Page 7 - March 2023 - Truth & Tidings

though they did not claim to be perfect, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed
they were trying to do their best in the be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21 KJV).
belief that God would reward them one
day by granting them entry into heaven. Love – We Are Devoted to God
These are the sorts of ideas that many and Seek to Serve Him
subscribe to. For us as believers, rather that acting
When the Spirit of God brings convic- out of a sense of duty or obligation to
tion to sinners through the truth of the behave in a certain way, we willingly and
Word of God, all false ideas must be aban- wholeheartedly seek to please God in any
doned. They begin to understand that God way we can. We serve Him, not because
is great in power, holiness and justice, but we are forced to but because we want to.
He is also great in love, mercy and grace. We gradually learn not to be self-centered
He is interested in each individual, and but to focus on Him and His interests.
out of love He sent His Son to be the Savior We gladly yield to His will by purpos-
of the world (1Jn 4:14). Christ died upon ing to live holy lives for His glory (Rom
the cross of Calvary to pay the price of sin. 6:13,16,19).
He is the only way back to God. In repen- Sacrificial love undergirds all true ser-
tance, the sinner submits to these truths. vice. It flows from a sense of thankfulness

Faith – We Depend Upon God at being the recipients of undeserved fa-
and Trust His Direction vor from a gracious heavenly Father. The
apostle Paul described love as his sole mo-
The natural man is self-reliant and plots tivation for service: “For the love of Christ
his own course according to what he can constraineth us” (2Co 5:14 KJV). In other
see and understand. The spiritual man words, it hemmed him in and left him no
relies upon God and submits to His will, option. Love has its own unique power to
walking by faith and not by sight (2Co 5:7). move men and women to worship and to
Every child of God begins on the Christian serve the living God. It has also inspired
pathway through faith in Christ but also them to pour out their lives for others.
goes on to live by that same principle day
after day. A wise believer will diligently Spheres of Divine Order
seek to know God’s guidance in every area For the good of society as a whole,
of life and then follow it (Heb 11:6). In such God has established spheres of author-
matters as the choice of a career, finding ity. These all require willing cooperation
the right marriage partner, or where to and submission to make them function
live and how to serve the Lord, God is effectively. The devil, however, seeks to
pleased to make His will known to us. We overthrow God’s order at every level. He
can trust Him to lead us, not only in these is busier than ever today, as is evident in
key decisions but also in the small details. a world marked increasingly by rebellion
The believer continues to trust God, and anarchy, chaos and confusion.
even when times are tough. A notable We shall consider our subject of “Sub-
example of faith put to the test is the story mission” in relation to the following
of Job who lost nearly everything in one spheres: in the Godhead, in society, in the
tragic day. His response was to bow to the workplace, in marriage, in the family, and
will of God and declare, “The LORD gave, in the local church.

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