There are many times in the Bible where God instructs us to remember His Word and we should strive to do so. Today, I want to give you just seven verses that I think if you apply will be a great help to you.
1. Remember Philippians 4:13
This passage teaches us very clearly that we can endure any circumstance but not by ourselves. It is only through Christ. We need the power, presence, and provision of Christ on a daily basis. Remember God doesn’t need you, you need Him. Spend time with Him every single day. Make sure you don’t just talk about prayer but that you pray.
2. Remember Proverbs 1:5
Remember this, that you are not the first or last man of God. Allow men of God today, and men of God from the past, to teach you. There is no one more useless than the one who thinks he knows it all. There are many great resources available in our world today – online, in books, and in magazines. There are programs that are available to advance your ministry. Though you may be a creative genius, you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Use tried and proven programs in your ministry. When we started a Christian school, we used A-Beka Book and the Pensacola Christian Academy format. We “followed it to the tee” and God has allowed us to have a successful Christian school. Many people suggested we use different materials, but we wanted to use a program that had been tried and tested.
There are great resources that are written by men which have been tried and tested. Why reinvent the wheel? Pass on what God has given to another man. Dave Ramsey has a book called “The Total Money Makeover” and a program for teaching Christian finance called “Financial Peace University.” It is a step-by-step program and is very helpful for Christians who are trying to discipline their financial lives. Why should I rewrite an entire curriculum that is already in place and in a very simple systematic format? Find materials that have been created by men of God and use them.
3. Remember 1 Timothy 3:5
That is, remember that your family is more important than anything else. Set a day aside for rest with them. Include them in your ministry. Love your wife unconditionally. Praise and pursue the heart of your children.
4. Remember Romans 13:7
The Bible teaches us that nobody is perfect. Thank God that He uses imperfect people. As you grow in ministry, you may find fault with some of the things that your professors, your teachers, your former pastors taught. Remember God used them to be a blessing. You most likely would not be where you are without their influence and their encouragement. Though Satan puts a critical thought in your mind concerning them, submit yourself to God and resist the Devil. [James 4:11] It is very clear that God does not want us to bad mouth, criticize, and put down our brothers. I think this should be especially true of those who have taught us. If someone has taken time to pour their life, soul, and mind into me, then I need to honor them. I should not be critical of them, because I might, later in life, find some fault with some of their methods. The Bible tells us that we are to honor our parents. If that is true of our earthly parents, then we should be very careful to honor those that are our spiritual parents a well. When people are critical of others, it just proves that they have some real weaknesses themselves. Often times people criticize great leaders because they have accomplished nothing themselves.
5. Remember Philippians 2:5-11
The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ was a servant and that you are here to serve not to be served. People need to see the love of Christ. The ministry is not about you, it is about bringing people to Christ. If you get to a point where you are a big shot, go knock on some doors and you will remember that nobody really knows you. Even if you come to a point where all 300,000,000 people in America know you, remember there are still 6.8 billion people who don’t. I like this little quote, “Everybody is nobody to somebody.” The important thing is that we become somebody to Christ. Remember you are here to serve.
6. Remember John 13:34-35
God has promised to love people and love them unconditionally as He did on the cross. Love your people, love your family, love your children, love your community, and love your enemies. This world needs to see a great big dose of the love of Jesus Christ.
Remember you are here to show that love to them.
7. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:20
Your purpose is to represent Jesus Christ. You are here to tell people about Jesus Christ. You are here to honor Him and lift up His name. It doesn’t matter whether you are known or unknown. We are very simply servant-messenger boys. If we can keep that in mind, we can accomplish great things for Christ. Jerry Falwell used to say, “It would be amazing how much we could get done for Christ, if we didn’t care who got the credit.”
Let’s live to represent Jesus Christ.
Great teaching Pastor Teis. Thank you for these words of encouragement!
Thank you Parejam!