Cornerstone

Col 2:6-12 (7)

To be complete in Christ means that we are settled in our Christian experience, we are supported in our endeavor to develop in character, our faith in God is strengthened, we are learning the precepts of Scripture, and we overflow with thanksgiving to our Lord.

Leighton Ford, once said, (Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1) “God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way.” We have not always been complete in Christ, and the paradox is that even when we are complete in Christ we are not complete. The Christian life must be maintained. Our feet must not moved from the Rock on which they stand, the development of Christian character must ever continue, our faith must constantly be reinforced, the Scriptures are never total absorbed in their entirety, and unfortunately our thanks is often slow in being manifested. Our Christian life must be maintained and unless it continually grows it cannot be maintained.

Something we must continually remember is that it is not all our work. We are not making ourselves Christians. We are involved in the process of Gods handiwork but the job is not entirely up to us. J Sidlow Baxter expressed it like this:

What God chooses, He cleanses.

What God cleanses, He molds.

What God molds, He fills.

What God fills, He uses.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Isa. 62:6-9 (9) “But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord…”

I was interested to hear a friend tell how he escaped from bankruptcy. Before this difficult time, his house and 20 acres seemed to be rather insignificant. While he was going through the time, however, these possessions seemed to be rather valuable. More valuable than this was his reputation and his Christian testimony. Because of this he decided NOT to declare bankruptcy unless it became absolutely necessary. He would trust God. His creditors agreed to adjust his payments so they were more manageable. My friend then began to diligently work at the task of paying back a very large debt.

The times were difficult. The family had little extra and no luxuries. At times they wondered how they would make their monthly payments. Even through the times of sacrifice and struggle the Lord always provided. The money that was needed always came in time. At times the supply from God was unexpected and unusual.

This experience he stated, helped strengthen his faith in God, his children’s faith in him and in God, and the community’s appreciation for his Christian life. All this was made possible through the provision of God and because of His faith in God.

Dr. Gayle Woods