…YOU HAVE LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE.“ ’ REVELATION 2:4 NAS Do you love God?
The Church in Ephesus was the kind of church you’d have wanted to attend: ’ “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false” ’ (Revelation 2:2 NAS). So far so good. Who can argue with orthodoxy? But all was not well: ‘ “I have this against you,“’ says the Lord ’ “…you have left your first love.“ ’ John Stott writes: ‘They had fallen from the early heights of devotion to Christ which they had climbed. They had descended to the plains of mediocrity. In a word…the hearts of the Ephesian Christians had chilled.’ This word ‘chilled’ puts a shiver up your spine. What a horrible way to describe the heart of a Christian! Stott continues, ‘Their first flush of ecstasy had passed. Their early devotion to Christ had cooled. They had been in love with Him, but they had fallen out of love.’ How much had changed since Paul penned his last letter to that church ‘Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible’ (Ephesians 6:24 NAS). Then Stott concludes ‘they toiled with vigour, but not with love. They tested their teachers with orthodoxy, but had no love in their hearts.’ Wow! You can go to church, read your Bible and pray daily, yet not truly love God. Loving God is a commitment, an attitude resulting in action, a focus, a daily decision to acknowledge Him in all you say and do. So, do you love God?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO ME. YOU ARE HONORED, AND I LOVE YOU.’ ISAIAH 43:4 NLT
YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO ME. YOU ARE HONORED, AND I LOVE YOU.’ ISAIAH 43:4 NLT
Are you able to look in the mirror today and say, ‘Thank You Lord, You did a good job?’ If you can’t you’ll settle for anyone who can give you what you’re incapable of giving yourself – a sense of worth! You can’t become arrogant, but you’ve got to find a healthy balance somewhere between martyrdom and narcissism. Until you do everybody else’s needs and opinions will be more important than yours. When that happens you end up resentful, living without things you don’t have enough self-esteem to ask for because you don’t think you deserve them. If you don’t believe in yourself and respect your own opinions you’ll finish up living to please everyone else. One wrong look or one critical word from them and you’ll say, ‘I’ll never do that, say that, or wear that again.’ Talk about feeling worthless and insecure! Thank God you don’t have to live that way. Peter writes, ‘The God of all grace…[will] make you perfect, establish, strengthen, [and] settle you’ (1 Peter 5:10 NKJV). God wants to give you a sense of self-esteem – built on His esteem. Will you let Him? Once others have heard you sing confidently they’ll want to hum along. Just make sure they’re in harmony when they do. You train others to treat you by how you treat yourself. The buyer will pay no more than the seller demands. So go to God today, ask Him to tell you who you are and what you’re worth. He will say, ‘You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.’ That’s God’s opinion – make it yours!
Are you able to look in the mirror today and say, ‘Thank You Lord, You did a good job?’ If you can’t you’ll settle for anyone who can give you what you’re incapable of giving yourself – a sense of worth! You can’t become arrogant, but you’ve got to find a healthy balance somewhere between martyrdom and narcissism. Until you do everybody else’s needs and opinions will be more important than yours. When that happens you end up resentful, living without things you don’t have enough self-esteem to ask for because you don’t think you deserve them. If you don’t believe in yourself and respect your own opinions you’ll finish up living to please everyone else. One wrong look or one critical word from them and you’ll say, ‘I’ll never do that, say that, or wear that again.’ Talk about feeling worthless and insecure! Thank God you don’t have to live that way. Peter writes, ‘The God of all grace…[will] make you perfect, establish, strengthen, [and] settle you’ (1 Peter 5:10 NKJV). God wants to give you a sense of self-esteem – built on His esteem. Will you let Him? Once others have heard you sing confidently they’ll want to hum along. Just make sure they’re in harmony when they do. You train others to treat you by how you treat yourself. The buyer will pay no more than the seller demands. So go to God today, ask Him to tell you who you are and what you’re worth. He will say, ‘You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.’ That’s God’s opinion – make it yours!
Monday, April 6, 2009
DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD…’ 1 JOHN 2:15 NAS Change your world
DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD…’ 1 JOHN 2:15 NAS Change your world
John writes, ‘Do not love the world…’ But what does that mean? First, let’s look at what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean being so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly use. Loving the Lord more doesn’t mean loving those around you less; or feeling awkward around them; or losing touch with them; or not knowing how to communicate with them; or alienating them by giving off signals that you are somehow spiritually superior to them. If ‘…we have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV) shouldn’t we be as attractive to a lost world as Jesus was? As the world of finance, politics, education and entertainment, etc gets more off track, we have two choices: condemn it or influence it! Become what we’re supposed to be, light! Isaiah the prophet spoke into the lives of kings. The three Hebrew children changed the politics of Babylon. Joseph the economist saved Egypt from famine. Yes, satan is at work taking Christ out of Christmas, prayer out of schools, and God out of government. But he won’t win, and he knows it. His strategy however, is to convince you that he can win. He doesn’t want you to see the real battle between light and darkness. He doesn’t want you to feel a sense of urgency and personal responsibility. But the God who promised to ‘…crush satan under your feet…’ (Romans 16:20 NKJ). is raising up an army of spirit-empowered believers who will demonstrate what it’s like to live in a different kingdom. Will you be part of His army?
John writes, ‘Do not love the world…’ But what does that mean? First, let’s look at what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean being so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly use. Loving the Lord more doesn’t mean loving those around you less; or feeling awkward around them; or losing touch with them; or not knowing how to communicate with them; or alienating them by giving off signals that you are somehow spiritually superior to them. If ‘…we have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV) shouldn’t we be as attractive to a lost world as Jesus was? As the world of finance, politics, education and entertainment, etc gets more off track, we have two choices: condemn it or influence it! Become what we’re supposed to be, light! Isaiah the prophet spoke into the lives of kings. The three Hebrew children changed the politics of Babylon. Joseph the economist saved Egypt from famine. Yes, satan is at work taking Christ out of Christmas, prayer out of schools, and God out of government. But he won’t win, and he knows it. His strategy however, is to convince you that he can win. He doesn’t want you to see the real battle between light and darkness. He doesn’t want you to feel a sense of urgency and personal responsibility. But the God who promised to ‘…crush satan under your feet…’ (Romans 16:20 NKJ). is raising up an army of spirit-empowered believers who will demonstrate what it’s like to live in a different kingdom. Will you be part of His army?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
