for the power to say, “No,” to sin and, “Yes,” to righteousness. Through the power of Christ dwelling in us, we can obey the Lord. We can put off the works of the flesh and put on the fruit of the Spirit.” As Psalm 119:2-3 declares, “Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they follow His ways.” HCSB.
How can we learn to think like God does? What are your house rules in your walk with Christ? Consider applying Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The Message puts it this way, “Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those that have a word from the Master. On the other hand don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.” 1 Thess. 5:18-22. Come, join me, and let us drop our rocks again today.
Listen to Lauren Daigle Hold Onto Me (Lyrics) 2/26/21