Devotional Songs: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of Clay Crosse, Bob Carlyle, and Bebe Wynan singing … I Will Follow Christ, expressing the desire of all “real-deal” Christians … And THEN ON TO THIS LINK to hear the country classic singers, Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson, singing Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Highlight Passage: Philippians 3: 17 [NKJV] …
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
… Paul was confident other could follow him; because he knew WHOM he was following … and that is Christ.
============
Highlight Context – Philippians 3: 17-21 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul was a real-deal Christian his fellow Christians could follow
============
Reference Passage #1 … John 14: 6 [NKJV] …
6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
… The only way we can lead others is by following Christ closely.
Reference Passage #2 … 1st Corinthians 11: 1 [NKJV] …
1 You can imitate me; because I imitate Christ.
… To lead others in a closer walk of Christlikeness, we must follow Him closely and openly lead others in that walk.
Reference Passage #3 … [NKJV] … 2nd Corinthians 11: 22-33 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul was a real-deal Christian whom other Christians could follow.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dave Branon, used his fellow contributors to ODB daily entries as examples of Christian integrity and leadership. He writes … Several years ago I received a letter from an Our Daily Bread reader after I had written about a family tragedy. “When you told about your tragedy,” this person wrote, “I realized that the writers were real people with real problems.” How true that is! I look across the list of men and women who pen these articles, and I see cancer and wayward children and unfulfilled dreams and many other kinds of loss. We are indeed just regular, real people writing about a real God who understands our real problems.
Branon's point is that those of us who use the ODB entries for our devotional time with God daily can follow these writers because they are simply being vulnerable [i.e., real and honest] with their Christian integrity.
So, fellow Christian, do you see the formula here? … VULNERABILITY + Biblical Integrity = Solid Christian Leadership.
And that was the Apostle Paul in a nutshell. He was a real-deal Christian who walked-the-walk and was willing/able to lead others in that walk. In two different letters to fellow Christians, he openly and confidently wrote that other Christians could follow his lead because he knew exactly where he was walking; and that was to follow Christ [see Phil. 3:17 and 1st Cor. 11:1]. When a Christian openly and honestly follows Christ (see linked songs above); and then is open and vulnerable in that walk, he/she will certainly encounter opposition from the world; but that leader will be able to lead others in THE WAY of the Lord [see John 14:6].
I’m challenged by today’s ODB entry to see if I’m following Christ’s footsteps closely enough; and then we, who do walk with Christ, must ask ourselves if we’re open and vulnerable in sharing that walk with others.
Ask yourself: … Can I say what Paul said to his friends in 1st Cor. 11:1? If not, where/how should we walk to lead others, as Patsy and Willie sing above … to a closer walk with Christ?
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, … Help me to follow You and then lead others in that walk. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment