DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY – THE BASICS OF LIFE IN CHRIST. Part 1.

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. - Richard L. Evans.

By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. - Heb 5:12.

As a Pastor I am often asked about the reasons why people are not growing in Christ, yet they have been saved a number of years. My reply is always the same... “They have become spiritually deaf, and they need to get back to the basics of Christianity, and start again.” Some people are offended, but the wise ones receive the rebuke, and implement the advice.

Over 2,000 years ago a young Greek artist named Timanthes studied under a respected tutor. After several years the teacher's efforts seemed to have paid off when Timanthes painted an exquisite work of art. Unfortunately, he became so enraptured with the painting that he spent days gazing at it. One morning when he arrived to admire his work, he was shocked to find it blotted out with paint. Angry, Timanthes ran to his teacher, who admitted he had destroyed the painting.

"I did it for your own good. That painting was retarding your progress. Start again and see if you can do better." Timanthes took his teacher's advice and produced Sacrifice of Iphigenia, which is regarded as one of the finest paintings of antiquity. - Today in the Word.

So, if you have become dull of hearing in the spiritual realm, then here are some essential principles of the Christian life worth consideration, as they apply to your life...

GOD WANTS YOU TO LIVE AN EFFECTIVE LIFE
God is for you, and He stands on the side of life, and of all that belongs to life, i.e. deliverance, healing, well-being, growth, joy, peace, and love... What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? - Rom 8:31. Hallelujah! What an awesome God we serve!

Charles Francis Adams, 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: "Went fishing with my son today--a day wasted." His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: "Went fishing with my father--the most wonderful day of my life!" The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son, but his son saw it as an investment of time. The only way to tell the difference between wasting and investing is to know one's ultimate purpose in life and to judge accordingly. - Silas Shotwell.

THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE IN CHRIST IS TO LOVE
But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. - John 13:34.

Love is what makes life liveable. We crave it and have an innate desire to give it. Practically every issue we struggle with in life comes down to love in some way. “How shall I deal with my spouse? Or my children? Why am I so lonely? Do I have any real value? How should I use what money and power I have?” All these are questions about love. If love is what we are made for, little wonder that we feel empty if we are not doing much of it.

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less." - Our Daily Bread.

LIVE AN EFFECTIVE AND LOVING LIFE FOR JESUS!

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to get back to the basics of my walk in Christ that I may start again, and be on fire for Him. Heal my Spiritual deafness that I may once again be more like my Master Jesus, in whose wonderful name I pray! Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY