UPGRADE THE OS
That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don't just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved. (NLT 1 Corinthians 10:33)
There is a new operating system coming out soon and many are pooh-poohing it before they even see it. It gets down to the old change thing; nobody likes a change. Heck, we just got used to XP and now we have to learn Vista.
In order to be interested in the change, someone has to show you what they like about it. They have to meet you in XP and tell you all about the neat things available in the new operating system. Then you want to try it out. You want to test the waters.
Often there is an obvious gap between Christians and non-believers. It is almost as though each were in a separate camp, on different mountains with a valley in between. They shout at each other over the gap, but neither side really hears the other. They are using the old operating system and you know and use the new one.
However, others should not feel a "holier than thou" attitude when listening to what you have to say. You should line up with their lifestyle without compromising your beliefs. As we blend in with their way of life, Christ’s love is free to engulf them and doors open for the gospel message to be shared.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
SHARE IT
I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, "Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand." (NLT Romans 15:21)
Most of us have seen a great movie and told others all about it. We just cannot help ourselves. We want others to go see it and feel great about it. The same goes for a good series on television or even a novel that is a great read. It is important to share the good news.
I get excited about new shortcuts I find in Office 2003 and share them with everyone I know. When I find a great utility program, I cannot wait to install it everywhere I go. When I got my first USB flash drive, I showed everyone. They just had to get one.
The one thing all believers have in common is the commission given by Jesus to share His Good News. All tasked to tell. Most end up singing to the choir; we tell our story to other believers and the same old non-believers.
We hear the stories of miracles and hundreds coming to Christ in foreign countries. Well, those traveling to those countries are telling the story to those who have never heard. They listen and understand. They become saved and healed.
There are multitudes in this country who have never heard and it is time for us to get out of the churches and preach His message to them. It is time to share our story. They will understand
I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, "Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand." (NLT Romans 15:21)
Most of us have seen a great movie and told others all about it. We just cannot help ourselves. We want others to go see it and feel great about it. The same goes for a good series on television or even a novel that is a great read. It is important to share the good news.
I get excited about new shortcuts I find in Office 2003 and share them with everyone I know. When I find a great utility program, I cannot wait to install it everywhere I go. When I got my first USB flash drive, I showed everyone. They just had to get one.
The one thing all believers have in common is the commission given by Jesus to share His Good News. All tasked to tell. Most end up singing to the choir; we tell our story to other believers and the same old non-believers.
We hear the stories of miracles and hundreds coming to Christ in foreign countries. Well, those traveling to those countries are telling the story to those who have never heard. They listen and understand. They become saved and healed.
There are multitudes in this country who have never heard and it is time for us to get out of the churches and preach His message to them. It is time to share our story. They will understand
PROPERTIES
So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. (NLT Romans 15:7)
In Windows we have all seen the Properties option. Just right-click on an icon on your desktop and at the bottom of the pop-up menu you should see an example of it. Click properties and you open a window describing various attributes of the item clicked. Each of us comes with attributes and other click properties when they first meet us.
Accepting others is an issue most of us deal with. We like certain types of people based on our experiences in life. We look at their attributes; we observe the length of their hair, the tightness of their jeans, their tattoos or lack of them, their body piercing, the style clothes they wear, the quality of words coming out of them, and more.
We were all at different places in life with varying attributes before we came to know Jesus Christ. He accepted us right where we were. There was no qualifying attribute necessary to follow Him. Isn’t it time we did the same? Next time you meet someone, look past the attributes to the person God sees and accept them right where they are at
So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. (NLT Romans 15:7)
In Windows we have all seen the Properties option. Just right-click on an icon on your desktop and at the bottom of the pop-up menu you should see an example of it. Click properties and you open a window describing various attributes of the item clicked. Each of us comes with attributes and other click properties when they first meet us.
Accepting others is an issue most of us deal with. We like certain types of people based on our experiences in life. We look at their attributes; we observe the length of their hair, the tightness of their jeans, their tattoos or lack of them, their body piercing, the style clothes they wear, the quality of words coming out of them, and more.
We were all at different places in life with varying attributes before we came to know Jesus Christ. He accepted us right where we were. There was no qualifying attribute necessary to follow Him. Isn’t it time we did the same? Next time you meet someone, look past the attributes to the person God sees and accept them right where they are at
DEBT FREE
Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law. (NLT Romans 13:8)
The American way of life revolves around debt. The latest tool banks have added is the debit card. You can just purchase and pay right out of your checking account. I guess it is better than getting a bill from a credit card company at the end of the billing cycle. The way I see it, having hard cash in my hand and wanting to hang on to it is a deterrent to spending too freely. With a card in hand, it is easy to forget the fact that the funds are about to be removed from your bank account.
I believe my Bible tells me God does not want us to be in debt to anyone for anything, except the debt of love for others. The only way not to be in debt is to limit spending to income. The only way to be successful at that is not to let those easy payment ads tempt us into another monthly bill.
Success in the eyes of others is the big house, the fast car, the great vacations, and other things. Real success is the ability to do that without creating a debt needing to be paid off with thirty-six payments or more. When He says pay all your debts, I believe He means it. How close are you to making it a reality in your life?
Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law. (NLT Romans 13:8)
The American way of life revolves around debt. The latest tool banks have added is the debit card. You can just purchase and pay right out of your checking account. I guess it is better than getting a bill from a credit card company at the end of the billing cycle. The way I see it, having hard cash in my hand and wanting to hang on to it is a deterrent to spending too freely. With a card in hand, it is easy to forget the fact that the funds are about to be removed from your bank account.
I believe my Bible tells me God does not want us to be in debt to anyone for anything, except the debt of love for others. The only way not to be in debt is to limit spending to income. The only way to be successful at that is not to let those easy payment ads tempt us into another monthly bill.
Success in the eyes of others is the big house, the fast car, the great vacations, and other things. Real success is the ability to do that without creating a debt needing to be paid off with thirty-six payments or more. When He says pay all your debts, I believe He means it. How close are you to making it a reality in your life?
BOASTING
Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! (NLT Jeremiah 9:24)
The dictionary tells us boasting is speaking proudly about possessions or accomplishments. Ask someone how they are doing and you are liable to hear a story about the new car they just bought, the house on five acres of land, and the vacation to some exotic place.
Humans love to tell others how great they are. They do not tell you about the debt they have acquired to go along with the things. Things are what counts. Nobody has to know you have not paid for those things yet. Think about it. The bank owns the house, the car, the boat, and whatever else. The credit card company owns the last vacation.
Be careful what you boast about. If it is anything except about knowing God, about His unfailing love for us, then it is our own pride. When we do that, we put that which we boast about above Him.
Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! (NLT Jeremiah 9:24)
The dictionary tells us boasting is speaking proudly about possessions or accomplishments. Ask someone how they are doing and you are liable to hear a story about the new car they just bought, the house on five acres of land, and the vacation to some exotic place.
Humans love to tell others how great they are. They do not tell you about the debt they have acquired to go along with the things. Things are what counts. Nobody has to know you have not paid for those things yet. Think about it. The bank owns the house, the car, the boat, and whatever else. The credit card company owns the last vacation.
Be careful what you boast about. If it is anything except about knowing God, about His unfailing love for us, then it is our own pride. When we do that, we put that which we boast about above Him.
SAVED
I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. (NLT 1 Corinthians 1:18)
I remember watching the spacecraft lift off and then seeing one of our own step onto the moon. At the point in time, mankind’s belief changed. We knew we could travel outside of the boundaries of this earth. The entire world watched that event unfold and today we have a space station orbiting the planet.
Before that event, the talk of space travel sounded foolish to most of mankind. It was something in the mind of science fiction writers. It was make believe, only possible on the big screen from Hollywood.
For those who have no belief in God’s existence, the message of the cross is like science fiction. However, I believe God has planted a seed in each of us and for those He has made ready, the message of the cross awakens that seed and faith arises. They are born again. As such, believers will be saved from eternal damnation.
I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. (NLT 1 Corinthians 1:18)
I remember watching the spacecraft lift off and then seeing one of our own step onto the moon. At the point in time, mankind’s belief changed. We knew we could travel outside of the boundaries of this earth. The entire world watched that event unfold and today we have a space station orbiting the planet.
Before that event, the talk of space travel sounded foolish to most of mankind. It was something in the mind of science fiction writers. It was make believe, only possible on the big screen from Hollywood.
For those who have no belief in God’s existence, the message of the cross is like science fiction. However, I believe God has planted a seed in each of us and for those He has made ready, the message of the cross awakens that seed and faith arises. They are born again. As such, believers will be saved from eternal damnation.
SECRET CODE
But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all. How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?" But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
(NLT 1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
When I was a young boy, I listened to Captain Midnight on the radio. At the end of each broadcast, he would give us a message in a secret code. Only those of us who had sent away for the decoder could know what the message said. I still have that secret decoder buried in a box of memories.
Later on, I learned Morse code and became an amateur radio operator, better known as ham radio. I have used that code to send and receives messages ever since. If you do not know the code, you cannot understand the message.
Anyone could have obtained a secret decoder and deciphering Morse code is no more then memorization followed by hours of practice to be able to know what those dits and dahs mean. Anyone can understand the truths in God’s Word, the truth from His Spirit. All they have to do is step out in faith and believe; all they have to do is follow Jesus.
Some have tried to find numeric codes in the Bible. Others look for other secret meanings. The truth is right there ready to jump out off the pages as soon as you have His Spirit living inside. As believers, He sends each of us the Holy Spirit. We can break the code; we can understand because we have the mind of Christ.
But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all. How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?" But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
(NLT 1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
When I was a young boy, I listened to Captain Midnight on the radio. At the end of each broadcast, he would give us a message in a secret code. Only those of us who had sent away for the decoder could know what the message said. I still have that secret decoder buried in a box of memories.
Later on, I learned Morse code and became an amateur radio operator, better known as ham radio. I have used that code to send and receives messages ever since. If you do not know the code, you cannot understand the message.
Anyone could have obtained a secret decoder and deciphering Morse code is no more then memorization followed by hours of practice to be able to know what those dits and dahs mean. Anyone can understand the truths in God’s Word, the truth from His Spirit. All they have to do is step out in faith and believe; all they have to do is follow Jesus.
Some have tried to find numeric codes in the Bible. Others look for other secret meanings. The truth is right there ready to jump out off the pages as soon as you have His Spirit living inside. As believers, He sends each of us the Holy Spirit. We can break the code; we can understand because we have the mind of Christ.
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