One True Church, Many Christian Paths, & Walking Wisely – Purity 1899
Purity 1899 02/28/2026 Purity 1899 Audio Podcast
Purity 1899 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of my wife, TammyLyn, capturing a photo of a Great egret standing in the shallow waters of one of the ponds at the Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area comes to us from yours truly as I capture this over-the-shoulder scene of peace during our visit to Miramar, Florida, back on January 3rd.
Well, it’s Saturday, and it is the last day of February, and I share today’s photo to encourage us all to look forward to the brighter days of spring that are coming to us in March. I am also sending it to remind myself that even though I didn’t escape from winter this year during February’s “mid-winter recess”, I did get away from the cold and snow this winter immediately after Christmas and was able to welcome in the new year on a cruise to the Caribbean. My surviving winter wasn’t without a pretty significant break and blessing, but it’s funny how quickly we can forget about the good things we were able to experience when we suffer a subsequent disappointment, or we just move away from it in time and space.
The battle for our minds is a constant struggle. The world system, the flesh, and the enemy are always looking to tempt us into believing that “nothing good ever happens to me” and that “things are bad” and then offers its sinful and fleshly comforts to try to draw us away from God and the truth and to lead us into deception, temptation, and sin. When we believe that things are bad, we will listen to the world’s siren song to find our own happiness through manipulating our circumstances and forget about the peace we could be enjoying with our relationship with God and the appreciation of the good things we have that we take for granted.
I recommend a lifestyle of Christian discipleship and a daily practice of spiritual formation (Bible study, prayer, and intentional Christian living) because it keeps us grounded in the truth of our identity in Christ, our favored relationship with God, and the recognition of the blessing we have in and through God’s providence. The more time I spend on this path of Christian discipleship, the more I am thoroughly convinced that the “particulars” of the steps you take don’t matter as much as the direction in which you walk. With the myriad of options that exist within the body of Christ, there are many different ways to “seek the Lord”. I can appreciate the different denominations and traditions of Christianity for what they have to offer and believe that as long as you are walking towards God on one of these “Christian paths”, the Lord will meet you there. So, while I believe in the concept of “One True Church” – meaning the total set of genuine followers of Jesus Christ, I believe that it transcends the current divisions, traditions, and denominations of men. As much as I believe in the absolute necessity of being a active member in a local body of believers, for fellowship, growth, and purpose, I think that your individual relationship with the Lord, and your decision to follow Him beyond the four walls of a church building, is even more important in helping you to overcome the battle for your mind and to receive the benefits of faith that God’s word talks about.
Speaking of receiving the benefits of our faith, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion for today gives us a prescription for a life of righteousness, and I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage all of us to continually seek the Lord. Charles Stanley writes:
“Walking Wisely
The Lord wants us to walk wisely so we can enjoy the blessings He longs to give us.
Ephesians 5:15-17
In today’s passage, the apostle Paul is teaching how to develop a lifestyle of righteousness. He gives three instructions about making godly choices. He says to …
- “Be careful how you walk” (Eph. 5:15). Unless we deliberately choose to guard ourselves, we will simply do what comes naturally without thinking through our actions.
- “Make the most of your time” (v. 16). God has entrusted each of us with the time and opportunities to participate in His plans for us. But we are tempted to squander our time and energy on other pursuits without considering what our heavenly Father may have in mind for us.
- “Understand what the will of the Lord is” (v. 17). In its broadest sense, God’s will for us is that we would each become the person He created us to be and that we’d do the work He has planned specifically for us to carry out (Ephesians 2:10). Knowing this, we should evaluate our choices through a spiritual “filter” and ask ourselves if they’ll further our Father’s purposes.
The Lord wants us to walk wisely so we can enjoy all the marvelous benefits that He’s promised in His Word and longs to give us. Let’s commit to make each and every day count for Jesus Christ instead of merely living for ourselves.”– Charles Stanley
Amen. Our ability to receive all the benefits that the Lord wants us to have is tied to the extent to which we are willing to follow Him into a life of determined righteous action.
Unless we deliberately choose to wake up and live by the power of our faith, we will simply do what comes naturally to us and be drawn into the things of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The biggest lure to the enemy’s trap is that the things of this world can provide a measure of comfort and peace, but it is a false comfort and peace of the flesh that needs continual reapplication. No matter where you choose to find it, the world’s peace eventually fails to satisfy.
So we have to break those chains and follow the Apostles advice to – be careful how we walk (wake up and pay attention to what you are thinking and doing) – make the best use of our time (invest your time in seek the Lord and doing good w) and seek the Lord’s will for your life (your sanctification and the good works that God wants you to do).
The world offers its distractions and false peace, but the Lord offers meaning, purpose, true peace, love, and joy. So wake up to see how the world is trying to drag you away from your purpose.
Seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.
——————————————————————
For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
——————————————————————
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on the Providence of God.
Jeremiah 18:1–10
Jeremiah 18:5–6 (NLT) Then the LORD gave me this message: “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.”
Today’s verses are the first of two passages of scripture that fall under the seventh point of our counseling reference guide resource section on the Providence of God.
7. God is the potter; we are the clay. Be submissive to him.
Today’s Bible verses encourage us to be moldable in the hands of the Lord.
“Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me, long as you love me, it’s all right” might be the lyrics from a 1967 pop rock hit by “The American Breed” but they also express the willingness that we should have in our relationship with the Lord. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and we should not only recognize that intellectually, but we should also surrender to it experientially by allowing God’s word and Spirit to shape and change the way we live.
If we trust that the Lord is good, we should submit to Him and allow His hands to remake us and to guide our path.
———————————————————–
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today, we continue sharing from “Pause for Power” By Warren Wiersbe.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Wiersbe’s books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 33 – Better Than One – Read Ecclesiastes 4:7–16
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.- Ecclesiastes 4:9
Two are certainly better than one when it comes to working, because two workers can get more done. Even when they divide the profits, they still get a better return for their efforts than if they work alone.
Two are better when it comes to walking (Eccl. 4:10). Roads and paths in Palestine were not paved or leveled, and there were many hidden rocks in the fields. It was not uncommon for even the most experienced traveler to stumble and fall. How wonderful to have a friend who could help him or her up.
Two are better than one when it comes to warmth (v. 11). Two travelers camping out, or even staying in the courtyard of a public inn, would feel the cold of the Palestinian night and need each other’s warmth for comfort.
Finally, two are better than one when it comes to security, especially at night (v. 12). It was dangerous for anyone to travel alone, day or night; most people traveled in groups for fellowship and for safety. If two travelers are better than one, then three would fare even better. Solomon had more than numbers in mind; he was also thinking of the unity involved in three cords woven together (v. 12)—what a beautiful picture of friendship!
Something to Ponder – What have you done lately to help someone’s work go a little easier?[1]
The MT4Christ247 audio podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Podbean, Audible, and many more podcast platforms!
Subscribe to The MT4Christ247 Channel on YouTube!
Email me at m.t.clark@mt4christ.com with any questions, comments, or to inquire about our Christian Life Coaching or Prayer Ministry Services.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Support MT 4 Christ Community Freedom Ministry!
To Give via Pay Pal Go to the MT4Christ Donations Page
Or Give Via Venmo or the Cash App by scanning the QR Code below:
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Pause for Power: A 365-Day Journey through the Scriptures, 2nd Ed., Year in the Word Series (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010).
Leave a Reply