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Run For Your Life!

If your home was on fire and someone shouted, “Run for your life!” you would not stop to ask questions about things that didn’t matter like what was for dinner.  Nor would you refuse to leave until you found that biology notebook from high school or stroll leisurely past the fridge to check if you needed to buy milk while you were out.  No, “Run for your life!” means that you are singularly focused on the goal of getting to safety.  And, unless it is to warn someone else who has not yet heard of the danger, you would not stop for anything.

Spiritually speaking, you must “run for your life!”

I. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.  The first running we must do is running away from sin, specifically sexual immorality.  Joseph certainly had opportunity to give in to Potiphar’s wife and reason enough to justify sin: his own brothers had faked his death and sold him into slavery in a foreign land.  But, he determined, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Then, as she caught him by his cloak, he left it with her and ran out of the house (Genesis 39:6-12).  So we must run for our lives!

II. Galatians 5:7-10.  Distractions come often from people or circumstances in our lives.  A runner may start off well and then discover a rock in his shoe or have someone point him the wrong way.  In the Galatian church(es), some were insisting that they needed to observe the old law and become Jews before they could become Christians.  There are many things that may not be sinful but “cut in” on our good race.  Sometimes it is people or ideas that point us away from God.  Remember that we are running for our lives!

III. Hebrews 12:1-3.  To “run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” we must have the goal of heaven ever before us.  We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, who kept the joy of eternity with the Father in view in order to endure the cross, so that we “do not grow weary and lose heart.”  Peter had the courage to step out of the boat and walk on the water to Jesus, but as soon as he let his focus slip, he sank (Matthew 14:25-33).  With perseverance and eyes fixed, we must run for our lives!

Many struggle with their Christian walk because they do not take the race as seriously as Satan knows it is.  Instead of a lion seeking to devour, perhaps he is a lot like the gators beside the race marked out for us.  The race is deadly serious.  Run for your life!

 

 

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Sticks & Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.  Anyone who was ever told this old adage by a well-intentioned person after hearing some really hurtful words knows that they are just a tiny bandage on a gushing wound.  Words do indeed hurt, hurt right to our heart most times, and God has a lot to say about them and how we should use them.

I. Proverbs 15:1 says this about the nature of words, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  After David and his men had helped to look after Nabal’s sheep while in the wilderness, Nabal’s insulting refusal to allow them to attend the festivities at shearing time caused David to order his men to strap on weapons to seek this fool’s life (1 Samuel 25:10-13).  Abigail, Nabal’s wife, however, prepared food and quieted David’s anger with her words (23-31).

II. Ephesians 4:29 reminds us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  This same passage gives us great examples of what God means by “unwholesome talk,” and we all struggle to control our tongues (James 3:3-9).  But, this verse is a great guide for the Christian: say it if and only if it will build the person up according to his needs, benefitting him in some way.

III. In Matthew 12:36, Jesus gives us this harsh reality, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”  Like most sins, speaking careless words that cut people down, gossip about them, are shouted at them, or are coarse or foolish, make us temporarily feel better but have a devastating eternal consequence.  If we choose to live by faith like so many recorded in the Bible, we too will receive what is promised (Hebrews 11:39-40).

Aside from praying for others who may hurt us with their words and seeking opportunities to teach them God’s way from His Word so that their hearts might change, there’s not much we can do to stop them.  We can, however, control ourselves and our responses to such people.  And if we do, we not only show that Christians live differently than the world does, but we have the promise of eternal life.

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The distinctiveness of Christianity

  1. Distinctive in its Power: Romans 1:16-17
  2. Distinctive in its Message: Galatians 1:11-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21
  3. Distinctive in its Importance: Matthew 16:26; 1 Timothy 1:15-16

John Henson
Dibrell Church of Christ
95 Gills Rd.
McMinnville, TN 37110-4456

 

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Outline of Christianity in 10 Ws

If you like alliteration, this is the outline for you. Ten — count ’em — ten Ws to form upon your lips and wave your hands over. You can supply a ton of Bible texts for each point. This is a good summary of the whole of the Faith.

  1. The Will — God willed man’s existence and salvation from eternity.
  2. The Word — God became man in the person of Jesus Christ.
  3. The Wound — Jesus was wounded for our transgressions.
  4. The Well — Life and power spring from the Holy Spirit.
  5. The Way — The Bible reveals God’s plan, purchased people, and practice of righteousness.
  6. The Work — Eternal salvation is the objective of every effort by God’s people.
  7. The War — Conflict with evil powers is at the heart of faithfulness.
  8. The World — Saints are in, but not of, and sent to, the world.
  9. The Worship — God seeks people who worship in spirit and truth.
  10. The Worth — Heaven is worth giving up life, limb, and luxury.

UPDATE: I’ve reordered a couple of these, to reflect a more logical progression. I flipped nos. 3 and 4 and nos. 9 and 10.

—JRMatheny