John 13:15 NKJV
For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Do as I say not as I do. We have all heard that at least once. And we may have even said it when we knew the example we were setting did not live up to how we wanted to live.
We can't do it on our own. Our human desires are used by the enemy to pull us off course; off the course God has for us. So the lifestyle we live may not be portraying a Christ centered one.
Only with God's help can we hope to become the person we truly want to become. I believe we need to rely on Holy Spirit in every facet of our life and not just when we find ourself in need.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. But He is relying on us, our lifestyle, the way we live in the presence of others, to shine His light in the world.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Monday, October 07, 2013
The Father's DNA
1 John 4:15 NLT
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
We were all born of a father and a mother. Most of us grew up with a mom and dad, but sometimes they were not our birth mother and father. We acknowledged them in the role they were in often not even knowing until later in life that they were not completely who we thought they were.
Years ago there was no way to tell for sure who we came from. Outward appearance was one way. If you looked exactly like your mother or father when they were you age chances are real good they are your parents. The medical way was to check blood types. It could prove they were not your parents, but not definitely tell if they were.
Today we have DNA testing which can tell at the genetic level if we are a match to the DNA of our parents. I have no first hand experience with this but have watched enough examples on the many crime shows on television to get a feel for it.
So if we acknowledge Jesus as God's Son, then we are born again and He lives in us.
How can we prove it? We cannot go to the doctor and ask for a DNA test to show that we are a child of Father God.
1 John 3:9-10 NLT
Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
They will know us by our lifestyle, by how we live our life and love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our actions as we go about our daily life at home, at work, in the marketplace, and at church is the evidence of who we are in Christ; the evidence of us having the DNA of the Father.
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
We were all born of a father and a mother. Most of us grew up with a mom and dad, but sometimes they were not our birth mother and father. We acknowledged them in the role they were in often not even knowing until later in life that they were not completely who we thought they were.
Years ago there was no way to tell for sure who we came from. Outward appearance was one way. If you looked exactly like your mother or father when they were you age chances are real good they are your parents. The medical way was to check blood types. It could prove they were not your parents, but not definitely tell if they were.
Today we have DNA testing which can tell at the genetic level if we are a match to the DNA of our parents. I have no first hand experience with this but have watched enough examples on the many crime shows on television to get a feel for it.
So if we acknowledge Jesus as God's Son, then we are born again and He lives in us.
How can we prove it? We cannot go to the doctor and ask for a DNA test to show that we are a child of Father God.
1 John 3:9-10 NLT
Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
They will know us by our lifestyle, by how we live our life and love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our actions as we go about our daily life at home, at work, in the marketplace, and at church is the evidence of who we are in Christ; the evidence of us having the DNA of the Father.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Good Work
Philippines 1:6 NLT
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
When we get a new computer or a vehicle or even a new HD television, we get everything with the package. And yet we have no idea about all the things we can do with it.
Sure we can turn on the computer. But can we actually use it? Maybe if we had one before we can poke around to get those applications we are familiar with to work. But there are applications on our computer we know nothing about. And key combinations that open up things. And multiple ways to do things.
Anyone who can drive a car can get behind the wheel of another car and know how to drive it. Sure, we can drive it, but we do not know how to use many of the features or even where the gas cap is. A few months ago I got behind the wheel of a car that did not have a place for a key. There was only a big button to press! I had no idea how to start it.
The gas cap on my vehicle opens with a remote button on the drivers side door. It worked fine until one day it seemed to have a mind of its own. It worked when it wanted to and not always when I pulled in for a fillup. Our son looked at the situation and found we had a manual override in the trunk. It was there in the vehicle from day one. We just had not found out about it yet.
And those super controls on some of the new televisions... The TV can do so much and it is all built in. But it takes awhile to figure it out. And there are still things you probably cannot do.
When we accept Jesus into our lives and the Father sends Holy Spirit to live in us, we get the entire package. We do not get 10% of Holy Spirit; we get all of Him. So right inside us we have all the answers. But we only get to see what we need to do the works He has for us. As we walk out in faith to accomplish them, God frees up more of the knowledge stored within for us to access.
And He will continue the good work within us; continue to grow us to be more and more like Christ. And then someday we will have it all opened us to us
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
When we get a new computer or a vehicle or even a new HD television, we get everything with the package. And yet we have no idea about all the things we can do with it.
Sure we can turn on the computer. But can we actually use it? Maybe if we had one before we can poke around to get those applications we are familiar with to work. But there are applications on our computer we know nothing about. And key combinations that open up things. And multiple ways to do things.
Anyone who can drive a car can get behind the wheel of another car and know how to drive it. Sure, we can drive it, but we do not know how to use many of the features or even where the gas cap is. A few months ago I got behind the wheel of a car that did not have a place for a key. There was only a big button to press! I had no idea how to start it.
The gas cap on my vehicle opens with a remote button on the drivers side door. It worked fine until one day it seemed to have a mind of its own. It worked when it wanted to and not always when I pulled in for a fillup. Our son looked at the situation and found we had a manual override in the trunk. It was there in the vehicle from day one. We just had not found out about it yet.
And those super controls on some of the new televisions... The TV can do so much and it is all built in. But it takes awhile to figure it out. And there are still things you probably cannot do.
When we accept Jesus into our lives and the Father sends Holy Spirit to live in us, we get the entire package. We do not get 10% of Holy Spirit; we get all of Him. So right inside us we have all the answers. But we only get to see what we need to do the works He has for us. As we walk out in faith to accomplish them, God frees up more of the knowledge stored within for us to access.
And He will continue the good work within us; continue to grow us to be more and more like Christ. And then someday we will have it all opened us to us
Monday, September 23, 2013
Transform You
Romans 12:2 NLT
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
There is a fine line between adapting to the changes all around us and letting ourselves be absorbed by them. That is, letting them get between us and God. And it is so subtle. The movies we watch are filled with people and actions that are not the norm and are not Godly. Yet the more we watch them the more "normal" it seems.
And our children only know what they observe and if they are subjected only to the world view, they will have a difficult time being brought back to the God view.
When we are born again we give God permission to change us, to work in our life to help us become more like Christ in what we do and how we think. But are we letting Him do that when we continue to put ourselves with others not following God? We become like those we associate with.
Sure, we can go to church and hear how we should behave. We can read our Bible and get a better understanding of how God wants to see us. We can listen to Christian CD's in the car and go to Bible studies.
This is all good. But what about the rest of the time? Who do we associate with during our days and most nights? Who are they following?
Either Holy Spirit will transform us or the world will. I vote for the former.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
There is a fine line between adapting to the changes all around us and letting ourselves be absorbed by them. That is, letting them get between us and God. And it is so subtle. The movies we watch are filled with people and actions that are not the norm and are not Godly. Yet the more we watch them the more "normal" it seems.
And our children only know what they observe and if they are subjected only to the world view, they will have a difficult time being brought back to the God view.
When we are born again we give God permission to change us, to work in our life to help us become more like Christ in what we do and how we think. But are we letting Him do that when we continue to put ourselves with others not following God? We become like those we associate with.
Sure, we can go to church and hear how we should behave. We can read our Bible and get a better understanding of how God wants to see us. We can listen to Christian CD's in the car and go to Bible studies.
This is all good. But what about the rest of the time? Who do we associate with during our days and most nights? Who are they following?
Either Holy Spirit will transform us or the world will. I vote for the former.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sinning
1 John 5:18 NLT
We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.
If you ask ten people what sin is you probably will hear ten different answers. And they probably assign levels to each. You know, like to kill someone is a worse sin than to steal a shirt from a retail store. And lying on your income tax does not even count!
Many think that doing something that is against the law is not sin unless you get caught! Like going over the speed limit by a substantial amount. If you do not get stopped you did not do anything wrong. I guess that is like the old question "If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"
The worlds definition of sin varies with the changing moral values of society. What was sin fifty years ago may not be considered sin today. Webster defines it as "a breaking of a moral or legal code".
James 4:17 ESV
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
As Christians we know Jesus died for all our sins; past, present, and future. But that does not give us a license to sin. It means that when Holy Spirit reveals our sin to us, we must repent and not continue in it.
Sin is not a list of do nots. Sin is anything that takes our focus off of God and His plan for us. Anytime we bend to satan and his evil plans, we sin. Man may have levels of sin with some being worse and having higher penalties attached to them. God see sin as sin. He forgives all our sin no matter how great in the eyes of man. All we have to do is recognize it ask for His forgiveness.
Are we sinners? We certainly were before we accepted what Jesus did for us on the cross. Having accepted Him into our heart we no longer have that moniker. Are we capable of sinning? Yes we are, but it is not our lifestyle. And as we grow closer in our relationship with God, the instances of sin in our lives become less and less.
We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.
If you ask ten people what sin is you probably will hear ten different answers. And they probably assign levels to each. You know, like to kill someone is a worse sin than to steal a shirt from a retail store. And lying on your income tax does not even count!
Many think that doing something that is against the law is not sin unless you get caught! Like going over the speed limit by a substantial amount. If you do not get stopped you did not do anything wrong. I guess that is like the old question "If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"
The worlds definition of sin varies with the changing moral values of society. What was sin fifty years ago may not be considered sin today. Webster defines it as "a breaking of a moral or legal code".
James 4:17 ESV
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
As Christians we know Jesus died for all our sins; past, present, and future. But that does not give us a license to sin. It means that when Holy Spirit reveals our sin to us, we must repent and not continue in it.
Sin is not a list of do nots. Sin is anything that takes our focus off of God and His plan for us. Anytime we bend to satan and his evil plans, we sin. Man may have levels of sin with some being worse and having higher penalties attached to them. God see sin as sin. He forgives all our sin no matter how great in the eyes of man. All we have to do is recognize it ask for His forgiveness.
Are we sinners? We certainly were before we accepted what Jesus did for us on the cross. Having accepted Him into our heart we no longer have that moniker. Are we capable of sinning? Yes we are, but it is not our lifestyle. And as we grow closer in our relationship with God, the instances of sin in our lives become less and less.
Monday, September 09, 2013
Stand Firm
2 Thessalonians 2:15 NIV
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings [traditions] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
We listen to so many voices today. Think about the sources you are hearing from every day. There is the local news, the national news, the newspaper, the postings by others on Facebook, the news that pops up on your browser when you sign in, emails from others, the chatter around the coffee machine at work, Ad infinitum.
What is true and what is false? It can be very hard to know and often we are swayed into the wrong camp. We take on others offenses and begin to fight their battles. We get so caught up in today we miss who we are in Christ. We think because of the battle we are in that we are all right with God. But we do not take time to discern whether the battle is where He wants us. The voices told us we should be there.
God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. He has even laid out a plan for right living and given it to us in His Bible. We are shown how to pray. We are shown how to live with one another; christian to christian and christian to non-christian. When making decisions each day we can look to His Word and decide what is right.
So let us stop turning to others, to the news media, to the opinions of Facebook ranting and turn to the B I B L E. Let's turn to the teaching and traditions we have learned. Listen to Holy Spirit for He is in us to teach us all things.
Let us stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings [traditions] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
We listen to so many voices today. Think about the sources you are hearing from every day. There is the local news, the national news, the newspaper, the postings by others on Facebook, the news that pops up on your browser when you sign in, emails from others, the chatter around the coffee machine at work, Ad infinitum.
What is true and what is false? It can be very hard to know and often we are swayed into the wrong camp. We take on others offenses and begin to fight their battles. We get so caught up in today we miss who we are in Christ. We think because of the battle we are in that we are all right with God. But we do not take time to discern whether the battle is where He wants us. The voices told us we should be there.
God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. He has even laid out a plan for right living and given it to us in His Bible. We are shown how to pray. We are shown how to live with one another; christian to christian and christian to non-christian. When making decisions each day we can look to His Word and decide what is right.
So let us stop turning to others, to the news media, to the opinions of Facebook ranting and turn to the B I B L E. Let's turn to the teaching and traditions we have learned. Listen to Holy Spirit for He is in us to teach us all things.
Let us stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Monday, September 02, 2013
Temptation
James 1:14 NLT
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
Does a day go by when temptation does not come our way?
If you are thinking you are not tempted, you are deceiving yourself. We are all tempted.
How about that piece of cake or pie when we should not be eating it because we need to drop a few pounds? We think, one little piece can't hurt.
Or what about that movie you watched last evening? The reviews looked good and the trailer was exciting. So it was rated R. Doesn't that stand for recommended? We can just ignore the bad language and the violence forgetting our minds remember all we see, hear, taste, and feel.
What about when we are in conversation with a friend and it turns to gossip. Do we stop it? Or do we not only listen but add to the unnecessary chatter without offering up a prayer in love instead?
Sure, some are tempted in much harsher ways. Tempted to disobey one or more of the ten commandments. But falling into any temptation is sin.
"Father God, help me today to recognize the temptation that comes at me either from my own desires or from others that could lead me astray. Help me, Lord to keep my eyes focused on You. In Jesus name I pray. Amen"
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
Does a day go by when temptation does not come our way?
If you are thinking you are not tempted, you are deceiving yourself. We are all tempted.
How about that piece of cake or pie when we should not be eating it because we need to drop a few pounds? We think, one little piece can't hurt.
Or what about that movie you watched last evening? The reviews looked good and the trailer was exciting. So it was rated R. Doesn't that stand for recommended? We can just ignore the bad language and the violence forgetting our minds remember all we see, hear, taste, and feel.
What about when we are in conversation with a friend and it turns to gossip. Do we stop it? Or do we not only listen but add to the unnecessary chatter without offering up a prayer in love instead?
Sure, some are tempted in much harsher ways. Tempted to disobey one or more of the ten commandments. But falling into any temptation is sin.
"Father God, help me today to recognize the temptation that comes at me either from my own desires or from others that could lead me astray. Help me, Lord to keep my eyes focused on You. In Jesus name I pray. Amen"
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