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Episode #61 "What Are You DOING?"
Transcript
Pastor and author Matt Chandler once said, “The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the midst of the storm.” Author Max Lucado also said, “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.” And Author-Pastor Tony Evans said, “God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.”
Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. I’m your host, Steve Etner, Author, National Speaker, and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry. This is episode #61, and in this episode, we continue to discover the importance of building your spiritual life on the right foundation. So, stay tuned as together we dive into Scripture to seek an answer to the question: What Are You Doing?
In Colossians 3:17 the Apostle Paul says, “whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” I want us to focus our attention on the word “deed.” “Whatever you do in word or DEED.” Typically, we think of a deed as being something that we do. For example, we may think of helping out in the nursery at church or going on a short-term mission’s trip with the youth group or raking the neighbor’s leaves as good deeds. They certainly can and do include those things; but that simple word, “deed” in Colossians 3:17 refers to so much more. You see, a “deed” can be something as simple as crossing your arms to make a point or offering a friendly pat on the back for encouragement. It can be a sigh or a roll of the eyes or shrug of the shoulders. It’s a word that refers to any type of physical activity you may perform.
Each and every individual thing we do, no matter how insignificant we may think it is, is considered by God to be a deed that should glorify Him. Even the raising of an eyebrow, the shrug of our shoulders, the glaring of our eyes, the nodding of our head, or a smile of encouragement is a deed that should be done in the name of Jesus Christ. In short, every aspect of your body language is seen by God to be a deed that should bring Him glory.
It is also important for us to realize that these deeds are not referring only to the ones seen by men. It includes each and every deed – whether in public OR in private. Even the things you do when you’re all by yourself are to be done to the glory of God. Whoa – hold on a moment. Did you catch that? This bears repeating. Even the things you do when you’re all by yourself are to be done to the glory of God.
1 Samuel 2:3 tells us that “the Lord is a God who knows, and by Him deeds are weighed.” Consider that verse carefully. God knows each and every one of your deeds, public and private. But this verse reveals something more, something much deeper. God not only knows your deeds, but He is fully aware of the motivation of your heart behind each deed. What is the real reason you’re doing this? God knows!
Listen carefully to what God says in Jeremiah 17:10 – “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” Hold on here ... wait a minute, did you catch that? On the scales of God’s justice your deeds are seriously considered – yes; however, God places more weight on your hearts’ motivation, on the thoughts you were thinking as you did each deed than He does upon the deed itself.
Look again at this verse. Jeremiah 17:10 – “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” God searches your heart and examines your mind. Yes, your deeds are important to Him, but even more so is the reason behind it – that which was going on in your thoughts as you did it. And He is not going to reward your deed, no matter how great it might be if the thoughts and motivation behind it was wrong. What you think will become what you do. In order for your deeds and actions to glorify God, your thoughts must glorify Him first.
Think about this: Just as with your words, your deeds reveal what is in your heart. Proverbs 23:7 says that “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” In other words, what you think will eventually become what you do. That means your words and your actions are clear indicators of what is in your heart. All anyone has to do is look at the things you do, and listen to the words you say, and they will know what your mind is focused upon.
Can you honestly say, as the psalmist did in Psalm 26:2, “test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and mind.” I hope so. Because He can see your heart. He knows your every thought, and the motivation behind every deed. He loves you and His purpose in your life is to refine you. Through His word and by His Spirit He reveals what needs to be changed. He wants you to choose those things that bring Him glory. All in all, it is for your good that He sees your heart, that He tests it, because His desire for you is always and only for your good.
Once again let me quote to you Colossians 3:17. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Paul is saying that each and every thing you say, as well as each and every thing you do, is to be said and done in the name of Jesus Christ. They are to be said and done with the sole intent of glorifying God. To glorify God in everything you say and do you must first glorify Him in everything you think. Jesus put it this way, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. ” (Luke 10:27)
You may be familiar with 1 Corinthians 10:31, but let’s look at the words of this verse and consider them carefully. You see, Paul writes: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Think about that. Can you identify the similarities between this verse and Colossians 3:17? Paul says that whatever you do, you are to do it all for God’s glory. Now let me ask you a couple of simple questions. I know the answers are probably obvious, but please humor me. How much of your life is to glorify God? The answer: all of it! How many of the things you say and do should glorify God? Again, the answer is: all of them. And – by the way – “all” means all and that’s all “all” means! You see even the most mundane, routine, and “non-spiritual” things of life are to be said and done in a way that glorifies God!
Let me remind you that the foundation we are building this podcast upon is this: You were created to know God and live a godly life that brings honor and glory to Him in everything you say and do. That is the primary purpose of life and the way you find true joy. If God is to be glorified in your daily life, He must first be glorified in your thought life. I can’t repeat that enough.
To glorify God in your everyday living you must first glorify Him in your every-moment thinking. There is a primary connection between glorifying God in every thought you think and glorifying Him in every word you say and every deed you do. Reflect again on what Proverbs 23:7 says of man: “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” What you think will eventually become what you do. This point is critical. If you are going to live godly you must first think godly. Yet too often we tend to disassociate the two and focus all of our attention on changing only our outward behavior. This divorce results in legalism as well as feelings of discouragement and defeat every time we fail in our pursuit.
Before we go any further in this book, let me encourage you that victory is possible! We do not have to live defeated lives. For years I focused all my attention on changing outwardly, trying to behave the way I thought I knew God wanted me to. During that part of my life I struggled with feelings of defeat and failure because I was constantly going through the cycle of sinning – confessing – sinning – confessing, only to turn around and walk right back into my sinful patterns again and again. I lived in discouragement, feeling crushed under the weight of my sinful habits.
No more! This book is a result of my personal journey through the Scriptures, learning that the sin we battle with is not stronger than God. The temptation that seemingly overwhelms you is actually powerless over you – you can live a consistent godly life! You can learn how to walk in true victory over sin and how to live a godly life that glorifies our Heavenly Father. The answer is found within the pages of God’s Word. God shows us how!
If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about our ministry, be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.
One of those resources I have been highlighting for you here is my book entitled “Extreme Mind Makeover: How to transform sinful thoughts and habits into patterns of life pleasing to God.” This book takes you on a journey through the Bible to examine what God has to say about how your thoughts, words, and actions influence and impact your heart.
Jesus said, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33) Your thoughts bear fruit: your behavior. When you train your mind to think godly thoughts, the fruit of your life – the things you do day in and day out – will be godly. On the flip side, when you allow your mind to think sinful, fleshly, ungodly thoughts, the fruit of your life (your daily attitudes and actions) will be ungodly. So, how do I change the way I think? How do I change the things I do? How do I successfully and effectively guard my heart? This book, “Extreme Mind Makeover” takes you into God’s Word to help you answer those questions.
So go to our website, ThePurityCoach.com, and check out our resources page, or go directly to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of “Extreme Mind Makeover” today.
And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!
So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.