What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately XLI (41)…
Greetings My Friends~
As a simple pilgrim following Jesus through the rainforests and deserts of this earthly life, I would like to humbly share some of what God has been bubbling up in my mind/heart lately.
I pray that these thoughts are cushions in your shoes, balm to your burns, umbrellas for the rain, and shade to the scorching heat as you too follow the Lord Jesus each day.
(please click on the Bible books/chapters/verses below to read the actual Scripture passages)
(September 2015)
Better Manners Or A Brand-New Woman/Man?
- It is quite possible to perfect the social graces of culture (behavior)
without receiving the spiritual grace of Christ which makes us perfect (surrender).
. - To become a Christian, there’s a sort of death that occurs-
thus many don’t receive Jesus as Savior
but dabble with Him as an ethical consultant.
. - Because of this dying to self,
many want church to be fun/easy/entertaining:
we may allow Jesus’ principles to refine us
but not Jesus’ power to resurrect us.
John 12:23-25; John 3:1-21: Luke 9:22-24
.
Christ’s Kin or the Culture’s Club?
Peter was close to Christ
but still warming himself by the culture’s fire—
this disowned Jesus & caused Peter to weep bitterly.
.
Spiritual Growth
God doesn’t want our fear of being flagrant to stop us from being fragrant!
He doesn’t want us to be holier-than-thou
but He does want us to be holy!
.
True Rest
Resisting arrest from the police is serious.
Resisting a rest from Jesus is serious too-
He wants to lead you beside quiet waters to refresh you…
.
God’s Love & Wrath Are Inseparable
We cannot understand the beauty of God’s love for us
without understanding the power of God’s wrath against Jesus on the cross.
.
Pastors
- Shepherds are to show others how to rest in God,
not thru more t.v.
but more of God’s spiritual i.v.—
the Bible & the Holy Spirit!
Jeremiah 33:12; Psalm 23:1-3; Isaiah 55; Matthew 11:28-30
.
- When pastors try to have a spine of steel
they are sometimes accused,
by the ones they love so deeply as a shepherd,
of having a heart of hate.
. - Oh how it hurts to love others according to the Bible
when they want to be loved according to the culture…
Holy Spirit, help us have hearts of cashmere & spines of steel!
.
Evangelism/Witnessing
We don’t help people become Christians by saying & showing, “I’m just like you!”
but by saying & showing, “I’m becoming just like Him (Jesus)–and you can too!”
.
Love
When our definitions of love differ,
our demonstrations of love will differ, painfully so.
King Jesus, teach us Christ-love not culture-love!