SECURED?

Bible in one year Deut 29-31
Memorise: "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor 9:27)

Read: 1 Cor 9:24-27

When Daniel was about to give king Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream, he said ...the dream be to them that hate you" (Daniel 4:19). In other words, he was saying, 'May this negative event happen to your enemies, not you'. But the truth is, even when you succeed in transferring your guilt to somebody else by holding the fellow responsible for your negative action, you cannot transfer your punishment to them. It is the soul which sins that dies (Ezekiel 18:20). No wonder Galatians 6:5 says, "For every man shall bear his own burden".
Nobody will take your punishment. Your punishment is not transferable (Prov 11:21). The only person who can take your punishment has already paid the price at the Cross of Calvary. If you fail to appropriate His finished work on the Cross and transfer the punishment for your sins, you will have to bear it. Nobody else will. This is one reason you must take decisive steps to prevent divine judgement. There is no escape from God's judgement if you continue in sin (Heb 2:3).

Another lesson from Daniel's encounter with king Nebuchadnezzar is that the tree he dreamt about was indeed himself. Many times we tend to focus on the need for others to change without even considering our shortcomings. This happens a lot among pastors and leaders. They usually think that every sermon is meant for a member of their flock without applying it to their lives. This is wrong! Although it is often difficult to see yourself, yet if you have the right mindset, you will first apply the message to yourself before you remember others who could benefit from it. This way, your life will blend with your messages and that will give you a high score in terms of credibility and integrity. It is foolishness to feed others when you are starving. Neglecting oneself in such matters may be as a result of carelessness or pride. This was one thing Paul did not do. He would not want to be a castaway while securing the position of others. You are better prepared to secure others when you are secured. Have you secured yourself with the messages and insights you get from God's Word? In this case, it is yourself first and others last.

ACTION POINT
Before you correct others, make sure you are not in the same mess.