“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7 ESV)

Run your race to win

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:24-27 ESV)

Race toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14 ESV)

Lay aside every weight

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1-2 ESV)

Do not give up

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9 ESV)

Hold fast to the word of life 

“Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Phil. 3:16 ESV) 

Therefore

“Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:8 ESV)

“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52 NASB)

Jesus kept increasing 

In the passage above, which was written about Jesus when he was twelve years-old, we learn that He increased in four areas: in wisdom (mentally), in stature (physically), in favor with God (spiritually), and in favor with man (socially). Jesus was balanced in all four areas of His life, and we can be too.

·      Wisdom – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)

·      Stature – “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13 KJV)

·      Favor with God – “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17 ESV)

·      Favor with man – “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11 ESV)

Therefore

“And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.” (Job 8:7 ESV)

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Eph. 4:13-16 ESV)

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Prov. 16:32 ESV)

The problem with anger

“An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.” (Prov. 29:22 NASB) 

The cost of anger

·      It causes arguments

“Hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace. “  (Prov. 15:18 GNT).

·      It causes mistakes

“He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.” (Prov. 14:29 NASB)

·      It causes foolish things

“Short-tempered people do foolish things, and schemers are hated.” (Prov. 14:17 NLT)

Therefore

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19 ESV)

“Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!” (Matt.18:21-22 NLT)

In the touchy-feely world we live in, many find it hard, even impossible, to forgive those who have done something hurtful, sinful, or negative towards them. They don’t “feel” forgiveness and are therefore led by their emotions. This is especially hard for repeat offenders, and many of those are in hard places to ignore, like your family or your place of work. But forgiveness is a command, not a suggestion. And Jesus said you must repeatedly forgive others, period, no matter how many times they offend or how big it is. So, how do you do it? You choose to forgive others despite how you feel. Forgiveness must not be led by feelings but must be a choice based upon God’s command to do so. When you choose to forgive someone, you may not immediately feel better, but it is the right thing to do, and God will help you with it and will bless you for it. If you do not forgive, profound consequences will occur; you will become bitter and develop other serious personal and relational problems. The following are some scriptures on the subject. 

Forgive one another

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you

“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col. 3:13 ESV)

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25 ESV)

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

A warning about forgiveness

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:14-15 ESV)

“The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” (Prov. 15:28 ESV) 

Have you ever been quick to say something, then immediately afterwards regretted what you had just said? I have, many times, and I cringe when I remember them. In each case, if I had just taken a few seconds to pause and think, I would have held my tongue and avoided trouble.

The tongue is a fire

“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” (James 3:2-10 ESV)

It’s better to THINK before you speak!

Bad words spouted out quickly and rashly are like toothpaste. Once they are squeezed out of the tube, they are impossible to get back in. It’s much better to hold your tongue, take a breath, breathe slowly, count to ten, and then ponder the following five questions in this well known acrostic THINK before you speak.

T: Is it truthful?

Is what I’m about to say the truth?

H: Is it helpful?

Or will it simply harm the other person?

I: Is it inspirational?

Does it build up or does it tear down?

N: Is it necessary?

If it’s not necessary, why do I need to say it?

K: Is it kind?

Your mother was right when she uttered those famous words, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” 

Keeping control of what you say will keep you out of trouble

“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” (Prov. 21:23 ESV)

Give grace to those who hear

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29 ESV)

A soft answer

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1 ESV)

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matt. 5:13 NIV)

As part of His sermon on the mount, in the above passage, Jesus described His followers as the salt of the earth.

Interesting facts about salt

·      Salt is a crystalline compound NaCl that consists of sodium chloride.

·      It has multiple uses. Salt is a mineral used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. 

·      Salt is a necessity of life, without it you will die.

·      Salt never loses its flavor unless it is mixed (contaminated) with something else. 

Jesus warned that salt is worthless if it loses its saltiness (flavor)

If believers lost their “flavor,” they would be of no benefit to others. They would then only be worthy of being “thrown out and trampled upon by men” (Matthew 5:13)

We need to be “salt”

Salt creates thirstiness. A follower of Jesus has a job to make people thirsty for God. If a Christian isn’t “flavoring” his world for Jesus he probably has been contaminated by the world in such a way he has lost saltiness.

Get the salt out of the shaker and into the world

·      You can share God’s love with others around you. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20a ESV) 

·      You can be ready to give  gracious answers. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col. 4:6 NIV)

·      You can hold fast to the infallible Word of Truth.  “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Prov. 30:5 ESV)

·      You can live a life of integrity. “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. (Prov 10:9 ESV)

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” (1 Tim. 6:17 NLT)

It’s okay to be rich, but be careful

Some people are rich in this world, and that’s okay. The Bible doesn’t teach that having money is wrong. It’s the “love” of it that’s wrong (1 Tim. 6:10). The above passage warns that rich people should not be proud or put their trust in their money, but their trust should be in God.

It’s dangerous to trust in riches

“Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf..” (Prov. 11:28 NIV)

The deceitfulness of riches inter in and choke the Word

“But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19 ESV)

Where your treasure is your heart will be

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-20 ESV)

Therefore…

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5 ESV)

“…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 NASB) 

Definition

• Webster’s definition of Lord: having power, authority or influence; a master or ruler, leader, chief, superior, monarch, sovereign, king, emperor, prince, governor, and commander.

• Bible’s definition of Lord: the name for God, it means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus; we use it when we obey him; someone with authority.

Jesus Christ is Lord

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11 NASB)

There is one Lord, Jesus Christ

“…yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” (1 Cor. 8:6 NASB) 

He is Lord of lords and King of kings 

“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14 NASB)

Preach Christ as Lord

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.” (2 Cor. 4:5 NASB) 

Confess with your heart Jesus as Lord

“…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9 NASB) 

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart

“…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” (2 Peter 3:15 NASB)

If you call Him Lord, then do what he says

“Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NIV)

Therefore

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Col. 3:17 NASB)

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV)

Sometime progress is slow in coming and just plain hard work

When my children were small, I was building a fence in my backyard. My son, Matthew, was watching me. I looked up from my work and said to him, “Inch by inch, it’s a synch, and by the yard, it’s hard!” And without missing a beat, he said, “And, by the mile, it’s a pile.”  We both laughed. The truth is most jobs eventually get done if you just stick with them and don’t quit.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9 ESV)

It produces character

 “And endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” (Rom. 5:4 ESV)

Therefore

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12 ESV)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set