Nehemiah 9:22-10:39 / 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13 / Psalm 34:1-10/ Proverbs 21:13
We do not earn our salvation. We do not earn God’s favor by the things we do after we have received the gift of salvation. However, we are expected to “work” in God’s Kingdom. We have a role to fulfill, gifts to operate in, disciplines to acquire. There are certainly things to do, but none of the things we do will ever negate what Jesus Christ has already done.
While we work for God, we must have the proper perspective of our work. Are we working to earn something, or are we working because we know we are loved, and we are grateful for all God has done? If for the latter, our work becomes a labor of love for God, and this is the best kind of labor in which we can engage.
1 Corinthians 9:26 is fascinating to me, especially when read in context of the verses both before and after. I’ll quote verse 26 for you here, but please feel free to read the rest of the verses from today’s devotional. So, I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
Over the past several months, since I began my journey of reading the Bible through in a year and posting a daily blog, I’ve been aware that I wanted both to bring you something of value and to internalize for myself the truths I’m finding. If I study only to bring you a word, I’ve missed half of the point of studying. However, if I first search to find God’s heart for me each day and I share with you out of that overflow, I believe my priorities are in line with God’s purpose for my study.
Paul, the writer of the letters to the Corinthians, understood that he was not just teaching and training the early Christians. He knew that he was first a disciple or learner. He knew that his relationship with Christ was foremost. In a very real way, if a leader is studying God’s Word just to preach a message that doesn’t change his or her own heart, he or she is “shadowboxing”.
To shadowbox is to punch the air without making contact. You’ve seen the movies of the prize fighter in training and he’s making motions in the air with his gloved hands. It’s true that he’s gaining a measure of exercise through this and that without his training when the real fight comes, he won’t be able to withstand or have any chance of winning. Training is valuable (verses 24-25), so that we can stand when the battle begins.
In truth we are in a battle daily. Our enemy the devil is always after us attempting to steal from us, kill us, and destroy everything God wants to do in our lives. That’s why we can never afford to shadowbox. We must be targeted and purposefully, hitting our target often. We cannot accomplish this targeted campaign without Holy Spirit. He knows our enemy better than we do and He is able to direct us toward the best methods for defeating the one who is attempting to defeat us.
I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll say it again, our greatest weapon in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, is the love of God poured out through us onto those around. Do you want to defeat the enemy? Love others. Do you want to win he war? Guard your thoughts and your heart. Do you want the upper hand on every scheme the devil tries? Forgive everyone who has ever or will ever offend you.
We do not fight with weapons the way the world does. I feel like I should write that sentence one hundred times, so I remember it. I’m sure you remember writing sentences in school or at home. It was frustrating but it sure drove home the point of what you were writing. How about this sentence, “I will not fight with weapons the way the world does? I will not speak evil of others. I will not pay back evil for good or evil or evil.”
This world is crazy and in desperate need of Jesus Christ. And that’s where we step in. We who are filled with God’s Spirit are meant to fill and permeate the atmosphere around us with the fragrance of Jesus. Don’t be stinking up the place with pride, hatred, or any other evil-hearted thing! Repent and have a heart of love toward God and people. It is our greatest weapon.
If we have any hope of defeating the enemy in this hour, we must stand arm-in-arm with those we love and are in community with and declare the love of Jesus Christ over the entire earth! We must declare victory on His behalf. We must refuse to listen to the evil speakers of our day, and we must instead stand on the Truth of God’s Word. It is our only hope.
