5 Most Important Things in Life: Part 4 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” the Apostle Paul

Philippians 3:7-8a

Transcript

Good morning. I hope you’re ready to hear from God because that’s what we do at this time each weekday morning. We open the Bible and just say, God, what do you have to say to us? Not just theological truth, but what do you have to say to us that impacts our lives, that will matter to me today?

As we start our day, the best way we can start it is coming to God. Well, all this week we’re talking about the five most important things in life, and we’re listening to what God has to say to us.

On Monday we saw that our personal relationship with God is the most important thing in life.

Number 2, on Tuesday we saw that the word of God. It is so important in our lives.

Number 3, yesterday we saw that number 3 is your family is so important. Part of God’s design for us from the beginning, that your family is one of the top things in your life.

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Number 4: The family of believers, your family of fellow Christians, the body of Christ as the Bible describes it, the church.

Not just your local church, but the believers that are in your life. That of course may include people in your own family as well, but well beyond that, people who become as close as a brother or sister, people who have such an impact on your life, and you have an impact on their lives. You may not see yourself that way, but the fact is, the people in your life that you’re close to, that you share with, you have an impact on them.

And we always need to be thinking, how does God want to use me in the lives of my fellow believers.

Let me read you what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 12, starting in verse 4. He says:

For as in one physical body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ. And individually members one of another having gifts that differ according to the grace of God given to us, let us use them if prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in His teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal. The one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness, let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. Do not be slothful in zeal but fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

And he goes on.

But you see this beautiful picture here of the role we have in one another’s lives, and as you read through the New Testament about what the church and the relationship between Christians is to be like, you see the Bible again and again using this term one another, one another, one another, love one another, pray for one another, build one another up, edify one another, on and on and on. It goes so many times, and you will find in your life as you start to pay attention to the role God has for other Christians, other believers in your life.

That God also wants to use you in this way, and there’s this mutual relationship of encouraging one another, strengthening one another, praying for one another as you go beyond just chatting in life and start to think, how can I help and build up my fellow Christian’s spiritual walk with God, you will find God using you and making you a very important person in those people’s lives.

I’m John North.

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