Truth Magazine

By Jarrod Jacobs

The title for this article is part of a larger quote from a man long dead. When we think about the statement, “We are what we repeatedly do”, it certainly states the truth. Our habits have a great impact upon our lives. More than this, I see this statement as a good explanation for why God continues to emphasize the need for man being faithful to Him.

Throughout the New Testament, we read about the need for God’s people to continually follow Christ with obedient faith. Inherent in this is the need for patience, or endurance, as well as strength and courage when times get hard. Let us read some of these passages together.

• “…he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 10:22, 24:13).
• “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
• “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Rom. 2:7).
• “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Rom. 11:22).
• “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
• “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).
• “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16).
• “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:5-6).
• “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25).
• “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father” (1 John 2:24).
• “…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
• From this small sampling of passages, we see a pattern, do we not? God wants us to continue in a certain manner of life. Why does He want this? It is because as we have already noted, “We are what we repeatedly do.” The man or woman who dies in sin has done so because he or she lived in sin (John 8:24; Col. 3:7). In contrast, the man or woman who dies in the Lord (Rev. 14:13) has done so because he or she lived in the Lord!

Thus, the question must be answered by each one of us: “What do we repeatedly do?” If we do not like what we are becoming, then it is time to stop what we are currently doing and start doing something else—repeatedly–until the habit is formed!

Conclusion

The full quote from which I got the title for this article comes from Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). He said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Now, pay attention to the rest of the quote. “Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

After a study like this, may we appreciate just how true these words are. The apostle Paul told the Philippians, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10). May we also then resolve to make excellence a habit by making the ultimate decision to become a Christian (Acts 2:38) and live faithfully to the God of Heaven (1 Cor. 15:58). A life spent in repeatedly doing what God says will not be a wasted life.

Source: The Old Paths (10/16/2016)

 

“A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention” (Prov. 15:18, NKJV).

It takes at least two to quarrel. When one refuses to be provoked, anger subsides. Let us refuse to give furious rage a place in our hearts. This sin disrupts peace and harmony in every relationship where it manifests itself. Marriage turmoil, for example, is often traceable to a failure to control one’s temper during times of stress and disagreement. Wrath clouds one’s judgment and ignites conflict. Dedicate yourself to being the one who refuses to be provoked, regardless of the agitation and the temptation to plunge into anger’s chaos. Bring down the temperature of aggravation and anger with a calm spirit, and with unfailing kindness. Rule your spirit, and help establish peace (Prov. 16:32).

By Joe Price, Sword Tips #907 (October 17, 2016)

“And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” (Acts 4:5–7, NKJV)

We do not possess the way to heaven within ourselves. (Jeremiah said, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps,” Jer. 10:23.) The unbelieving Jewish rulers, who had seized Peter and John, questioned them about the power or name by which they had healed a lame man (Acts 3:1-10). We should question ourselves “by what power, or by what name” we teach and practice what we do. We are under divine instruction to do so: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17). We must have Christ’s authority endorsing all we teach and do, otherwise, we are acting from our own will and not His. The New Testament is Christ’s complete final authority (Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 14:37; Jude 3). By following His word we act under His authority (in His name). Let the word of Christ be the final word in your life, today and every day.

Joe Price, Sword Tips #903 (October 13, 2016)