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Gratitutde is a STIMULUS - The Stimulus Of Christ
Philippians 2:1... “So by all the stimulus of Christ”, Christ is a stimulator. The word “stimulus” means “something that rouses, awakens, or that incites to activity or growth.” Another word would be the word “inspiration.” Jesus stimulates you to make you grow, to develop you, to mature you and to restrain you from doing wrong things. The wonderful thing about being a Christian is this: we are subjected to the most absolute stimulating moral, spiritual, intellectual, and physical force in the world, the Spirit of Christ, and it stimulates us in the right direction. “Our quest for zest begins with the best.”
Life has a tendency to run people down so that they get jaded, ragged, and tired. Many people do not know the “stimulus of Christ” so they turn to the stimulus that the world offers. They turn to something to pick them up. Our nation is filled with run-down lives. Many know nothing of Christ, so they turn to the world to get relief. However, the world’s “pick me ups” are nothing but “let me downs.”
1 Timothy 1:14 (AMP)
Paul says, “It is a sure word.”
Gratitude is a STIMULUS – The Stimulus of Christ - continued
1 Timothy 1:12-14 (MSG)
Colossians 3:16-17... “Let the inspiration [stimulus] of Christ dwell in your midst with all its wealth of wisdom; teach and train one another with the music of psalms, with hymns, and songs of the spiritual life; praise God with thankful hearts. Indeed, whatever you say or do, let everything be done in dependence on the Lord Jesus, giving thanks in his name to God the Father” (Moffatt). The KJV reads, “Let the word of Christ.” The word (rhema) of Christ is the stimulus. These verses teach us the following three things:
The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and
blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together] with the faith and love which
are [realized] in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:14 (NIV) The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along
with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do
this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective (abuse and abusive language) and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing— didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over
me and into me. And all because of Jesus.
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