1 John 4:7-10 - Loving One Another - 7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Without a sense of purpose, there is no hope. But the Lord created each person for a reason: to love God and be loved by Him. He pursues us and does everything in His infinite power to reveal Himself. The Lord wants each person to understand who He is and respond in worship and devotion.
God’s love is personal. Christianity stands out among world religions because our God desires a personal relationship with every man, woman, and child. His care and concern aren’t limited to just one population group; He loves every individual specifically and desires regular, intimate conversation with each one.
God’s love is unconditional. It’s who He is (1 John 4:8) rather than simply something He does. Nothing about your character or behavior can make Him love you less or more. Nor are His care and concern limited, because He is infinite and eternal.
God’s love is available to everyone. It is inexhaustible and reaches across every boundary that man can set up against Him. The Lord does not have favorites, but He does have intimates. These are His followers who are willing to spend time with Him, talking and listening, walking in obedience, and desiring to know and love Him with their whole heart. His wants all of us to choose this kind of relationship with Him.
The Father doesn’t just say He loves you; He proved it by giving His Son as a sacrifice for your sins. Those who haven’t trusted in the Savior can go through life oblivious to the divine blessing of His unconditional care and concern. What a waste it would be to live as though unloved when God’s infinite, eternal love is offered to you.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Restorer of Lost Hopes
Romans 5:1-5 - Faith Brings Joy 1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Not only is Christ the source of genuine hope; He is also the restorer of lost hope. Unless we’re vigilant in guarding our perspective, many situations can erode opti-mism and trust. Biblical principles are the best defense against such discouragement.
Unchanging difficult circumstances can cause despair and rob life of meaning, but Romans 5:1-5 tells us that God has a much different view about the value of trials.We are eager for our Father to just fix the problem or relieve the suffering, but He has an eternal goal in mind. His purpose in trials is to produce proven character in us, which will result in hope, not disappointment.
Personal failure is another thief of hope. Sometimes discouragement is caused by a failure to meet our own expectations. This may be evidence that we have trusted in our own abilities and plans rather than in the Lord. Remember that “our adequacy is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5).
At other times we might lose hope because, despite all our efforts, we cannot live a victorious Christian life. Old flesh patterns may seem to be winning the battle. But just as the failure originates within us, so does the solution—with the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we surrender to His authority and live in dependence upon Him, He will begin to transform us from the inside out.
Hopelessness is a miserable trap that blinds a believer from seeing the Lord. The only way out is to deliberately focus on Christ through praise, prayer, and Scripture. This is probably the last thing a discouraged person wants to do, but hope awaits those who are willing to see life from God’s perspective.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Not only is Christ the source of genuine hope; He is also the restorer of lost hope. Unless we’re vigilant in guarding our perspective, many situations can erode opti-mism and trust. Biblical principles are the best defense against such discouragement.
Unchanging difficult circumstances can cause despair and rob life of meaning, but Romans 5:1-5 tells us that God has a much different view about the value of trials.We are eager for our Father to just fix the problem or relieve the suffering, but He has an eternal goal in mind. His purpose in trials is to produce proven character in us, which will result in hope, not disappointment.
Personal failure is another thief of hope. Sometimes discouragement is caused by a failure to meet our own expectations. This may be evidence that we have trusted in our own abilities and plans rather than in the Lord. Remember that “our adequacy is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5).
At other times we might lose hope because, despite all our efforts, we cannot live a victorious Christian life. Old flesh patterns may seem to be winning the battle. But just as the failure originates within us, so does the solution—with the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we surrender to His authority and live in dependence upon Him, He will begin to transform us from the inside out.
Hopelessness is a miserable trap that blinds a believer from seeing the Lord. The only way out is to deliberately focus on Christ through praise, prayer, and Scripture. This is probably the last thing a discouraged person wants to do, but hope awaits those who are willing to see life from God’s perspective.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
God – The Author and Perfector of Our Faith
Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
While each of us are a unique creation of God and have different paths to follow and different crosses to bear, we do all go through similar stages of growth that are common to all who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.
For instance, God wants to teach all who know Him certain basic principles as a foundation on which to build:
· God wants us to realize that apart from Him….we can do nothing! John 15:5 He wants us to abide and remain in Him, so we do not go our own way, which will eventually lead to spiritual and possibly even physical pain. God will allow us all to fail at times, in order to bring us to the place, where we realize we can achieve nothing of value without His divine guidance and power.
· God will allow our pride to cause us to fall, as it is a threat to our spiritual growth. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Proverbs 16:18 We may often accomplish something, and give God the credit, when in our heart we are prideful of what we feel we have accomplished. God knows the deepest feeling of our heart, and all He really cares about, is changing and conforming our hearts to His. If we begin to think in our heart that we have accomplished something great without Him, then we chance being deceived and eventually following our own heart and dreams, instead of His. “This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless”. Jeremiah 13:10
· God does not allow any of His children to worship other things ahead of Him for too long. He has been very clear in His Word on how He feels about us placing other things before Him. “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:4 He will be faithful to eventually bring all of His children face to face with whatever holds them captive, as He is a Jealous God. Exodus 20:5
· God wants us all to live sold-out for Christ, instead of ourselves each day. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. Galatians 2:20 He wants us to become a living sacrifice who is not tossed about in their faith by every whim and circumstance that comes our way. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1
· And finally, God allows and wants us all to serve Him. We were created to do good works, and this becomes evident as growing Christians use their talents to glorify Jesus. “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
We will never feel totally fulfilled and complete in Christ, unless we are serving Him in some capacity, as we were all created to do His good works.
Lord, please draw us into a more intimate relationship with you today. Thank You for being so faithful and finishing the work that You began in each of us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen
While each of us are a unique creation of God and have different paths to follow and different crosses to bear, we do all go through similar stages of growth that are common to all who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.
For instance, God wants to teach all who know Him certain basic principles as a foundation on which to build:
· God wants us to realize that apart from Him….we can do nothing! John 15:5 He wants us to abide and remain in Him, so we do not go our own way, which will eventually lead to spiritual and possibly even physical pain. God will allow us all to fail at times, in order to bring us to the place, where we realize we can achieve nothing of value without His divine guidance and power.
· God will allow our pride to cause us to fall, as it is a threat to our spiritual growth. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Proverbs 16:18 We may often accomplish something, and give God the credit, when in our heart we are prideful of what we feel we have accomplished. God knows the deepest feeling of our heart, and all He really cares about, is changing and conforming our hearts to His. If we begin to think in our heart that we have accomplished something great without Him, then we chance being deceived and eventually following our own heart and dreams, instead of His. “This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless”. Jeremiah 13:10
· God does not allow any of His children to worship other things ahead of Him for too long. He has been very clear in His Word on how He feels about us placing other things before Him. “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:4 He will be faithful to eventually bring all of His children face to face with whatever holds them captive, as He is a Jealous God. Exodus 20:5
· God wants us all to live sold-out for Christ, instead of ourselves each day. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. Galatians 2:20 He wants us to become a living sacrifice who is not tossed about in their faith by every whim and circumstance that comes our way. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1
· And finally, God allows and wants us all to serve Him. We were created to do good works, and this becomes evident as growing Christians use their talents to glorify Jesus. “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
We will never feel totally fulfilled and complete in Christ, unless we are serving Him in some capacity, as we were all created to do His good works.
Lord, please draw us into a more intimate relationship with you today. Thank You for being so faithful and finishing the work that You began in each of us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Praise
This devotional was written by Jim Burns
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. —Revelation 5:11-14
Praise is music to God’s ears. The Bible says: "God inhabits our praise." God loves to hear His children offer Him praise. How can you make God happy? Praise Him! Why should God be praised? He is our Creator, our Redeemer and our Comforter.
Praise releases the power of God. Praise is our expression of gratitude for His mighty acts of power and his surpassing greatness. Praise releases your life into the hands of God. Praise releases the Holy Spirit within you to call upon his almighty authority. Praise releases your spirit to sing of His awesome greatness!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. —Psalm 150:6
GOING DEEPER:
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. —Revelation 5:11-14
Praise is music to God’s ears. The Bible says: "God inhabits our praise." God loves to hear His children offer Him praise. How can you make God happy? Praise Him! Why should God be praised? He is our Creator, our Redeemer and our Comforter.
Praise releases the power of God. Praise is our expression of gratitude for His mighty acts of power and his surpassing greatness. Praise releases your life into the hands of God. Praise releases the Holy Spirit within you to call upon his almighty authority. Praise releases your spirit to sing of His awesome greatness!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. —Psalm 150:6
GOING DEEPER:
- Look through Psalms 144-150. Count the number of reasons the psalmist gives us to offer praise to God.
- Take a minute to sing a song of praise to God.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Little Faith
In our last devotional, we looked at the first level of faith: no faith. We learned that no faith is based on the belief that God does not care, and that such a belief is completely false. God does indeed care for you!
Today we are going to look at the second level of faith. It is found in what Jesus says in Matthew 6:30-34,
“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
This second level of faith is little faith. As we see in this passage, little faith is a worried faith, worried about tomorrow and occupied with lack instead of being occupied with God.
While people with little faith believe God cares, their focus is wrong. They are concentrating on, “What am I going to eat? What am I going to wear? How am I going to get by?”
Now, those are all legitimate things; and your Father knows you have need of those things. So rather than focusing on your lack and being worried about tomorrow, pulling tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine, let your focus be on God and His sufficiency, His care, and His abundant love.
Do not live a life of little faith.
Today we are going to look at the second level of faith. It is found in what Jesus says in Matthew 6:30-34,
“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
This second level of faith is little faith. As we see in this passage, little faith is a worried faith, worried about tomorrow and occupied with lack instead of being occupied with God.
While people with little faith believe God cares, their focus is wrong. They are concentrating on, “What am I going to eat? What am I going to wear? How am I going to get by?”
Now, those are all legitimate things; and your Father knows you have need of those things. So rather than focusing on your lack and being worried about tomorrow, pulling tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine, let your focus be on God and His sufficiency, His care, and His abundant love.
Do not live a life of little faith.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
God Does Care
In yesterday’s devotional, I told you about the three levels of faith Jesus talks about. The first of these levels is found in Mark 4:37-40,
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
The first level of faith that Jesus speaks about is no faith. No faith believes God does not care. It is typified by the disciples who woke Jesus in the midst of the storm and said, “Lord, don’t You care that we’re perishing?”
Perhaps you are in a storm today; and, to you, it seems like God is asleep and that He doesn’t even care. That He is aloof, disinterested, and disconnected from you. That you are going through hell and He doesn’t care.
Do not believe that lie. If you buy into the lie that God does not care, it robs you of faith. And you cannot get any lower than that.
Do not believe the lie that God is detached and unconcerned. Don’t think, “If God cares about me, why would this have happened? Why am I going through this storm? Why is this happening in my life? God doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t even know my name.”
My friend, God does care. He is not going to let you perish. He is interested in even the smallest details of your life.
1 Peter 5:7 says, He cares for you!
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
The first level of faith that Jesus speaks about is no faith. No faith believes God does not care. It is typified by the disciples who woke Jesus in the midst of the storm and said, “Lord, don’t You care that we’re perishing?”
Perhaps you are in a storm today; and, to you, it seems like God is asleep and that He doesn’t even care. That He is aloof, disinterested, and disconnected from you. That you are going through hell and He doesn’t care.
Do not believe that lie. If you buy into the lie that God does not care, it robs you of faith. And you cannot get any lower than that.
Do not believe the lie that God is detached and unconcerned. Don’t think, “If God cares about me, why would this have happened? Why am I going through this storm? Why is this happening in my life? God doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t even know my name.”
My friend, God does care. He is not going to let you perish. He is interested in even the smallest details of your life.
1 Peter 5:7 says, He cares for you!
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Your Professional Trainer
As we continue to look at faith, I want you to read Hebrews 12:1-2,
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What this passage teaches about faith is vital for you to understand if you are to progress in your faith. That truth is simply this: Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He not only authors it, He is the One who is the developer of our faith.
Remember the analogy of the body builder from the last two devotionals? Well, if your faith is like a body builder, Jesus is your weight trainer. Many of the people who are seriously into body building have a professional trainer who will work with them to be more effective in building muscle mass and sculpting their body.
Just like the professional weight trainer for a body builder, Jesus is your professional faith trainer. No one knows more about faith than Jesus. If you want to learn about faith, you need to listen to Jesus. You need to follow His guidance on how to build your faith.
Over the next few devotionals, I will show you three levels of faith Jesus talks about. Through that process, I pray you will discover where you are at, and see where you need to go and what you need to pursue in order for your faith to grow.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What this passage teaches about faith is vital for you to understand if you are to progress in your faith. That truth is simply this: Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He not only authors it, He is the One who is the developer of our faith.
Remember the analogy of the body builder from the last two devotionals? Well, if your faith is like a body builder, Jesus is your weight trainer. Many of the people who are seriously into body building have a professional trainer who will work with them to be more effective in building muscle mass and sculpting their body.
Just like the professional weight trainer for a body builder, Jesus is your professional faith trainer. No one knows more about faith than Jesus. If you want to learn about faith, you need to listen to Jesus. You need to follow His guidance on how to build your faith.
Over the next few devotionals, I will show you three levels of faith Jesus talks about. Through that process, I pray you will discover where you are at, and see where you need to go and what you need to pursue in order for your faith to grow.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Don't Just Watch the Game - Play It!
This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is not longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. —Matthew 5:13
Years ago, I used to be a football coach at a public high school. One year, a guy turned out for the team. He was small, not very athletic and had no previous experience playing football. At practice, this young man would routinely get the stuffing knocked out of him by the bigger guys on the team. I thought this kid would ultimately tire from the beating his body was taking on the field and quit. I was wrong. This kid faithfully showed up for practice every day.
During our first game of the season, I went over to this kid – who had certainly paid his dues during practice time and told him that I wanted him to go into the game. His response surprised me. “I don’t want to play, coach.” I thought he was afraid of getting hurt in a real game, so I didn’t press the issue.
After the game I had a talk with him. “Look,” I said, “a game is really no different than practice. There’s no greater chance of getting hurt during a game than in practice.” His reply this time shocked me: “No coach, you don’t understand. I’m not afraid to get hurt. I just don’t want to play. The reason I’m on the team is so I can wear the game jersey and be seen on the sidelines. You know, girls love football players.” Unfortunately, this kid had an incredibly distorted view of what playing football was all about! The value and significance of the game isn’t being seen on the sideline, but in playing.
I wonder, how many people have a similar attitude about living the Christian life? I’ve encountered many Christians over the years that are more observers than participants. Perhaps what G. K. Chesterton said is right on the money, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
Jesus said that salt that has lost its saltiness is useless. Living the Christian life on the sidelines is like being un-salty salt. True satisfaction in living the Christian life comes from “playing the game” not from observing. The value comes from living out your faith everyday where you live and work. It’s about being salty. It’s about being a light in a dark world.
Today, get in the game!
GOING DEEPER:
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is not longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. —Matthew 5:13
Years ago, I used to be a football coach at a public high school. One year, a guy turned out for the team. He was small, not very athletic and had no previous experience playing football. At practice, this young man would routinely get the stuffing knocked out of him by the bigger guys on the team. I thought this kid would ultimately tire from the beating his body was taking on the field and quit. I was wrong. This kid faithfully showed up for practice every day.
During our first game of the season, I went over to this kid – who had certainly paid his dues during practice time and told him that I wanted him to go into the game. His response surprised me. “I don’t want to play, coach.” I thought he was afraid of getting hurt in a real game, so I didn’t press the issue.
After the game I had a talk with him. “Look,” I said, “a game is really no different than practice. There’s no greater chance of getting hurt during a game than in practice.” His reply this time shocked me: “No coach, you don’t understand. I’m not afraid to get hurt. I just don’t want to play. The reason I’m on the team is so I can wear the game jersey and be seen on the sidelines. You know, girls love football players.” Unfortunately, this kid had an incredibly distorted view of what playing football was all about! The value and significance of the game isn’t being seen on the sideline, but in playing.
I wonder, how many people have a similar attitude about living the Christian life? I’ve encountered many Christians over the years that are more observers than participants. Perhaps what G. K. Chesterton said is right on the money, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
Jesus said that salt that has lost its saltiness is useless. Living the Christian life on the sidelines is like being un-salty salt. True satisfaction in living the Christian life comes from “playing the game” not from observing. The value comes from living out your faith everyday where you live and work. It’s about being salty. It’s about being a light in a dark world.
Today, get in the game!
GOING DEEPER:
- In your Christian life experience, have you been more “on the sidelines” or more “in the game”?
- What actions can you take today to move from the sidelines into the game?
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
T.H.I.N.K. About It!
Today’s devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg’s blog. To read his latest blog entry, http://blog.greglaurie.com/ .
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”—Ephesians 4:31-32
Yesterday, we talked about grieving the Holy Spirit, making the Holy Spirit sad or sorrowful.
Foul and abusive language is one thing that grieves the Holy Spirit, along with bitterness.
So what else grieves the Holy Spirit? Coming back to Ephesians 4:30-32, the apostle Paul writes:
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
The third way that we can make the Holy Spirit sad or sorrowful is having fits of rage and uncontrolled anger.
“Rage” speaks of the person who is easily angered and who raises their voice, shouting and screaming. “Slander” is speaking evil of others behind their backs. “Malicious behavior” speaks of ill will and plotting evil against someone.
This basically describes a person who is hellbent on destroying another, for whatever reason.
Look, all of us have been hurt in life, but we have a choice as to how we react.
We can be like the Moneylender Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, demanding our “pound of flesh.” We can say, “They did this to me, therefore I will have my vengeance!”
Or you can believe God when He says “Vengeance is mine, I will repay . . . ”
Augustine had a sign on his living room wall that said, “He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table.”
Instead, try the acronym “T.H.I.N.K.” the next time you are not sure whether or not you should say something.
T- Is it Truthful?
H- Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
N-Is it Necessary?
K- Is it Kind?
Instead of speaking evil of someone, we are to “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,”
You might say, “But they don’t deserve that!” True, but neither do you or I, and God still forgave us.
Paul concludes this passage by saying, “Just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Forgiven people should be forgiving people. Otherwise, we are grieving the Spirit.
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to http://www.harvest.org/andto listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com, click here.
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”—Ephesians 4:31-32
Yesterday, we talked about grieving the Holy Spirit, making the Holy Spirit sad or sorrowful.
Foul and abusive language is one thing that grieves the Holy Spirit, along with bitterness.
So what else grieves the Holy Spirit? Coming back to Ephesians 4:30-32, the apostle Paul writes:
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
The third way that we can make the Holy Spirit sad or sorrowful is having fits of rage and uncontrolled anger.
“Rage” speaks of the person who is easily angered and who raises their voice, shouting and screaming. “Slander” is speaking evil of others behind their backs. “Malicious behavior” speaks of ill will and plotting evil against someone.
This basically describes a person who is hellbent on destroying another, for whatever reason.
Look, all of us have been hurt in life, but we have a choice as to how we react.
We can be like the Moneylender Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, demanding our “pound of flesh.” We can say, “They did this to me, therefore I will have my vengeance!”
Or you can believe God when He says “Vengeance is mine, I will repay . . . ”
Augustine had a sign on his living room wall that said, “He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table.”
Instead, try the acronym “T.H.I.N.K.” the next time you are not sure whether or not you should say something.
T- Is it Truthful?
H- Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
N-Is it Necessary?
K- Is it Kind?
Instead of speaking evil of someone, we are to “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,”
You might say, “But they don’t deserve that!” True, but neither do you or I, and God still forgave us.
Paul concludes this passage by saying, “Just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Forgiven people should be forgiving people. Otherwise, we are grieving the Spirit.
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to http://www.harvest.org/andto listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com, click here.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
The Key to Answered Prayer
Written by Greg Laurie
Today is the National Day of Prayer. Remember to pray for our nation regularly, but especially today!
The Key to Answered Prayer
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”—John 15:7
How often have you felt that your prayers were hitting a glass ceiling—as though the Lord were saying no?
Maybe it is because you are praying outside of His will. Maybe it is because you were praying for something that God didn’t want you to have.
We need to remember the promise Jesus spoke of in John 15, which says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” Another translation puts it this way: “If you maintain a living communion with Me and My words are at home with you, you can ask at once for yourself whatever your heart desires, and it is yours.”
I really like that translation—especially the part that tells us to ask at once whatever our hearts desire. But let’s remember the condition: “If you maintain a living communion with Me and My words are at home with you. . . . ”
If you are maintaining a living communion with God, and His words are at home with you, then your desires going to change. Your prayers will not necessarily be the same as they were before.
As you get in sync with the will of God, you’ll see that prayer is not getting God to do what you want Him to do, but that prayer is getting you to do what God wants you to do.
You will discover the important truth that prayer is not bending God our way—it is bending us His way. And then, you just may see your prayers being answered in the affirmative.
Today is the National Day of Prayer. Remember to pray for our nation regularly, but especially today!
The Key to Answered Prayer
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”—John 15:7
How often have you felt that your prayers were hitting a glass ceiling—as though the Lord were saying no?
Maybe it is because you are praying outside of His will. Maybe it is because you were praying for something that God didn’t want you to have.
We need to remember the promise Jesus spoke of in John 15, which says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” Another translation puts it this way: “If you maintain a living communion with Me and My words are at home with you, you can ask at once for yourself whatever your heart desires, and it is yours.”
I really like that translation—especially the part that tells us to ask at once whatever our hearts desire. But let’s remember the condition: “If you maintain a living communion with Me and My words are at home with you. . . . ”
If you are maintaining a living communion with God, and His words are at home with you, then your desires going to change. Your prayers will not necessarily be the same as they were before.
As you get in sync with the will of God, you’ll see that prayer is not getting God to do what you want Him to do, but that prayer is getting you to do what God wants you to do.
You will discover the important truth that prayer is not bending God our way—it is bending us His way. And then, you just may see your prayers being answered in the affirmative.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Judgment for Believers
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 - New Bodies 1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.[a] 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are assured of our salvation. We need not fear eternity, because we know that we will dwell with the Lord forever in paradise. What blessed assurance!
But salvation is about more than just getting into heaven. It’s about the process of becoming increasingly Christlike while living on earth. In fact, we’ll someday be asked to account for the way we used our opportunities, abilities, and resources.
In His parable of the talents, Jesus shared the importance of investing wisely all that our Father has bestowed on us. God gives His children different types and amounts of wealth, gifts, blessings, and circumstances. What matters to the Lord is the way we make use of them, not how much we have. Do we live selfishly, utilizing all He has given us for our own good and protection? Or do we generously and cheerfully take what we have and use it to serve Christ? These are the questions that Christians will answer at the believers’ judgment.
Of course, this accountability will not be the basis for our spending eternity in heaven (that issue is settled when we trust Christ). Rather, we will be rewarded for the way we invested our lives. And if we did not spend our time and resources wisely, we will experience loss.
Consider your blessings. How do you utilize all that the heavenly Father has bestowed upon you—namely, time, abilities, and finances? Each one of us must choose how we are going to live. It is our responsibility to be faithful servants of the living God, doing whatever He calls us to do.
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are assured of our salvation. We need not fear eternity, because we know that we will dwell with the Lord forever in paradise. What blessed assurance!
But salvation is about more than just getting into heaven. It’s about the process of becoming increasingly Christlike while living on earth. In fact, we’ll someday be asked to account for the way we used our opportunities, abilities, and resources.
In His parable of the talents, Jesus shared the importance of investing wisely all that our Father has bestowed on us. God gives His children different types and amounts of wealth, gifts, blessings, and circumstances. What matters to the Lord is the way we make use of them, not how much we have. Do we live selfishly, utilizing all He has given us for our own good and protection? Or do we generously and cheerfully take what we have and use it to serve Christ? These are the questions that Christians will answer at the believers’ judgment.
Of course, this accountability will not be the basis for our spending eternity in heaven (that issue is settled when we trust Christ). Rather, we will be rewarded for the way we invested our lives. And if we did not spend our time and resources wisely, we will experience loss.
Consider your blessings. How do you utilize all that the heavenly Father has bestowed upon you—namely, time, abilities, and finances? Each one of us must choose how we are going to live. It is our responsibility to be faithful servants of the living God, doing whatever He calls us to do.
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