In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul says, “You’ve learned these from a child, remember who you learned them from.  You’ve learned these things from a child the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…”  Let’s just pause there for a moment.  Aren’t you glad that “all scripture is…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, complete, mature, throughly furnished unto all good works”?  Throughly furnished unto all good works—how is this done?  Through the Scriptures, through fellowshipping with God, through saturating our spirit man with the truth, with the Word of God, of reminding us of all times “What Would Jesus Do?”.  Thank God that the Lord gives you those insights and it’s such a blessing.

But then you can commercialize.  There has been a lot of money made off of, “What Would Jesus Do?”  He probably wouldn’t charge us that much for those bracelets.  But pausing for just a moment, what would Jesus do here?  What would He say?  Would He deal—and we know that these are rhetorical but would He deal, as the Pharisees did, stand with the letter of the law, in harshness, being totally inflexible?  We know there is no compromise when it comes to the Word of God and the lordship of Jesus, but let us administer the truth the way He did (amen?) with kindness and gentleness.

Jesus, in the temple, when He drove out the moneychangers, was moving in the spirit of meekness.  He moved in a zeal for God; amen?  “The zeal of the house of God has eaten Me up.  My Father’s house is to be a house of prayer and you’ve made it a den of thieves.”  That was a meek spirit.  Meekness in and of itself means to be kind and to be gentle toward men, but to have an unwavering confidence, inflexibility as it comes to applying the truth of the Word of God.

One of the things that I’m so thankful for in these last couple of decades, especially, is what the Lord has been doing in my life of trying to bring about that Christlikeness, that expression of the fruit of the Spirit, especially toward the household of faith, the Scripture says.  When we’re dealing with needs, when we’re dealing with failures in our life or of others, we need to be patient, kind, and gentle.  We’re all in the same race.  We all experience the same frustrations and failures.  What great opportunity to be able to encourage them and let them know there is somebody that’s joining up with Jesus, right now, to pray for you; amen?  Aren’t you glad the Lord is praying for us?  But aren’t you glad also that our brothers and sisters, the body of Christ, are praying for us?

Prayer is not obligatory as it pertains to us.  Prayer is the natural outflowing of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us because we truly love one another; amen?  We can’t help but be touched by the feeling of one another’s infirmities.  You know how, when you see a little child suffering, how that touches your heart?  That’s how Father is touched every time you have a need, that feeling is what He feels on our behalf.  He knows we’re just clay.  He knows our frailties.  Ah, but beloved, He sees us through the blood of Jesus; amen?  He loves us with an everlasting love.  He loved us while we were sinners.  Do you feel a little distant?  Some of you, do you feel like your behavior is not in line where it should be, that the relationship doesn’t seem exactly right with God?  That’s only a feeling on your part, not His; He doesn’t feel that way.  He only sees you through the finished work, the blood of Jesus.