Category: Knowing God

Daniel and I have been married ten years now, but I still remember all the excitement and anxiousness that lead up to the wedding. We were getting close to the day and had completed the marriage counseling program. We were pretty sure we were ready to take on the world. I mean, we had Jesus, each other, and the cutest little ring bearer(Jackson) that you ever did see. I’m sure we should have felt the weight of this monumental undertaking more than we did, but we were young, naive, and mostly too busy gleefully skipping our way to the altar hand-in-hand to notice that we were slightly distracted by the fanfare of it all.

As part of our final preparation before our wedding day, My Grandfather Arlis Banks was going to perform the wedding and wished to counsel us himself. What we originally looked at as a formal counseling requirement ended up being a life-changing model for our marriage.

From the second we entered their home, we could see and feel the love in this household. Immediately we could feel the warmth of their home that overflowed with so much love and life. We were welcomed to their table where we would hang on their every word over a warm pot of stew. The conversation was natural yet intentional, covering the full spectrum of hilarious marriage moments to their deepest trials. They shared how they grew in love and learned to respect each other’s unique roles and gifts; how they constantly ran to God and His Word together to find wisdom in managing everything from their money to their tempers. We listened to their sincere and humble prayers, their gentle instruction to their children, and their honoring words for one another. We heard how they forgave each other, we watched how they served each other, and we took note of all the ways they incorporated Jesus into every aspect of their lives.

And we walked out of that house different people, knowing that we had been led to God.

Time spent with this one church leader and his wife in their home revealed the real-deal gospel at work in their lives – something that they had become solidly known for over the years. It’s no wonder Paul takes great care to instruct Timothy that a church overseer must know how to manage his own home. “If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Timothy 3:5).

Leadership matters, because leadership models. Paul knows that there’s no way a church leader can effectively lead a congregation to God, to holy living, and to reaching the lost for Christ if he is not proven in leading with excellence in his very own home. God’s Word requires that church overseers are “above reproach” – not perfect – but solid in essential character traits that shine first in the most intimate, personal spaces. On the other hand, leaders who live in hypocrisy to the standards outlined in 1 Timothy 3 can quickly compromise the trust and spiritual growth of individual members, as well as the reputation and credibility of the church as a whole. Leadership matters in light of the gospel.

Would you pray and thank God for your church leaders today, and then commit to regularly praying for them as they seek to lead you to God? Let’s also commit to constantly growing in personal godliness, so that we too can impact lives around us by the way we use our God-given gifts and model real, consistent gospel-centered living.

God sent his Son, Jesus, who was the best example God was able to provide. The Lord Jesus Christ should be our model, we should model our lives in line with His wonderful example.

Jesus took upon himself to be the most humble, lowliest man. He performed the lowliest of jobs, benefiting us.

This is what we are told in Philippians 2 :5(NKJV).

It has been said- outlook determines outcome. Many people today think that they can’t manage their moods or attitudes. Christians are not slaves to their attitudes. We must have a particular attitude as did Jesus.

Without the Spirit of Christ, we are unable to Christ like.

Philippians 2: 1-11

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 11:28-29

Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle ando lwly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.

      Included with the meaning of being Christ Like is direction, emotions and character. Christ was exceedingly humble. As Christ was, we should be lowly-minded. As Christ was humble, we should be humble. We should be like-minded, as Christ did. Christ who humbled himself to sufferings and death for all mankind, his spirit and steps are the same that we must walk in. Jesus lived and died for us, not just to please God’s authority . Our finest example is Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus left Heaven, came to this earth, suffered and died for us.

The compelling call to the believer is the self-sacrifice of Jesus. Once we embrace His attitude, our relationship with others will be effectived.

Once we imitate his attitude, true Christians will model their personal relationships on Jesus. Our unity should be a unity growing out of love, out of a Christlike attitude. We must train ourselves to think like Christ, if we are to be like Christ.

Jesus Christ came to this earth and left Heaven and all its glory. On earth, Jesus made Himself nothing. While He was on earth, He was a Servant. Here on earth, He humbled himself to the degree that He without reserve died a criminal’s death. And He did all this for us. If we, as Christians have this attitude regarding one another there `will be unity. We will have the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17.

And we will truly be one, in spirit and purpose. We, like Jesus, will live to serve. This, of course, was part of Paul’s vision. Because Jesus humbled Himself, God the Father exalted Him to the highest place. For us as well as for Jesus, the way up is down.

God blesses us when we humble ourselves in the service of others. Christ was humble, in order to obey God and serve people, He was willing to give up His rights.

Since we are to have the mind of Christ, we should have a servant’s attitude. Serving out of love for God and for others is our charge. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others. When we see the need to serve others, we will look into the concerns of others, there needs to be a servant’s heart.

Everyone at one time or another has wanted something kept secret. When we visit the sick, as we show a tender kindness for them, we shouldn’t be too precise in being inquisitive into their medical disorders or their emotions. Circumstances may be such they prefer not to speak about.

We should allow them to tell their own stories. It is also true that the rule before us positively requires us to show an interest in the concerns of others; and it may be regarded as implying the following things:

(1.) We are to feel that the spiritual interests of everyone in the church are our own interest. The church is one. It is combined together for a common object. Each one is entrusted with a portion of the esteem of the whole, and the conduct of one member affects the character of all. We are to promote, in every way possible, the welfare of every other member of the church. If they go astray, we are to admonish and entreat them; if they are in error, we are to instruct them; if they are in trouble, we are to aid them. Every member of the church has a claim on the sympathy of his brethren, and should be certain of always finding it when his circumstances demand it.

(2.) There are situations where it is suitable to look with special interest on the mundane concerns of others. The poor, the fatherless, and the injured and the impaired must be sought out in order to be assisted and relieved. They are to modest to press their situation on the attention of others, and they need others to manifest a generous care in their welfare in order to relieve them. This is not an interference into their concerns, and it should not be so regarded as such.    

(3.) We should pursue the welfare of all others in a spiritual sense. We should seek to alert the sinner, being perceptive to his needs, and lead him to the Savior. Those in darkness will not come themselves; they are unconcerned, and will not seek salvation; they are filled with the love of this world, and will not seek a better; devoted life.

It is no more an intrusion in their concerns to inform them of their condition, and to attempt to lead them to the Savior, than it is to warn a man in a dark night, who walks on the verge of a cliff, of his jeopardy that is in store; or to arouse one from sleep whose house is in flames. It is not meddling with the concerns of another to tell him that there is a glorious heaven which may be his, than it would be to inform a man that there is a mine of golden ore on his farm. It is for the man’s own interest, and our job a a friend to remind him of these things. He does a man a favor who tells him that he has a redeemer, and that there is a heaven to which he may rise; he does his neighbor the greatest possible kindness who informs him that there is a world of infinite woe, and tells him of an easy way by which he may escape it.

The world around is dependent on the church to be informed of these truths. The unworldly will not warn the unworldly of their danger; the crowd that presses to the theater or the ball-room will not convey to those who are there that they are on the broad way to hell; and everyone who loves his neighbor should feel sufficient interest in him to tell him that he may be forever happy in heaven.