Quo Vadis?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 1:8

Quo Vadis?

by Robert T. Cooper

Quo vadis? Where are you going? The quote comes from an old novel about the life of the Apostle Peter. You might want to look it up and read it. Peter had a mission, a place in life God was taking him. He knew where he needed to go and what he needed to do. Yet, as God is wont to do, it was a difficult mission, one that could only be seen through to the end with the Lord’s help. Peter started to leave so he would not have to continue to the end of his mission. Only God wouldn’t let Peter do that. He confronted Peter. When Peter confessed and repented, the Lord gave him the strength he needed to see his mission through to the end.

You and I have been brought into the Lord’s mission, the mission to take the Gospel to everyone everywhere. When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He gave us His Holy Spirit to live within us. When the Holy Spirit came upon us, we were commissioned to be witnesses to the saving power of Christ. We are to be witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” That is commonly interpreted as starting where you are, and then moving outward to neighboring areas until the entire world is reached.

Is this out of the comfort zone of most? Yes! Can anyone do it in his own strength? No!

So we are confronted with the questions of where we are going and of what are we doing as we go. Are we being witnesses where we are? Are we witnessing to ever-broadening areas as guided by the Holy Spirit? Do we witness to our social media “friends”? How is the Holy Spirit using us to get out the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ?

Don’t let yourself off the hook. Ask the Lord whether He is satisfied with your faithfulness to the mission. Ask where and how He wants you to witness today. Who knows? Perhaps you will be amazed at the places He will take you.

Questions:

1.      Are you a witness where you are?

2.      Are you witnessing to ever-broadening areas as guided by the Holy Spirit?

3.      Do you witness to your social media “friends”?

4.      How is the Holy Spirit using you to get out the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ?

Ways to Show Your Love for God

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:1

Ways to Show Your Love for God

by Robert T. Cooper

It’s in just about every movie. The couple find themselves very close to one another. They lock eyes. The background music becomes romantic strings. The couple’s lips touch ever so briefly. Suddenly they are locked in a passionate embrace. From there everything goes X-rated. That is what Hollywood calls love. It is that sort of dysfunctional schlock that fills everything from children’s movies to chick flicks. It is also the subject matter of, oh say, 98% of all pop/rock/country songs. But it isn’t really love. And it isn’t going to help you know how to show your love for God.

The book of Acts is dedicated to Theophilus. This name means “Lover of God.” The Gospel of Luke was also dedicated to Theophilus. Since in Bible days names and nicknames were given to describe the character (or at least to hopefully influence the developing character) of the person. I’ve always wished we knew a little more about Theophilus in addition to the name. All we can do is guess. There aren’t even any useful traditions.

On the other hand, we can fruitfully think about us. If you or I were to earn the nickname, “Lover of God,” the people around us would need to see certain actions in our lives. They would need to see more than that we had strong feelings about God. They would need to see us living out our devotion to God. Let me suggest three ways to show your love for God.

1.      People who are in love devote time to the One they love. They want to listen to the voice of their Beloved for hours on end. They want to read the love letters of their Beloved for hours on end. They want to write love letters to their Beloved. They simply sit and stare, contemplating the features of their Beloved. They whisper in the ear of their Beloved sweet nothings, mostly words of praise for the beauty and the character and the remarkable accomplishments of their Beloved.

2.      People who are in love sacrifice their own agendas in order to do what their Beloved wants to do. They go where their Beloved wants to go. They learn to be interested in the things that interest their Beloved and give up those things that do not interest their Beloved. They sacrifice time with old friends in order to be with the Beloved and the Beloved’s friends.

3.      People who are in love sacrifice expenditures on themselves in order to lavish gifts on the Beloved, tokens of affection, things that will please and honor the Beloved. And should the Beloved present a token in return, that token is received with pride; if it can be worn, it is worn with pride for all to see what the Beloved has done.

I get up early to spend time with the Lord. I’m not very good at journaling, but I try to do some. I go through phases when I am better at meditating for awhile, and then not as good for awhile; but I keep surrounding myself with books and music that will influence me in that direction.

That’s a little about me. Would you share a little about you?