Valiantly heeding His call...

1 Corinthians 16:15: Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints

I love this verse so much…Verses 13-14 are edifying words of exhortation. If only we could head it daily, especially when stress starts to flare and debilitate us or when anger is pushed deep down and bitterness is born.  Allowing those two verses to continually echo in our hearts, minds, and souls supernaturally moves us to addict ourselves to the ministry! 

Can you imagine how simply heeding this message can change our world? Can spark a revival? If every believer is:

·         Watching – being alert and at the ready.  Mark 13:37: And what I say unto you I say unto all, “Watch.”

·         Standing in the faith - clothed in His robes of righteousness and then securely fitted in to His armor letting everyone know you are not a coward. You will meet the Goliath threatening you right where he is , refuse to retreat!

o   By the Strength of Almighty God your valiant faith can PROVE to all who are watching that our God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient.

o   Its His battle, our part is to obey…

o   Jesus cannot be defeated, when you stand shoulder to shoulder with Him the enemy will be vanquished!  

·         Being brave – because 1 John 4:4 tells us, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”

·         Strengthened – one man or woman with God is a majority. His strength has always been made perfect in our weakness, He is the one training our hands for battle…in short he is the dynamic for the demand, all He commands you to do He first enables you by His Spirit to complete. Isnt that encouraging?

Let’s commit today to… addict ourselves to the ministry…(1 Corinthians 16:15) I LOVE this image! I pray we never grow weary of giving our all to ALL others. We must live in the reality that God’s supply is limitless and His desire is that we prove it by our actions.

·         1 Corinthians 9:7: You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

·         It’s time to put others first.

·         Love them the way you want to be loved….extravagantly, exceedingly, eagerly, excessively, enthusiastically, excitedly…don’t hold back!

·         Practice giving yourself away…and experience for yourself the kind of joy Jesus had, the joy that was able to sustain Him in the face of the excruciating pain of crucifixion.

·         We testify of our love for God and His children by, this “provoking each other to love and good works” (1 John 3:16)