It seems as though when looking at God’s Word, there is a sense of looking out for ourselves. I know that I am looking for guidance, and teaching, and understanding. Now, learning is essential to our independent growth and should be embraced by all. It should be noted that we have been called to do the will of God, not our own. We are here to provide for the needs of others.

“¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—³that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” – 1 John 1:1 & 3 (ESV)

I have learned and now it is my job to tell. The Word of God was passed to me and now I pass that on to others. I have to be willing to give more than receive in order to fulfill my duty to God and the spreading of His word in the world.

I have been fortunate enough to have grown up in a Christian home and a great church full of others that have and continue to follow Christ. My fortune has given me the chance to grow in learning of God’s Word and I have developed some great habits, like this blog, to continue my learning and growth. As I look into my bible I see notes and insights and questions that I have captured over time that not only show that I have been in the word of God, but that I have been digging in to learn more.

Yes, I have learned, but have I taught? Have I been bringing the Word of God to those around me. Have I had a servants heart and thought more of others than of myself. I have to remember that it is not about me. I am an instrument of God in this world and it is my duty to bring the gospel to everyone.

My spreading of God’s Word allows for the fellowship with God of those that receive. I have fellowship, and now it is my turn to invite others into God’s fellowship so that they have the opportunity to experience the same love and comfort that I have been able to experience for all these years and those to come. I have to share and give that others may receive. I have to concern myself with others and not with myself. My learning is partly for me, but more for those that I am able to touch and bring my learning to.

What is your approach to others when it comes to God’s Word? Are you learning and keeping those learnings to yourself? What if you were to learn and then share for others to learn and find fellowship with God?

How often is it that I avoid speaking the gospel so as not to be looked at strangely or treated as though I am so kind of “holy roller” trying to convert everyone. Well I would like to think that it is less often that reality, but I am not naive and know that feelings do get in the way of reality all too often. The fact is that I have a fear, as I believe a good number of Christians have, that my voice is not accepted in society and therefore it might be best to just keep it to myself and only speak in guarded and carefully selected positions.

“²I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain…⁹and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.” – Galatians 2:2 & 9 (ESV)

Here we have Paul recalling his meeting with the disciples. He had been in his ministry for quite some time and had been preaching the gospel to all who would listen. But, at this moment, he was private and calculated in all that he was saying and doing. He was careful to speak and live the gospel that he had been preaching to let them know, those that did know, he was on their side and was a brother with them in Christ. Now this situation with Paul and the disciples is different than my random carefulness. Paul is in the company of those that had been tasked directly from Jesus to carry the gospel forward so they were the experts. Whereas Paul did not back down from them, he was careful to be sure that they knew and understood that he was coming from and headed to the same place as they.

As I look into verse 9 above, I see that as Paul was keen enough to demonstrate and speak the gospel with the disciples, they accepted him as a brother in Christ and encouraged his continued ministry forward. I see here that it is up to me to speak and demonstrate the gospel and love of God to all as I have no idea who it is that I am engaging.

“²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” – Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)

I have the gospel to spread and it is my duty to do just that regardless of the consequences. When my focus is here, God rewards. I may not see the reward right away, and frankly sometimes the reward may not be realized in a time frame where I remember the circumstances (this has happened a number of times for me). But, God rewards with the act of being accepted into the fellowship of other brothers and sisters in Christ.

What circumstances have you avoided speaking or even demonstrating the gospel for fear of rejection? Do you find yourself thinking about the consequences and then backing away based on what “might” happen? What if you just went for it and spread the gospel through word and deed and allowed God to work in you and provide the acceptance into the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ?

“¹⁴The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)

I look at the who is in my life that I can count on, my wife Lori, our boys, and a few good friends come to mind right away. I can also think of the church and my fellow Christians that I can count on. But most importantly, I can count on God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to get me through. I may not be physically with either of the Trinity, but I know that they are there, especially the Holy Spirit who was sent specifically to guide me.

“²⁵These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14:25-26 (ESV)

The above are the words of Jesus as He promises to send the Holy Spirit as a “Helper” for each of us. Jesus would no longer be physically with the disciples or the people, so the Holy Spirit was being sent to be with us. And the Spirit would be with each of us all the time, guiding and teaching the way.

For me, I have the Holy Spirit that I am able to fellowship with at all times. When I am alone physically, I am able to find solace in the Holy Spirit as my fellowship and guide. With the Holy Spirit I am never alone in this world and that fellowship and guidance is from and with God and Jesus Christ. I have an active relationship with the Trinity always through the Holy Spirit who is always with me.

Who is with you always? Are you out there going it alone? What if you turned to God and allowed your fellowship and with the Holy Spirit to blossom?

Some may have heard the phrase, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are”. “This proverb suggests that like minds stick together.” as noted as a possible meaning at the website, https://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Sayings/T/Tell_me_who_you_go_with_and_I_ll_tell_you_who_you_are_515.php. As I read and studied the morning I was reminded that we are like those that we surround ourselves with. And, it is difficult, if not impossible to be one thing and always surround ourselves with another.

“¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (ESV)

As a Christian it is important to surround yourself and fellowship with other Christians. Oil and water do not mix, fire and ice either. Why would one think that righteous and unrighteous would work together any better?

I am not saying that I should shun those that are not Christians, on the contrary. I have been given the task of bringing the gospel to all of those I come in contact with, and who needs the gospel, the lost. It is important that I look for the opportunities to engage with the lost and bring the glory of God to them at all times. What I am saying is that for my own growth and Christian walk, I have to spend time in fellowship with other Christians and do the work of God in the areas where I will have an impact.

My fellow Christians are the ones that will bring me joy and peace and comfort and love. It is in their presence that I am able to let my guard down a bit and just enjoy their like mindedness and the love of God that we share and to a large degree understand. It is with them that I can be challenged with love to grow in a safe environment. It is in fellowship that we can put aside any worldly concerns and know that each of us is in love and commune with our God and Father.

Our relationships with the lost can be good, but there is nothing like having a relationship with those that are like us. When we fellowship with fellow Christians, we instantly have God in common and are able to love each other in kind without judgment. Are we perfect, not at all. But we are like one another and know where our future lies and can discuss life with those that are like us and know that what comes from them is the love that only God can provide. Our interactions with those not like us is one way love from us to them until the time we become like one another. The challenge is will we become like them or they like us, with God’s help, the latter is where I would prefer to exist.

What fellowship with others do you have? Are they and you alike, or drastically different? What if you did the work of God to reach those not like you and then retreated for comfort and love with those who are like you?

“⁹God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)

I look at this verse and see the love of God. So much love for me that He called me into fellowship with Jesus. And what does that mean? Well God has given me the opportunity to meet with and commune with Jesus daily. Fellowship is not just something that comes once. When fellowship occurs, relationships are built. And those relationships become long standing.

Lori and I moved to the Baltimore, Maryland area some years ago and were blessed to find a church where we were able to fellowship with fellow Christians and build relationships with them. Whereas we were only there about a year, the relationships are still there. We may not interact with them, however we still value them and feel as though they fell the same about us. We built a sustaining relationship through our fellowship.

With Jesus we are able to do the same thing. God gave us Jesus, yes, gave us Him, so that we could/would fellowship with Him. That fellowship turns into relationship and therefore we are always together. Our relationship with Jesus is not fleeting, it only grows stronger, again as a result of the fellowship we have with Him. God called us into the fellowship with Jesus to establish and build a relationship with Him.

When you think of your knowledge of Jesus, what thought do you have of fellowship with Him? Are you simply seeing Him as an acquaintance to whom you speak with every now and again? What if you dug in to the fellowship with Him and established a relationship, as Paul noted, “you were called into”?

As humans, we are social creatures. As much as I find myself enjoying time by myself without the desire to connect with others, I do need that interaction with others to maintain my humanism. What better place to get my fellowship on than in the presence of others with like mind, body, and heart for God.

“⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” – Acts 2:42 (ESV)

Believers belong together and I should be spending my time with other believers so as to build each other up and assist with things are not going as well as hoped for. God indeed has a plan for each of us, and that plan should be without question. I will say though there are points in God’s plans that do not make a lot of sense in the moment, and it is in those times that we need others to lift us up and comfort us. What a better place to seek and receive that lifting and comfort than with fellow Christians.

But those difficult times are not the only times we should be in fellowship. We should be with one another in love, worship, and service as well. It is interesting to me how everyone comes together in times of difficulty and sorrow as well was celebration. But in just times of everyday life, there seems to be some lack of interaction and fellowship. And this is where that devotion to fellowship is important to remember. I should be looking for every opportunity to fellowship with my fellow Christians. I have to find time to interact and be with them. I have to take the chance to be more than the acquaintance that has pleasantries in certain environments. I have to be the brother to my brothers and sisters in Christ so as to be there in all times, celebratory and sorrow and just to talk to.

For me, this is really work as I am not someone that seeks fellowship and social interaction. I have to approach this with an almost project like plan. I have to make the interactions like a game plan to be sure that I am executing. I know that it will not be easy, but things that are worth it rarely are easy. It will take discipline and tenacity for me to move into a more social being. Devoting myself to fellowship is worth it for me as well as those I fellowship.

What fellowship opportunities have you missed out on? Do you find yourself getting together with others in times of great joy or sadness? What if you were to devote yourself to fellowship with your Christian brothers and sisters?

Paul wrote to Timothy to give him instruction and encouragement. This morning as I read the passage in 2 Timothy, I am reminded that we cannot always rely on others to do the work for us. Yes, delegating and leading others to their path are important, but the work that God has for us is something for us and we are to do that work for Him. And it is not right for us to boast about the work done or place ourselves above others for doing the work of God, for it is the work we are tasked with and completing is the job. But, we also have to be mindful that we are to present ourselves to God as one that has done the work and done it for His glory.

“¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

The passage where this verse is in my ESV bible is titled, “A Worker Approved by God”. Notice the passage first part, and how Paul is explaining to Timothy to “do your best” as “one approved”. How is it that we are approved, we have done the work for God and His glory. Whether or not we are fully successful as we see it is not what we are working to achieve. We are doing things for God and His glory and have to remember that His plan is more complex that we can ever imagine. Our completion of the work and even failure in the completion may be exactly the plan all along. We are to do the work and allow God to do His work. We are to act in God’s interest and not our own.

When we have worked to do the work of God so as to not be ashamed of the work, then we can present ourselves as approved to God. It is now okay to say to God, “I did your work, and I know that your will be done.” This is the acknowledgment of His glory and that all we are working to accomplish is for Him.

When you are out there doing work, who are you working for? Are you looking out for yourself and boasting about all of that work? What if you were to simply do the work of God and regardless of the outcome know that you can present yourself to Him as approved and not ashamed?

“²¹And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,…²⁸Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” – Colossians 1:21-22 & 28 (ESV)

I am so happy for the above verses. Paul explains to the Colossians, and to me, that my way has been paid by Christ and that the church body is here to assist in my growth and maturation to be presented to God as whole. I have help and that is comforting.

Often I feel as though I am all alone working for Christ when in reality, I am never alone as He is with me and has already paid the price for me to be free in doing His work. He died so that I do not have to. He cleaned me up even when I was so soiled only Satan would take me. I am grateful for the work done by Christ on my behalf so that I would be presented to God as His child and not some foreign entity.

And the church, the body of Christ, is there for me to lean on physically here in this world. The church is where I learn the glory of Him and am taught the love of God that I may grow stronger in Him to fend off the attacks of the world. It is the church that provides the physical Godly love I need to make it and grow in my maturity in Christ.

It is the work that has been done and that which is being one that prepares me to be presented to God. I am grateful for all of the work done and to be done to prepare the way for me and to prepare me to be presented. It is with the selfless actions of Christ and the church I am grateful. For Christ certainly could have gotten out of death on the cross and the church does not have to work for me. I am the recipient of love and glory from Christ and the church and for that I am and will be eternally grateful.

I will be presented to God as “holy and blameless and above reproach…mature in Christ” as noted by Paul in the verses above. But my presentment does not come without work done and still to be done by Christ, the church, and by me. Thank you Jesus and the church for loving me and wanting nothing but glory for me.

What beliefs do you have about the work of Christ and the church on your behalf? Are you aware of their work to make you ready for presentment to God? What if we embraced the work done by Christ, sought the work of the church and put in the work ourselves to be presented to God as “holy and blameless and above reproach…mature in Christ”?

“¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

This verse points to the preparation we should be taking each and every day. There is darkness and danger in the world every day. I could walk out to my car and something may fall from the sky and conk me on the head. Whereas that is possible to happen, it is not really likely. I have to be more concerned with the darkness and dangers that are present right now. Those that are eminent and that I can prepare to defend against.

Each day when I awake I am bombarded by darkness. The internet, social media, peer pressure, economic crisis, family difficulties, as well as a host of other things that are in my face starting early in the morning. There is certainly no shortage of darkness needing to wade through.

That is just it. Wading through. When one prepares to go fly fishing in a riverbed, the proper outer ware is worn so as to protect against the wet and cold of the water not to mention any critters that may be in the water. In order to wade through the difficulties of daily life, I have to remember to wear the proper protection. And that all starts as I do each morning in my bible study. I get into the word of God as opposed to allowing the world to get into me. I am preparing or the darkness and taking the proactive approach to defending against it. I am filling myself with the glory of God and putting on His armor of protection.

Preparing is not a one time thing. Preparation should be an ongoing thing. I should prepare for the day fighting in the darkness, then I should prepare for the individual battles I know are coming. And then I should prepare to be the husband and father in my home. And then I should prepare for sleep to recharge so that I can do it all over again the next day. The darkness in the world will be present always and it is up to me to prepare to defend against it and not just try to react to the attack and hope I am able to get through. With preparation, I will fight the fight and the result will be. Whether success or failure, I have prepared and fought with the Lord by my side and will know that the result is that of God’s design and victory will be had.

What preparations are you doing each day? Are you simply getting up and hoping that today will be better than yesterday? What if you were to prepare with the Lord and then continue your preparations throughout the day for the darkness that is there?

“²⁵Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ²⁸In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” – Ephesians 5:25-28 (ESV)

As I read this morning I was convicted in the idea above. I look inward to see, have I been presenting Lori as Christ did the Church? I know that she is present in the church and with all that she does. I know that she is reaching others in the work she does in the school and with the dance team and pep squad she directs. I know that she is a loving mother and would/does anything for our boys. But, have I been presenting her as such?

That is a question that I am glad was thrust at me this morning. Whether I am or not, as I believe, feedback is a gift that should be embraced and pondered for its validity and usefulness. I have to take the presentation of this question and ponder it to determine its answer for me and me alone. I have to embrace it and dig for answers. I have to go to the source of the question to learn more of what it means to present her. I need to go to her to learn from her if indeed she feels presented. It is fully up to me to use the question to get more answers so that I can present Lori as Christ did the Church.

“³¹Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” – Ephesians 5:31 (ESV)

Lori is the other part of me. She and I together are one and it is my duty to be for her at all times. This is coming more evident each day as we move to the new chapter in our lives. I have to be her love and support. I have to be her promoter and presenter. I have to be with her not just in the vicinity of her. She and I are one.

When you think of your wife or wife of your husband is she, are you being presented? Are you lifting/lifted up? What if you presented her or you were presented as Christ loved the Church?