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| Volume 20 Number 2 February 2018 | Page 13 |
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| Volume 20 Number 2 February 2018 | Page 13 |
Cliff Holmes
Micah 6:8 reads “He has told you O man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah presents us with a lesson to be well learned. Here are eight ways we can follow the words of the prophet.
Walk humbly when you are spiritually strong. In your strength you may radiate spiritual strength that others are seeking but have not yet found.
Walk humbly when you have much work to do. Jesus was about His Father’s business, always doing good, and so the Lord requires the same of us.
Walk humbly in all your motives. Humility does not have its own agendas to serve, but it always motivates us to thrive on unselfish motives.
Walk humbly studying God’s Word. You didn’t learn to read without the first-grade primer, nor can you obtain any bit of education without studying what learning is, and you can’t know God unless you find Him in His Word. Study it daily.
Walk humbly when under trials. When trials come, and they will, humility gives you the peace of mind to say, “not my will but your will be done O God.”
Walk humbly in your devotions. Be devoted, truly steadfast, in your endeavor to hold to the tenets and the statutes of God’s Word. Dwell on them richly in daily devotional study.
Walk humbly between you and your brothers in Christ. Your brothers in Christ need to see your strength, perseverance and steadfastness through your humble walk with God.
Walk humbly when dealing with sinners. Sinners do not yet know the peace, joy and salvation that you exhibit in your humble walk, and they above all need to find what the Lord has already taught you.
This is not only a suggestion from the prophet Micah, but it is expected of each of us by our Lord, Master, and Creator God. “He has told you O man…” Are you listening?
1st Century Christian in
a 21st Century World
Derek Broome
I have grown up in a world where technology is the norm. From the time that I was born until this very day, I have never known a time without technology. Now, that does not mean that my parents did not insist that I go outside. In fact, most summer days were spent outside working, running and playing ball. Yet, the stories one hears of days before technology took over the world are not my stories. They are stories I have been told by people who lived in a different period than myself. They are from people who have experienced life differently than I ever have and probably differently than I ever will.
If you were to take somebody that lived one hundred years ago and compare him to somebody living today, you would see a lot of differences in their life experiences. The advances in industry, machinery, medicine and technology have been astounding. In many ways, the advances of the modern era have revolutionized the entire world. However, is there a down side to so much technology?
Our world is more connected than ever. Phones, Internet, social media, airplanes and cars have improved so much that just about anything a person wants to do and anywhere he wants to go can be done quickly. With all of those things being said and true, I still have some questions. With all of the connectivity why are we as people, living in our culture, so disconnected? Are we as Christians using the resources that are at our fingertips for the glory of God?
Imagine you are a Christian living in the 1st century, and someone from the future gives you all of the tools that we have at our disposal today. What do you think would be accomplished with those tools? No longer would it take days to get somewhere because planes and cars would make spreading the Word to the world faster and more convenient. Modern medicine would allow you to live longer and spend more time teaching. Computers, phones and other devices would allow you to communicate with people hundreds and thousands of miles away. Checking on the status of fellow Christians and congregations could be accomplished with just the push of a button.
What do you think would be accomplished if you had a 1st century Christian living in the 21st century world? The answer to that question should be answered by our lives. We are Christians just like those people in the 1st century. The same responsibility has been given to us to spread the Word of God to the world. Are we spreading the Word as we should? Are we using the tools we have at our disposal? Let us make a point today to tell somebody about Christ. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:6 NKJV).