Captivated
A. In 2 Cor. 10:4-6, The apostle Paul reminds us that, The
weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ. In the
warfare between good and evil, the knowledge of God is at stake.
And the
truthfulness and fervency of our beliefs about God will determine
our destiny,
either as the slaves of Satan or as the free subjects of the True
King.
1. The quality of our lives is governed by the quality of our
principles. In the short run, circumstances beyond our control
may push us this way or that, but eventually the "law of
the farm" will prevail and we'll reap what we've sown. If
you live your life on the basis of principles like trustworthiness,
diligence, and truth, you will get a different quality-of-life
from the person who lives on the basis of treachery, negligence,
and error. Whatever kind of life we end up with, it will be something
that has "grown" from the principles we chose to adopt.
No one can break this law and get away with it. Rom. 2:5-10; Gal.
6:7-8.
a. Equally important is the fire and zeal with which you live
by those principles. You cannot live by these principle and be
lukewarm about them. It is not enough to live wisely, we must
live fervently. But, we're not talking about moral principles
that produce quality of life in the here and now, regardless of
what we believe about God. It's true that our personal principles
must be of the highest quality and they must be held with the
greatest passion. But, these principles must be properly focused
on the truth of God as revealed in His Word. Jno. 4:24, Our
seeking and worshiping must be in Spirit and in Truth. Your
faith must bring you to be profoundly captivated by belief in
Him, for you are not free until you've been made captive by supreme
belief.
b. Acts 20:32.
Spur - 08/31/03 pm
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