"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." -Phil 3:10-11
Did you know you can backslide with a Bible under your arm? I had more difficulty maintaining my spiritual life when I was in college than any other time in my life. I'm not putting down college. It wasn't their fault. It was my fault. I started reading the Bible like a math book instead of a love story. You can know the letter, but the letter kills if you are not clean. The test of your Bible study is not how many facts you know or how fast you can take apart a Greek verb and put it back together.
The test is: Are you becoming like Jesus because you spent time in His Word? May God help us as teachers, and soul winners, and disciples to be using the Word of God to clean us, convict us, and challenge us to be more like Christ.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Value
"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." -Luke 15:10
A coin is minted for a purpose. It is meant to be spent, treasured, and valued, but not to be lost. When a coin is lost, it is worthless to the owner and the creator. It doesn't matter how valuable it may be intrinsically. If it is lost, it is lost. Which is worth more on the ocean floor, a hundred-dollar gold piece or a fie-cent nickel? As long as they are both on the ocean floor, both have the same value.
Lost people are like lost silver. As long as a person is lost, he or she is out of circulation. God made you for a pupose. He wants you in circulation to spend and be spent for His glory.
Think about the relationships you have in your family, neighborhood, and community. Ask God to put you in circulation as His salt and light to tell others about salvation through Jesus Christ.
A coin is minted for a purpose. It is meant to be spent, treasured, and valued, but not to be lost. When a coin is lost, it is worthless to the owner and the creator. It doesn't matter how valuable it may be intrinsically. If it is lost, it is lost. Which is worth more on the ocean floor, a hundred-dollar gold piece or a fie-cent nickel? As long as they are both on the ocean floor, both have the same value.
Lost people are like lost silver. As long as a person is lost, he or she is out of circulation. God made you for a pupose. He wants you in circulation to spend and be spent for His glory.
Think about the relationships you have in your family, neighborhood, and community. Ask God to put you in circulation as His salt and light to tell others about salvation through Jesus Christ.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Procrastination
"Therefore to Him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to Him it is sin." - James 4:17
Procrastination. Just seeing the word, makes me want to put off saying anything else. That's because I find myself under conviction in that area. And God has taught me that procrastination is a form of disobedience.
When God tells us to do something and we don't do it, we can label our actions with all kinds of fancy words, but the bottom line is that it is sin. The days are passing and time cannot be stopped. You can't call a "time out" in life. And time cannot be stored like money in the bank. Really, the only thing you can do with time is use it or lose it. Someone has said, " Lost: One golden hour, studded with sixty diamond minutes. No reward offered, for it is lost forever." Redeem the time.
Have you been procrastinating about doing something? Maybe you are putting off telling someone about Jesus out of fear they will reject you. Maybe you are delaying asking someone to forgive you because you are feeling ashamed. Friend, it's time!
Procrastination. Just seeing the word, makes me want to put off saying anything else. That's because I find myself under conviction in that area. And God has taught me that procrastination is a form of disobedience.
When God tells us to do something and we don't do it, we can label our actions with all kinds of fancy words, but the bottom line is that it is sin. The days are passing and time cannot be stopped. You can't call a "time out" in life. And time cannot be stored like money in the bank. Really, the only thing you can do with time is use it or lose it. Someone has said, " Lost: One golden hour, studded with sixty diamond minutes. No reward offered, for it is lost forever." Redeem the time.
Have you been procrastinating about doing something? Maybe you are putting off telling someone about Jesus out of fear they will reject you. Maybe you are delaying asking someone to forgive you because you are feeling ashamed. Friend, it's time!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Secrets Revealed
A story is told about the famous Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo when he was painting the Sistine Chapel. One day he was working way up in a corner, out of everyone's view, when someone told him, "Forget that corner. Nobody else can see the work you're doing there." Michelangelo interrupted his work to make his view clear: "I know it's there. And I also know that what you are in secret is what you are- nothing more and nothing less."
How much better many of us would fare if we held tightly to that same philosophy! For instance, what about the people who travel a lot and feel lonely in a hotel room? They flip on the television, can't find anything to watch, and then spot the X-Rated movie offerings. They think, "Well, nobody would know if I just watched one." But those individuals are wrong- Jesus is in the room.
My friend, who you are when you are alone- when your spouse, children, friends, and colleagues are not there- is who you really are. Do you need to make any changes in your life so that you don't have to fear your secrets being revealed?
How much better many of us would fare if we held tightly to that same philosophy! For instance, what about the people who travel a lot and feel lonely in a hotel room? They flip on the television, can't find anything to watch, and then spot the X-Rated movie offerings. They think, "Well, nobody would know if I just watched one." But those individuals are wrong- Jesus is in the room.
My friend, who you are when you are alone- when your spouse, children, friends, and colleagues are not there- is who you really are. Do you need to make any changes in your life so that you don't have to fear your secrets being revealed?
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tired?
"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: For so He giveth His beloved sleep." -Psalm 127:2
In the book of Jonah, we learn that Jonah reached a place of physical despondency (see Jonah 4:3 and 8). He wanted God to kill him.
Have you ever reached a place of despair and thought that everything and everyone was against you and you didn't know what to do? Maybe you just needed to lie down and get some sleep. Now, that may not sound like the most spiritual thing to do, but we cannot abuse our bodies without suffering the consequences. And being a child of God does not make you immune to physical exhaustion. Have you ever heard of burn out? Where do you think we got that phrase? There is enough time in the day to gracefully do everything God wants us to do.
Do you feel you are on the edge of burn out? Perhaps you are already there. Before you turn to toast, ask God for His wisdom to set some boundaries in your life, to learn to say no, to delegate some of your responsibilities, to ask for a day off from work, to ask for a hug, or to perhaps turn to a Christian counselor for help.
In the book of Jonah, we learn that Jonah reached a place of physical despondency (see Jonah 4:3 and 8). He wanted God to kill him.
Have you ever reached a place of despair and thought that everything and everyone was against you and you didn't know what to do? Maybe you just needed to lie down and get some sleep. Now, that may not sound like the most spiritual thing to do, but we cannot abuse our bodies without suffering the consequences. And being a child of God does not make you immune to physical exhaustion. Have you ever heard of burn out? Where do you think we got that phrase? There is enough time in the day to gracefully do everything God wants us to do.
Do you feel you are on the edge of burn out? Perhaps you are already there. Before you turn to toast, ask God for His wisdom to set some boundaries in your life, to learn to say no, to delegate some of your responsibilities, to ask for a day off from work, to ask for a hug, or to perhaps turn to a Christian counselor for help.
Monday, March 26, 2012
What are you eating?
"The MEEK shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek Him: Your heart shall live for ever." -Psalm 22:26
Have you ever wondered why people stumble onto inappropriate websites? Perhaps you even struggle in that area. It's because they are not feeding on Jesus. They are seeking satisfaction in the evil pleasures of this world, rather than the eternal promises of eternity.
Suppose you just finished a wonderful meal and somebody knocks on your front door. You answer it and they hold out a plate full of stale crumbs saying, "Eat this." You would say, "No thank you, I don't need that. I'm already satisfied." When you feast on the goodness of Jesus, you won't be down a dark alley eating tin cans with the devil's billy goats. "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believth on Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35).
Have you ever wondered why people stumble onto inappropriate websites? Perhaps you even struggle in that area. It's because they are not feeding on Jesus. They are seeking satisfaction in the evil pleasures of this world, rather than the eternal promises of eternity.
Suppose you just finished a wonderful meal and somebody knocks on your front door. You answer it and they hold out a plate full of stale crumbs saying, "Eat this." You would say, "No thank you, I don't need that. I'm already satisfied." When you feast on the goodness of Jesus, you won't be down a dark alley eating tin cans with the devil's billy goats. "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believth on Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35).
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Faith on earth
"I tell you that He will avenge them speedily, nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" -Luke 18:8
I believe with all my heart that the call needs to go out today more clearly than ever before for Christians to keep the faith. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said, "the chief danger of the 20th Century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell."
Are you seeing that today? We are but one generation away from paganism. If this generation doesn't keep the faith and pass it to the next, there will be no faith.
Do you see any ways where you or your church has not kept the faith? If so, what are those ways? Ask God to give a vision and bring revival in your heart and life and then fan the flame of revival in your church.
I believe with all my heart that the call needs to go out today more clearly than ever before for Christians to keep the faith. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said, "the chief danger of the 20th Century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell."
Are you seeing that today? We are but one generation away from paganism. If this generation doesn't keep the faith and pass it to the next, there will be no faith.
Do you see any ways where you or your church has not kept the faith? If so, what are those ways? Ask God to give a vision and bring revival in your heart and life and then fan the flame of revival in your church.
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