7 At All Times

 ~ A Christian’s Checklist of Continuous Responsibilities ~

Praise At All Times  ~  “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:1-3).  

Trust At All Times  ~  “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:5-8). 

Righteousness At All Times  ~  “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise? Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!” (Psalm106:2-3).   

Longing At All Times  ~  “Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your Word. Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times. You rebuke the proud—the cursed, who stray from Your commandments. Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies. Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors” (Psalm 119:17-24).  

Friendship At All Times  ~  “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).   

Zeal At All Times  ~  “It is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you” (Galatians 4:18).   

Peace At All Times  ~  “May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).    

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Everyday Christian Life

~ Quick Check: How Are You Doing? ~

The “normal” Christian life—life as God wants it—includes a number of everyday activities. Unfortunately the “average” Christian life falls short of God’s desire for us. Here are a few of the daily activities of a normal Christian.

Daily reading of the Word of God ~ “Ezra read from God’s Word daily, from the first day to the last day” (Nehemiah 8:18). ~ Are you growing daily in your knowledge of God because of a regular pattern of being in God’s Word?

Constant prayer to the Lord about everything ~ “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere” (1 Timothy 2:8). “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). ~ Are you in continual prayer?

Constant praising of the Lord ~ “There will be constant praise for Him. His people will bless Him all day long” (Psalm 72:15). ~ Are you in a constant worshipful attitude? Are you continually aware of all the blessings God sends your way?

Daily exhortation of one another ~ “Exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). ~ Do you regularly go out of your way to seek opportunities to encourage another Christian? Are you mentally and emotionally helpful to your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Daily cross to bear ~ “Then Jesus said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels’” (Luke 9:23-26). ~ Is it your habit to put God’s will ahead of your own will?

Daily renewal of our spirituality ~ “We do not become discouraged—utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear. Though our outer man is progressively decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being progressively renewed day after day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). ~ Did you grow in your spiritual strength yesterday? Are you today? Will you tomorrow? Essential parts of the solution to spiritual growth are the regular activities listed above.

CONTEMPLATE: How are you doing in your Christian life? Would God evaluate your progress the same way? If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?