Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
I know some of y'all
can't wait a week to hear from
me, so I'm going to startpreparing some little short
things to just throw out duringthe week, just to give you
something else to listen to,something else to contemplate,
something else to study.
Nothing big, nothing deepShould be fairly short.
I hope you enjoy it.
(00:28):
If you do, let me know Rick atRenewedMindsetscom or the
contact page atRenewedMindsetscom slash contact
.
Either way, I'd love to hearfrom you.
Enjoy, see.
Ya, we need to be Jesus to otherpeople.
(00:50):
First and foremost.
We need to love othersunconditionally.
This means showing acts of lovewithout expecting anything in
return or seeking thanks.
We need to embody Christ in ouractions with others, and this
goes way beyond just words inour relationships with fellow
(01:12):
believers.
Love requires action, loverequires effort, love requires
investment in others.
It's not enough to just say Ilove you and then be
disconnected from their lives.
Declaring love withoutpracticing love is shallow and
it's hypocritical.
The danger of living this wayis that we can easily ignore the
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Lord's command to becomewrapped up in our own little
words, neglecting acts of lovetowards our brothers and sisters
in the faith.
There's no excuse for that.
The second way we can relate toother believers is by following
the example of Paul with theGalatians.
He invested in their spiritualwell-being and showed a concern
(02:01):
for their spiritual condition.
This is a true act of love.
Caring for each other'sspiritual well-being in the body
of Christ is important and it'snecessary and it shows deep
affection.
It lays the groundwork forbuilding biblically grounded
relationships with each other.
And as we consider Paul'sstatement in the scriptures from
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Paul's letter to the Galatians,two things are evident.
First, there's affirmation youwere running well.
Paul didn't miss an opportunityto encourage his believers.
He acknowledged the directionon their faith journey.
He acknowledged the directionon their faith journey and one
(02:50):
of the most significantministries that we can engage in
with each other is mutualencouragement.
The Christian life ischallenging, it's exhausting and
there's a lot of discouragementin it.
So where do we turn to to findpeace, to find solace?
We turn to the Lord, and howoften does he lift the dark
(03:13):
clouds that loom over our heads?
Through his word spoken throughhis people, many Christians
have been uplifted from thedepth of despair and
discouragement by otherbelievers who set aside their
own concerns and extended wordsof encouragement.
I know that this is truebecause I've personally
experienced it from other people, and I'm certain you have too.
(03:35):
The question is are we the onesproviding encouragement or are
we just receiving it?
Because this is a service thatall of us are capable of, and
it's one that we are all calledto do and it's needed so badly.
And Paul does something else.
(03:56):
He poses a soul-searchingquestion that holds believers
accountable.
He says who hindered you fromobeying the truth?
Sensitive Christians who mightbe struggling or drifting into a
backsliding place in life?
Well, this question cuts deepand wide and the impact of it
(04:20):
lies in the answer.
Nobody hinders our relationshipwith the Lord, except us.
It's not our spouse, it's notfriends, it's not other people
in the church, it's notcircumstances or surroundings.
It's our own responsibility.
We determine the quality of ourrelationship with our Lord
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Jesus, and as individuals wehold that power.
What Paul is talking about hereis one of the highest forms of
Christian love investing inother believers by exercising
spiritual accountability.
Do you have somebody like thisin your life?
Do you have a brother or asister in Christ who asks you
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the tough question about yourwalk with the Lord?
Can you name that person rightnow?
Can you name the person thatyou've allowed to have a role in
your spiritual life that holdsyou accountable in your journey?
Can you you should be able toor do you just keep your
(05:30):
relationship with otherChristians at a safe distance?
I hope that each of us haspeople or a person that we can
speak to and have speak into ourlives, somebody that will ask
challenging questions regardingour prayer life and our devotion
(05:52):
to the word, our commitment tothe church, our pursuit of
holiness.
Because that's what we're doing, we are racing and running
towards holiness.
Because that's what we're doing, we are racing and running
towards holiness.
I hope that we're activelybuilding relationships with
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fellow Christians that allow usto be like Paul by providing
spiritual accountability.
That is the definition ofbiblical fellowship.
Christ called us to be acommunity, a body that's
privileged and responsible forone another, and we need to
strive to emulate him.
We need to be Jesus in ourinteractions with other
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Christians.
We need to affirm each other,we need to do it in love and we
need to commit ourselves toasking the hard questions out of
love.
Father, god, forgive me when Itry to shift the blame to others
and circumstances when I failto follow you.
It's so important People.
(06:58):
It's so important People.
The person who holds completeresponsibility for our walk with
the Lord is the one that we seereflected in the mirror.
Join me each week atrenewedmindsetscom or wherever
you listen to podcasts.
I'm Rick.
I love you, see ya.