"Be Sober"

"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." 1 Thessalonians 5:8

When we think of the word "sober" we immediately think it's the opposite of being drunk-- and that is one of the definitions. But it also means "to be calm and collected in spirit". As Christians-- children of the day-- there is a peace that we should possess that those who are "of the night" do not have. We have God's peace-- a peace that passes understanding-- not the world's peace. (John 14:27)

If ever there was a time when we need to be "sober" (calm and collected in spirit) it's now. Daily we receive bad reports- reports of great calamites, reports that promote fear and can make you anxious and worried, reports of instability in the economy, discoveries of new diseases, food shortages, evil men rising to power, death and destruction on every hand.

When we are faced with these things, we don't need to be moved by fear, become worried, or prompted by what we see and hear to act in a rash manner. How is it possible? How can we stay calm? How do we stay collected- in full control of our faculties (our emotions and thoughts)? By putting on the "breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." These are part of our armor. We are "soldiers" of God in a spiritual war. (2 Timothy 2) There is a characteristic that is true of all soldiers-- they are trained and disciplined. As "soldiers" of the Lord we have been fully equipped with everything that we need to walk in a disciplined manner. We also have the Prince of Peace as our "Commander" leading the way and going before us. Even though He did sweat great drops of blood and prayed for the cup to pass from Him when he faced the cross, Jesus exhibited such great peace through His suffering. He was "sober" throughout His whole ordeal leaving us an example to follow and letting us know that through Him we can too. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Have a great day. Stay sober today... calm and collected.

"Mirror, Mirror"

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." James 1:25

When I look into a mirror, it shows me the blemishes, wrinkles, imperfections or dirt that I have on my face. The word of God is like a mirror. When I look into it, it shows me what I really look like. It shows me the "spiritual" imperfections. It shows me how wicked my own heart is. It shows me my rebellion. It shows me the "wrinkles" of pride, selfishness, unforgiveness. But unlike the mirror hanging on my wall, not only does God's word show me what I look like, it also shows me how to correct it. It gives me the solution to correcting my "appearance".

When I apply the word of God to my life, it's a cleansing agent to clean away the dirt of sin. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." (Ephesians 5:26) It clears up the blemishes, it removes the wrinkles, it takes care of the imperfections. God is so wonderful-- He shows us our problem and He also gives us our solution, and they are both found in His word.

When you look into the word and see these spiritual blemishes, don't just turn away from the mirror and forget about it. Do something about it. Search the scriptures to find out how to correct it. If I go to my mirror and see that I have a big black smudge across my cheek, I am not going to walk away and do nothing about removing it. I am going to get soap and water or some sort of cleanser and wash it until it's removed. Why aren't we more concerned about making sure our spiritual appearance is perfect too. After all, it's more important.

Have a great. We need to look in the mirror of God's word everyday, and then do something about what we see.

"Right Company"

"That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous." Proverbs 2:20

One translation of this verse says, "Follow the steps of good men." Who are you following? Who are you patterning your life after? Who are you imitating? We have a tendency to act like the people we hang around with. You see this more evident in teenagers. They get with the "wrong" crowd and they start acting like them. If they get in gangs they start doing the things that others in the gang do. We often see it in the corporate world. If you are with those who cheat, steal, deceive and step on others to accomplish a goal, you tend to do the same thing.

The Bible tells us that “bad company corrupts good character”. (1 Cor. 15:33) So we need to be more selective in who we keep company with. Are there people in your life who are "pulling you down"? Are they "corrupting your character"? Does having a relationship with them draw you closer to Christ or pull you away?

One of the things I, and the counselors, stress to the men and women when they are ready to leave the recovery center is that they break the ties with their drinking and drug "buddies", and surround themselves with those who will encourage them, who will help support them, who will pray with them, who will really love them. We all have to do that. Does that mean that we don't care about those who aren't walking in righteousness? Never, we have to love them and help them get on the path that leads to eternal life, but we do that by staying on the "right paths" ourselves... and who you "hang around with" either helps that to happen or it doesn't.

Have a great day. Who are you hanging around with? What type of example are they?