R-rated Hearts

THE way I feel about being around unbelievers will tell me a whole lot about my concept of God and how I stand before him. Jesus put it this way: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2 NIV).

In other words, you get what you give out. You want a loving God? Then be loving. You want a merciful God? Then be merciful. Want God to forgive you? Then forgive your fellow man. Want God to condemn you? Then be an accusatory person. Want to put yourself above the rest of the world? Then get ready for a God who is going to strain out every judgmental thought you’ve ever had and measure all the thoughts and intents of your hidden heart by the same standard.

That’s enough to send me to my knees, because I know my heart. You and I as Christians need to realize that however  acceptable our lives my be for the general audience, we still possess an R-rated heart, and we’re as good as dead if we want God to meet us on any other ground than his grace and forgiveness.

The joy of this truth is that once I can believe that forgiveness for myself, then I can believe it for anybody. I have new eyes to see beyond my neighbor’s sin and love him or her with the love of Christ.

When we search the Gospels, we never find a place where Jesus was offended by a sinful person. But there are repeated accounts of his being offended by the self-righteousness of so called holy people who set themselves apart from the rest of humanity in their own eyes. For these people, he didn’t even have the time of day, except to warn them of the judgment to come, a judgment brought about by their refusal to see themselves as needy as the next guy.

AUTHOR: John Fischer. Taken from TRUE BELIEVERS DON’T ASK WHY  by John Fischer.  Copyright 1989 by John Fischer. Bethany House Publishers.  Extracted from Men’s Devotional Bible New International Version Page 1044. Copyright 1993 by Zondervan Publishing House.

The Past, The Now and The Future

We spend so little time in the present because it is so short, so fleeting.  It is the now, a moment, a minute an hour.  It is gone before we know it and it is constantly changing.  There is nothing to hold onto and yet it is the most important time we have.

The past is vast and comfortable to us.  We have been there, we know how it feels; like our favorite shoes it just fits.  Both the good and bad of our past is like a reference book, a search engine. It is the Google of our mind and we can search and can come and go at will from our past without restriction or fear of the unrevealed.  It is our own personal History Channel, it is the known Vs. the unknown and we can hopefully learn from it.

The future is unlimited in our minds, a vast wilderness to be explored, mostly full of hope often full of fear.  It is our quest for manifesting new memories to add to our library of the past or a way to get out of and on with the present.

We don’t usually think of the future in moments or hours but in dreams and anticipation for something new and refreshing.  But the future will never be real because by the time you get there it is the present then past.

So what are we supposed to do with and about these three dimensions?  How are we to learn to manage them and place them in the proper perspective so they become useful to us in the best possible way?

As with resolving most things that are part of this human experience we should seek what the bible has to say and find comfort in what our Lord instructs us to do.  As hard as it may be at times we need to trust that we will be taken care of in the present, learn from the past and cope with the future.  Matthew 6: 25-34 gives us a road-map to traverse these rocky paths of the past, present and future;

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Putting our trust fully in God is hard for us as humans.  We are so broken and determined to be independent that we have often lost the ability to truly put our lives and our will in God’s hands.  It takes practice, prayer and a posture of faith to achieve this but it can be done and when one can reach this point the past, the now and the future will no longer take on a life of their own but will be melded in harmony with God’s plan for our lives.

The Vulnerable Man

SOCIETY’S definition of a real man is erroneous and its requirements of him are so burdensome that he really finds it difficult to be a man. He knows inwardly that he isn’t able to cope with these heavy demands. For that reason it’s time to reevaluate the question, “What is a real man?”

The answer comes loud and clear from Jesus. “Hey! If you want to see a real man, take a look at John the Baptist. Because, of all the men born of women, there’s never been a greater one than John” [see Luke 7:28]. John has six characteristics which qualified him as a real man: sincerity, simplicity, conviction, courage, vision and vulnerability…

Modern “macho” man in American is not supposed to be vulnerable. According to research, the five most difficult statements for the modern man to make are [1] I don’t know; [2] I was wrong; [3] I need help; [4] I’m afraid; and [5] I’m sorry. In other words, according to the world’s definition, real men do not admit any vulnerability. And if they do, their masculinity is in question. But John was not afraid to admit his vulnerability…

John the Baptist’s vulnerability is shown in two ways – his honesty and his humility. His humility is unbelievable. One of his best-known statements was in reference to Jesus: “He must become greater; I must become less” [John 3:30]…

There’s nothing phony about John’s humility – it’s real. He has come to grips with who he really is in relation to Jesus. A humble man is not afraid to admit it. Such a man admits openly, “I must go on decreasing. He must go on increasing.”

AUTHOR: D. Stuart Briscoe from WHAT IT MEANS TO BE REAL. Copyright 1988 by D. Stuart Briscoe. Published by Word, Inc. Taken from Men’s Devotional Bible New International Version Page 1132. Copyright 1993 by Zondervan Publishing House.

Free Bible Study Material Precautions

By: Aleena Denison

With the popularity of the Internet today, and the vast resources that are poured into it, it is a prime place for doing research. One can look up just about anything and find huge amounts of information! But for Christians, there is a need for caution, and not just in general research. If you are looking for information on spiritual matters, it’s important to be careful and know your stuff!

What stuff do you need to know?

• According to the Bible, who is God? (Psalm 90:2; Jeremiah 10:6)

• According to the Bible, who is man? (Genesis 1:26 27; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 5:12)

• According to the Bible, what is sin? (Ephesians 5:6; Revelation 21:8)

• According to the Bible, who is Jesus? (Micah 5:2; Matthew 3:16 17; John 1:29 30)

• According to the Bible, what is salvation? (Acts 6:31; Colossians 2:13 14)

• According to the Bible, how do God, man, sin, Jesus and salvation relate? (Read an overview of the Bible to see how they all tie together)

This is just the beginning of what you need to know and understand. As you grow as a believer and seek to delve deeper into understanding the Word of God there are many more topics for Bible study, and there are many who want to give their own interpretation of the Scriptures. Here are some “hot topics” that are often misconstrued:

• Baptism – Is it necessary or just optional? Does the Bible talk about sprinkling and immersion? Is it wrong for infants to be baptized?

• Prayer – How important is it in the life of a believer? Does God hear everyone s prayers? How should one pray?

• Faith – Is amount of faith important for salvation and sanctification? How does it relate to salvation?

• Good works – Must one do good works as a part of obtaining salvation? How important are they?

Why are these things so important to know? Isn’t it okay for some to believe one thing and others another? Whatever you choose as your study guide must be in line with what the Bible says. If the materials you are researching don’t clearly follow the Bible, discard those materials. It’s not a matter of what one thinks about the topics that determines its truth, it is what the Bible says is the truth, and that is what you must study.

The Bible specifically talks about those who will twist the Word of God, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) Just because they claim the “Christian” label doesn’t mean that they intend to teach the Bible clearly, as it is written. Be careful!

If you have never before studied the Bible and are looking for studies to teach you about it, look for materials that begin with answering the first list of questions. Be sure it is the Bible being clearly explained, and not someone’s personal interpretation. I recommend finding something that will give you an overview of the Bible. Then you will have a solid understanding of what God is saying and a foundation on which to build.

Author Resource:-> Aleena Denison has a heart for seeing the message of the Bible presented in a clear way,and is dedicated to sharing Jesus with the lost and helping believers see their responsibilities in evangelism,discipleship,and Bible study. For more information and free downloads, see http://www.goodseed.com

Article From Article Storehouse

Attorney For The Defense

Ultimately, whether you are a Christian or a non believer, you will have to answer to your maker, God — Adonai, for your sins, just as an accused individual who has committed a crime has to answer to a Judge and/or jury.

But, as in our legal system here in the United States of America where you have the right to representation, to a defense attorney, in the eternal court of heaven you have Jesus Christ to defend you.  1:John 2:1 NIV tells us; ¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

The outcome of a spiritual trial could never be more important, for you are defending your eternal existence.  By confessing your sins through Jesus Christ and accepting him as your ultimate defense against your sins and the sins of mankind (1 John 2:2; NIV ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.) you will receive the Judgment of eternal life with him!

I would not want anyone else defending me in the Supreme Court of Eternity than Jesus.

Next Page »