MARKS OF A CHRISTIAN 3

SALT OF THE EARTH

Mt 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

 

SALT SHOULD CAUSE THIRST

 

You have probably heard it said that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.  That is an erroneous statement.  You can make him drink if you feed him enough salt.

 

We live in a country where pure drinking water is readily available.  That is not the case in much of the world.  Once a science teacher asked her class about the qualities of salt and she received many answers, most of them correct. A young girl who was from another country raised her hand and said that salt would also make you thirsty and that could be a problem where there was no water.

 

The science teacher thought of the above verse and asked herself, "Have I ever made anyone thirsty for the Living Water of Jesus?"

 

We should live our lives in such a way that it will create a thirst in the souls of those who do not know Jesus.  When they ask us what it is that  makes them want to be like us we should be willing and able to share the message of Jesus and His salvation with them.

 

Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

MARKS OF A CHRISTIAN 2

SALT OF THE EARTH

Mt 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

 

SALT SEASONS

Just as salt ads flavor to food, we as Christians should make the quality of life better for those we come into contact with.

 

Our family should be better off because of our relationship with Jesus.  I wonder how many people dread their spouse coming home.  How many children dread their parents coming home?  This should not be the way it is in a Christian home.  When a Christian enters it should always be a blessing to those around you.

 

I have actually known people in churches who were so disagreeable that people actually breathed a sigh of relief when they missed services.  There is something seriously wrong with this.  Thankfully those people have been few and far between and it has been many years since I had to deal with anyone like that.

 

Even our workplace should be made better because we are there.  Our Christian attitude and influence should ad a better flavor to the world in which we live.

 

Are you improving the life of those around you?

 

Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

MARKS OF A CHRISTIAN 1

SALT OF THE EARTH

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

 

SALT PRESERVES

Salt is a preservative.  It keeps food from spoiling so fast and allows it to be stored to be used later.  Salt keeps out the impurities and keeps the bad stuff from getting and ruining the food.

 

We as Christians should also serve as a preservative in the world.  Satan is throwing everything he can into the world and his goal is to destroy it.  I am saddened and frightened at the amount of worldliness that is being accepted by many Christians.  In today's world we too often hear that we are not to judge others.  That is true when we are talking about salvation. We have no way of knowing who is saved and who is not.  That is something personal between them and God.

 

We are however supposed to recognize sin and worldliness when we see it and I feel that we are obligated to take a stand without it.  If we fail to take a stand against sin then we are as salt with no preservative quality.  I personally would rather believe what the Bible says about something than believe what popular opinion says.

 

Are you doing your part to preserve yourself and the Lord's Church from the influence of sin and the world?

 Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

THE LOVE OF GOD SHOULD CAUSE US TO HAVE

(1 John 3:17)  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

 

Sometimes I look around and see things that others have or can afford to do and then I have myself a brief pity party.  The party usually doesn't last too long because I learned long ago that most of those you invite really don't want to attend and would rather not be around you.  It is also brief because it doesn't take long for God to convict me and remind me of how much He has blessed me.

 

Many times when I wasn't sure how I would make ends meet God miraculously provided exactly what I needed to see me through.  Actually those times have been rather rare when I think about it because I might not be rich by the world's standards but most of my life I have had more than enough.  I suppose this puts me in the category of those who have the worlds good.  I have more than I need.

 

Some of the greatest blessings that I have ever received have not been when God performed a miracle to provide for me.  It was when I was moved by the Spirit to help someone else who had a need at the time.  When we have the love of God in our hearts, we will be compelled to share that love in many fashions with others.

 

Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

GOD'S LOVE SPREAD BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Romans 5:5)  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 

We have recently been studying about witnessing in our Sunday School classes and they give us a lot of examples from the new testament.

 

There are classes, programs, training sessions and all sorts of things that try to teach witnessing.  There is nothing wrong with any of these.  Some can be very productive and some can bring great results but we must be aware of one thing.  It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to witness.

 

It is also the Holy Spirit that guides us and directs us to those we are to share the Gospel with.  It is important first that we are saved. We must have a first hand experience to qualify us as a witness.  We need at least a general knowledge of the new testament and what a person needs to know to be saved.  It is not a matter of doing, but a matter of believing and trusting in what Jesus did for us.

 

Regardless of what we know of the Bible, how well we are prepared to share that knowledge, or how willing we are to witness, we must be empowered and guided by God's Holy Spirit if we are to be successful witnesses.

 

Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

GOD'S LOVE PERCEIVED BY THE SAINTS

(1 John 3:16)  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

 

When we really spend time in the Bible and we spend time alone in prayer we gain a greater understanding of God and His dealing with man, His creation.  We come to a better realization that we are the creation and He is the Creator. When we reach this level of knowledge we then begin to realize just how much He loves us. 

 

Jesus lay down His life for us.  Not only did He die in our place, He left the Glory He had always known and deserved to humble Himself to come to this world and walk among men as one of us. He laid down His life, to live a life among us to show us how it should be done.

 

Sometimes we need to lay aside our regular lives to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Missionaries lay down the lives they are used to and go to strange places to minister to other people of other cultures.

 

Many will lay aside their family life to go and sit in a waiting room while someone has surgery or to sit and comfort a family that has lost a loved one.  Knowing that Jesus lay down His life for us, and understanding it better, makes ministering to others so much easier.

 

Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

GOD'S LOVE BESTOWED IN OUR ADOPTION

(1 John 3:1)  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

 

I have known several people who have adopted children.  They take a child that belonged to someone else and bring them into their family and treat them as one of their own.  Their adopted child becomes a real part of their family with the same benefits as those who are born into the family.

 

Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

 

When we accept Jesus as our Savior we become God's adopted sons and therefore we are joint heirs with Jesus in all things the Father has for Him.

 

I really like the thought of being adopted by God.

 

Email us atshilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.

If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know.  Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.