UNSELFISH - Philippians 2:3 - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." LOYAL - 1 Chronicles 29:18 - "Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. " FAITHFUL TO DUTY - Romans 15:16 - "to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." - 1 Corinthians 7:3 - "The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband." SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES - 2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." - 1 Timothy 4:13 - "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching." - Romans 10:11 - "As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." [ Isaiah 28:16]" DO NOT BE WEARY IN WELL DOING - Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. " - 1 Peter 2:15 - "For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men." - 1 Peter 3:8 - [ Suffering for Doing Good ] "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." - 1 Peter 3:17 - "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." OBEDIENT IN ALL THINGS - Titus 3:1 - "[ Doing What is Good ] Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good..." - 1 Peter 1:14 - "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance." TRUTHFUL - Proverbs 12:19 - "Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment." - Proverbs 14:25 - "A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful." - Ephesians 4:25 - "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." LOVE ONE ANOTHER - John 13:34 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" - 1 John 4:12 - "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. " - 1 John 4:7 - "[ God's Love and Ours ] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." TURN UP WITH A FRIENDLY SMILE - Job 8:21 - "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." - Romans 12:12 - "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - "Be joyful always..." TURN UP FOR CHURCH - 1 Corinthians 14:12 - "So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church." - 1 Corinthians 14:26 - "[ Orderly Worship ] What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." - Ephesians 3:21 - "...to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." BIBLE STUDY - John 5:39 - "You diligently study [ Or Study diligently (the imperative)] the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me..." - Matthew 22:29 - "Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." - 2 Timothy 3:15 -"...and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." PRAYER MEETING - Romans 15:30 - "I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me." - Mark 11:25 - "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." - Ephesians 6:18 - "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." DO YOUR BEST IN HIS SERVICE - Romans 12:11 - "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." - 1 Peter 5:5 - "You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble." [ Prov 3:34] - 1 Corinthians 7:35 - "I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible." PRAISE GOD, NOT MAN - Psalm 56:4 - "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" - 1 Peter 5:2 - "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve" - Psalm 56:4 - "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT - Acts 2:38 - "Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Jude 1:20 - "But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." DO NOT QUENCH (GRIEVE) THE SPIRIT - Ephesians 4:30 - "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30 tells us that we should not "grieve" the Spirit. Let's stay in the passage to understand what Paul wants to tell us. We can 'grieve' the Spirit by living like the pagans (4:17-19), by yielding to our sin nature (2:22-24), by lying (4:25), by anger (4:26-27), by stealing (4:28), by cursing (4:29), by bitterness (4:31), by being unforgiving (4:32), by sexual immorality (5:3-5). The list could go on and on; however, to "grieve" the Spirit is to act out in a sinful manner, whether it is in thought and deed, or in thought only. Both "quenching" and "grieving" the Spirit are similar in their effects; both hinder a godly lifestyle. Both happen when a believer sins against God and follows his or her own worldly desires. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |