God wants you to ABOUND!

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

My basketball coach had our team memorize this verse when we were in high school.  At the time, I thought it was about being a good ball player.  On defense I would block my opponent and on offense I would not stop moving towards making a basket and scoring.  That is what my 17 year old mind processed.  But as I grew, my oh my, what a lifelong pep rally this verse gives me spiritually! 

God wants us abounding in His work!  He wants us to walk with Him, listen to Him and apply His knowledge to our everyday lives.  The Corinthians should have been growing and abounding, but Paul had to go in and instruct them in the basics.  Why?  Take a look at a few verses he wrote before ever getting to verse 58. 

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

These people knew the truth but had allowed wrong associations to change their minds about the resurrection!  Wrong teaching had warped their thinking!

Do you know what will keep us from abounding in the Lord’s work?  Evil communications.  What does that mean?  Bad associations.  They can corrupt our way of life and how we behave.  During revival meetings we are in church with other like-minded Christians, seeking to make any change necessary in our lives for God’s glory.  We are pumped during that week aren’t we?  That is because it is EDIFYING and not corrupt!  But go spend a week at the beach bar hopping and see how you feel. You will feel completely different.  Your mind will get calloused to the fact you are seeing parts of people’s bodies you have no business seeing.  Your thought life will be up for grabs for the devil.  Your senses will be dulled to the music, the debauchery that goes hand in hand with drunkenness and you will be corrupted.  Why?  The influences of the associations you kept. 

I know none of you are heading out to the bar scene, but it contrasts the church in such a way that I want you to see the difference.  Now, look at your OWN life.  Not someone else’s but yours.  Are there some bad associations there that make you doubt whether or not God loves you?  Be careful, it will corrupt you. 

The one thing that cannot be corrupted is real Truth.  By that I mean God’s Word.  So, if there is no corruption in It, THAT is what will help me ABOUND in the Lord’s work.  I need to be steadfast in It!  I need to be UNmovable in It.  The only way that is going to happen is if I read IT!

January of 2016 is drawing near.  You can make it a year of being rooted and grounded in the Lord or make the bad choice of being corrupted by evil communications.  Those things you may think are small and unimportant may be the very things that cause you to move away from God and His plans for your life this coming year.  Wouldn’t it be great to start it out right with your feet planted in the Word? 

So practically speaking, make a checklist in your life.  Ask yourself:

-        Are there any influences in my life that are contrary to the Word of God?

-        Am I basing my thoughts and life on sound Biblical principles? 

-        Am I abounding in the Lord’s work or have I turned around and faced the other direction?

Let the Word of God change you and let your testimony influence someone else to want to know the Lord!  Be steadfast, be unmovable and ABOUND in the work of the Lord!  Why?  It is NOT in vain…..He is paying attention!

Until next time, Lord willing!

Sheri