We are GODs Masterpiece

What does it take to make a masterpiece? Hard work, time, dedication, commitment and passion? Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's masterpiece! Everything that has happened in our lives good and bad has in some way been the work of God creating that masterpiece in us!

Amos 2:4-5; 6:1-8

God has spent generations trying to woo Israel into loving him and having a relationship with him. Through his prophets God begged an pleaded with the people of Israel to repent!  Israel continually rebelled and turned to other gods.

In most case spiritually we are no different than Israel. Our call is to repent and draw close to GOD or we too will fall into the hands of sin.

God warns Israel against complacency. God challenged Israel on their security and how they relied on their own strength, materialism and abilities.

What would GOD challenge you on? What am I allowing to come between me and GOD? What am I allowing to keep me from becoming the masterpiece that God intended for my life?

Ephesians 2:10

we are Gods craftsmanship. He wants to make us into his image. We are to be his masterpiece! Will you repent and let God make you into the masterpiece he originally created!

God uses different tools to create his master piece! Scriptures, other people, hardships...etc. He only asks that we trust in what he is doing and that we allow him to work in our lives! God will not fores us into a relationship with him, however, he wants to produce in your life the masterpiece that comes with a surrendered life in Jesus.

Sinless or Blameless?

Philippians 3:1-14

In this passage we see Paul speaking against the confidence in the flesh, our worldly accomplishments, stature in society..etc! What man holds in high glory GOD and Paul considers to be of no benefit.

"Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil!" Who is Paul speaking about here?  I believe he was not only referring to the world but also to the religious establishment that refused to let go of the law and continued to turn the gospel of Christ into a legalistic and worthless religion! God has never looked for perfection in us nor can we ever offer him perfection in our worship.

Paul consider himself blameless not sinless! There is a difference! Our heart should be the same in that we strive to live our lives for God so that we can be blameless.

Luke 9:23-25

Denying myself and following Jesus is not just a standard but a prerequisite; for Jesus said, If anyone would come after me he must deny himself! What does that mean to deny my self or deny my flesh?

Paul understood what it meant to deny himself and take up his cross daily! It has nothing to do with being sinless or perfect in actions. IT has nothing to do with a check list of laws or do's and don'ts that are followed. It has everything to do with having a heart for God and living a blameless life through deny our will and allowing Gods will to lead us in every situation!

Do you strive to deny your self daily? If so, do you deny your self for your sake or for Gods sake? True humility and self denial should always resign-ate from a desire to please God and not man.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

With out true love the way 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 defines it, all of our gifts and talents are worthless. We can not honor God with out love. Love has to be our motivation in all that we do. Paul's love for God, Jesus and the church compelled him to live the life that he lived that continously denied his flesh!

Philippians 2:1-11

Jesus has set the example for us in that he laid down his life for all of us. He is the ultimate example of humility. He has never done anything out of selfish ambition and considered all of us worth more than his own life! He proved this by sacrificing himself for you.

Paul understood this and it motivated him to not live a life that was sinless (which none of us can really obtain) but to live a life that was blameless and glorified God!

2 Corinthians 7:8-11

To live a blameless life is to live a repentant life. We will all sin, however, how we chose to respond when we sin  (either through worldly sorrow or Godly sorrow) will determine if our lives are blameless through Jesus!

Innocent Of The Blood Of All Men

Two major themes run through the book of Acts. The spreading of the gospel through the Holy Spirit and the reconciliation between the jews and the gentiles through salvation.

Acts 1:6-8

By design God chose people to spread his gospel. The book of Acts chronicles the preaching, teaching and the spreading of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike!

Acts 20:17-27

Paul declared himself innocent of the blood of all man because his life was devoted to spreading the gospel!

We need to ask ourselves, are we I innocent of the blood of all men? Does my life prove this to be true? What would motivate me or should motivate me to live a life that would be innocent of the blood of all men?

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Paul's motivation was Gods grace. Paul was reminded daily of where he had come from and to the extent that God saved him. As a result, Paul chose to give up his will for his life and eagerly accepted Gods will, which is to spread the good news of Jesus Christ!

Ezekiel 33:7-9

Jesus was the ultimate example of laying down our lives for our fellow man. Our lives should be about doing Gods will, serving and spreading the gospel and then we will be able to say, I am innocent of the blood of all men!

1 Timothy 2:1-3

God wants all men to be saved and have a relationship with him! As christians we are the vehicle that God has chosen to help advance his kingdom!

Acts 20:28-3

Everything that Paul did in his life was grounded in Gods grace. He constantly thought about he past sins and the grace that God had shown him in his life!

We need to ask our selves,  what is my purpose? Is the purpose of my life all about me and prosperity or other wordly things? Paul's purpose was to seek and save the lost! We need to incorporate evangelism and spreading Gods word into our daily lives. At work, the gym, with friends...etc.

Ezekiel 3:20-21

We need to also stay in each others lives. Have intimate spiritual relationships where we can hold each other accountable and call each other to righteousness. We need to warn each other from sin. God shows no distinction between the one who sinned and the one who did not warn his brother!

The challenge is to be like Paul and be able to claim that we are  innocent of the blood of all men by spreading the gospel of Christ and building spiritual relationships with my brothers and sisters!

Trusting Gods Plan

^{Psalms 138:8}

For the most part we all know what gods plan for David was because we are able to follow his life though the bible and see. However Did David really know Gods full plan for him? I would have to say no. Never the less he had faith that God had a plan and that he would fulfill it no matter what.

God also has a plan for us. Question is, do we have the same faith David had? Do we pray to God asking him not to abandon the works of his hands? What are the works of Gods hands in our lives and are we holding on to them? Are we thankful for them? For me being given a faith in God is a work of God's hand. And increasing our faith through hardships, challenges and victories are works of God's hands too.

^{Psalms 57:2}

^{Psalms 57:3}

David wrought this wile he was hiding in a cave from Saul who wanted to kill him. David knew that even facing death God's purpose would be fulfilled. He was confident in god and even though he was being sought after by a mad man he was not complaining. Read the whole chapter.

^{Psalms 57:1-11}

Pall is another good example of a man who held on to the reality that Gods plan would be fulfilled no mater what and even though he spent a big part of his life in chains he could always see Gods hand in it and praise him for it.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

^{Philippians 1:7}

We know through reading the bible that both of these men faced much persecution and sometimes even possible death. We also in reading the bible can see that this was part of Gods plan. This is in the bible to increase our faith that no mater what we go through Gods plan will be fulfilled.

Even Jesus facing death on the cross not wanting to go through the inevitable did not complain! He put his faith in God and went to him in prayer.

^{Matthew 26:42}

One more question to think about. Was the cup he was asking God to take away, The death he was facing or the death with out forgiveness we were facing?

Connecting to God's Church

What does it mean to be connected as a church? The goal of every church should be to help it's members become the likeness of Jesus Christ.

As a church the members have a choice to either be connected or dis-connected. The challenge of every disciple of Christ is be connected to Gods spiritual body. God calls us to be connected in relationships with one another as a family of God.

Acts 2:42

In the early church you were expected to be devoted to several things. It was not negotiable! You had to be devoted to the teachings of the gospel. Devoted to the fellowship! Devoted to the the breaking of bread ( Communion ). Devoted to prayer! This was not an option. To be Part of the first century church you made a decision to be devoted to these things! Obviously people are not perfect and the members of the early church may have struggled with for filling these expectations, however, there was still an expectation that the members be devoted to these things.

This is the example of Gods church that he has set for us. Many churches practice devotion to teaching, prayer....however, many neglect Communion, fellowship and developing deep spiritual relationships.

Using Jesus as an example. Jesus had several circles of close relationships. In his inner circle were James, John and Peter. Next were the 12 disciples and then in his outer circle were his followers. He built relationships and ministered to each of them in different ways!

We have to devote our selves to fellowship and building strong spiritual relationships. God has designed it this way. We are to carry each others burdens. We are designed to need each other!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Galatians 6:2
Hebrews 3:13

The way to not allow your heart to be harden by sins deceit is to stay connected to your brothers and sisters in Gods church by encouraging one another!

James 5:16

Romans 5:5

Some may think that having these types of relationships and being connected to the fellowship of Gods church in this way is not possible. You may think that this is not your personality or your nature. This is only possible with God and having his spirit inside of us! The only way to get connected into a deep spiritual relationship is through God and with the holy spirit. 

Was it worth it?

Heb 12:14-17 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

• What do you think Esau would say if you ask him was it worth it?

• What would you say if some one asked you was it worth it?

This is a new challenge for all of us! When we are struggling with any paticular sin, ask yourself that question, "Is it worth it?". For many of us Men the struggles with purity, sexually immoral thoughts and the like can lead to sinful and damaging acts, if not dealt with.

We need to think through our temptations and sinful nature and ask our self is it worth it? We already know it is not! Then pray, get a christian brother involved or just go for a walk or find something to do to help you focus on God and his word.

We cannot allow Satan to get a foot hold! Temptations that attack our purity are better dealt with before hand by sharing it with other spiritual brothers and through prayer.

Frankly I have found that if I share my weaknesses with the brothers no matter what the weakness is they will do all they can to help me with overcome it by praying specifically for me or holding me accountable and asking the tough questions that need to be asked of each of us . If you do not have those kinds of relationship with in your church body then I would seek out a church that does.

As brothers and sisters, the bible is very clear, with regard to our obligation to carry each others burdens and to confess our sins to one another. Then and only then can there be true healing in God. If you allow your self to be open with your spiritual brothers, it will strengthen your relationship with God.

ALL Things

Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose [I emphasize the word PURPOSE because many times we look at our purpose].I share this with you all because as brothers in Christ we all need to understand Gods purpose in our life

And when we take our eyes off of that we can and will spin out of control.

 

God works in ALL things, not just isolated incidents, for our good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our LONG RANGE good. God is not working to make us happy, but to fulfill his purpose/plans. Remember, we have been called according to his purpose and therefore we should trust in God not life's treasures. We have security in heaven, not on this earth so we learn to accept, not resent pain and persecution because God is with us at all times. One of the hardest things to do is wait to see Gods hand in every situation especially if we are going through family problems, but I can tell you that Gods way is

Alwayssssssssssss the best way.

Obeying The Commands of God

Exodus 25 - God gave instructions on how to build the Ark and how to build his temple. It was designed for God to walk with his people. God humbled himself to fit in a box and to be cared by man. God gave specific instructions on how to carry the Ark. The poles where to remain in the Ark at all times and where not to be removed. No one was allowed to touch the Ark itself or they would die.

1 Samuel 4 - the Philistines capture the Ark. In the same way Satan is always trying to take God from us. The Philistines tried to use the Ark or to use God and it did not work. God brought curses down on the Philistines.

1 Samuel 6- the Ark is returned to Israelites.

1 Samuel 7

2 Samuel 6

The Israelite were excited about bringing the Ark to Israel. Uzzah died because he did not obey or honor Gods commands concerning the Ark. Where did the idea of putting the Ark on a cart come from? This idea came from the Philistines. It was easier to have the Ark on a cart and pulled by oxen rather than being carried by 4 men as God had commanded.

How many times do we try to dilute the word of God and obey only partial commandments because we think it's too hard?

God calls us to worship him and honor him in the way he wants. Satan wants us to think that it is okay to dilute the word of God and conform to the world.

Stop conforming to the world! The world tells us it's okay to be decetful, to stretch the truth. To listen to questionable music or watch movies filled with sexual imorality. As christians God calls us to become the likeniess of  Christ!

1 Samuel 6:9 - when we conform to the world then we say what David says here. How can I be righteous. Gods commandments are too tough. I can't have a pure dating relationship without committing sexual imorality. How can I be honest when it may hurt me financially...etc

Satan wants us in this position, he wants us to conform to the world and not decide to do things Gods way. Gods way through his commands are the way to true blessings!

1 Samuel 6:10-11

The Ark was left with Obed-edom and he was blessed! Eventually David resided to conform to God instead of the world. Vs 12-14 David decided to carry the Ark the way god commanded it regardless of how much it cost or how much of a burden it may have been..... As a result David became one of the greatest kings ever known!

John 14:15; 21; 23

What can we give God? Does he need us? God wants our hearts. He wants us to devote our lives to him. To honor his teachings by living a life emerged in his words and his commands! We express our love to God through obedience.

John 14:21

Every time we obey we express love to God! Ways that we can honor God and show him love:

1 Corinthians 6:
Philippians 4:8
Proverbs 3:9
Ephesians 5:25
Ephesians 4:29
Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Remember the Lord

As an early Christian I thought life would become easier as a disciple. Things in my life were changing I had repented from several character sins and I was a new being in god!

Do you remember how you felt as an early Christian? What was your outlook on life.

Some times we loose the zeal and fervor for God we had at baptism. The worries of this world, the temptations and our sinful nature creep back in and we in essence forget our first love which is our relationship with god.

All of us go through situation that challenge our faith.


The book of kings was written while the Israelite were in captivity to Babylon. The Israelite were subject to the the Babylonian culture. Everyday the Israelite were subject to the Babylonians and to there idol worship and paganism.

Babylonians worship several gods. Baal and Mot. Baal was the storm god and Mot was the god of death. They believed that when it rained it was from Baal and when there was a drought Baal was away fighting Mot.

1 kings 17:1-24

Elijah takes a stand against Baal and the Babylonia authority. Baal was the god of rain and of fertility. Elijah was not just challenging their idolatry but the existence of their gods as a whole.

Vs 22 this is the first time someone was rising from the dead in the bible and  God challenges there god Mot in this. He shows that he is the God that gives life and controls death not Mot

Kings 18:21-46

For the years that lead up to this confrontation between the almighty God and the idolatry of Babylon, the Israelite felt abandoned by God! God had never left. God was always there.

When we hit these points in our lives where we feel defeated and as though God is not with us, we have to remember our lord and the power he has too overcome any situation.

This Earth Is Not My Home

Heaven is our final destination! This earth is not our home and therefore we should not treat it as such.

When you focus on heaven you want to do more here on earth! Heaven and the thought being in paradise with our lord should motivate us to honor him and do all we can here on earth!


John 12:23

Jesus understood and taught this concept. If you want to save your life in the next world, you have to loose your life ( or sacrifice your worldly desires) in this world.

When your thoughts go to heaven then you will have impact here on earth. This world is not our home and we need to remember where our true home is.

As Christians we don't think of heaven as much as we should. We think about our spiritual trials on this earth and our lives as Christians in this world. We need to focus on heaven!


Genesis 25-28

Jacob was give a name that meant deceiver. At his birth they basically named him liar.

Jacob lives up to his name and lies to his brother and father. He continued to lie and this mam that was named deceiver becomes a liar.

Jacob was on the run and trying to escape from the consequences of his lying actions when he finds and comes in contact with God.

God showed Jacob a glimpse of heaven and it changed his life! Jacobs heart changed from that point on in his life.


Genesis 29:13-29

Jacob was fleeing and Laban excepted him because of what Jacob shared with him about his trip. Maybe because of the experience Jacob had with God and the way Jacob shared that with Laban.

In his past Jacob deceived for what? Mostly for financial gain and power (I.e. Birth right). It safe to assume that Jacob struggles with greed and cheating. He was willing to steal from his brother and deceive his farther for money. Yet because of Gods intervention and Jacob seeing a glimpse of heaven, Jacob was asked to work for seven years for Rachel and he did it through honesty and hard work.

Ironically Jacob was lied to by laban and told to work another seven years for Rachel. Jacob could have demanded that labin honor their previous agreement but he didn't. Jacob choose to honor laban's request and work another seven years. Jacob was not the same man that he was before he saw a glimpse of heaven!

When we see what the true wealth is in heaven. We no longer care about worldly things. Satan wants us to focus on the here and now and not focus on the things to come?

Where is your focus at? Heaven or earth?

What does it mean to focus on heaven?

We need to recognize our urges for heavenly longings. Our desire for more is a desire from God, yet far to often we try to satisfy that desire with wordly things. The longings that we have for more and a restless contented spirit should be directed towards Heaven and our reward that is waiting for us. If we fill those longings with worldly objects we miss the opportunity to long for heaven.

As Christians we tell our selves to stop wanting. We want to reject our worldly desires and we concede to just give up on our desires. This is the time to not stop our desires of wanting but to realign our desires with heavenly things.

God planted desires in us that cannot be filled with earthly things. If we fill our lives with worldly things in the hopes of reaching happiness, we will become completely frustrated! We were not made for this earth or earthly things. We were created for heaven.

Heaven is were our focus needs to be. We need to think about what heaven is really like. The bible gives us glimpses of what it will be like but part of the intrigue that god has created is that we don't know what it will be like for sure. What we do know is heaven will give us rest for our souls and be completely the opposite of the world.


Revelations 4:1-11

Heaven is so far beyond our imagination and will be more than we could ever expect!

The biggest thing our farther says about heaven is that we will be with god!

Keeping on Track Spiritually

Prayer is a vital aspect of spiritual development. Mark 1:32-39 our power and strengthen comes from god. Jesus made it a point to go off to a solitary place to be with god.

Jesus was interrupted by his disciples. How do we respond when we are interrupted? Jesus allowed the disciples to interrupted him and he consider the short time he had with god to be sufficient and conformed to gods will which was to continue healing and ministering to all the people.

We need to pray each day for god to lead us and we need to be willing to follow! We also need to pray that god will use us specifically to help other people. John 15:16

Hebrews 5:7 Jesus prayed with loud cries and petitions to god. Jesus faced so much temptation and passionately went to his father in prayer for strength!

Luke 11:1 the apostles were not new to prayer. Growing up in the Jewish faith, they were familiar with prayer but not the kind of prayer that thy saw Jesus partake in! The apostles noticed the difference in the way Jesus prayed and the way the Jewish leaders of the day prayed.

Acts 12:1-17 Acts 16 are good examples of the power of prayer! Prayer is powerful and effective and relevant today! Paul expected god to work regardless of the situation. He saw gods involvement in everything!

Prayer in the first century church was not just an act but a lifestyle in the way they lived.

What keeps us from being connected to god spiritually? Mark 4:19. We have to evaluate our lives regularly and test our actions against the bible to help keep us from being consumed with the worries of this world.

Jeremiah 17:9

we are going to need help with our hearts. We cannot do it alone and need the prayers and discernment of others!

James 3:13-18

When we allow sin in our hearts it spreads and multiples to effect every aspect of our lives. Again we need to constantly prune our hearts deal with sin in an effort to reach true repentance.

As children of god we need to believe 4 things about the way god feels about us and  like wise our kids need to hear that we feel these things for them too...

I love you
I need you
I believe in you
I'm proud of you

Spirituality Through a Faithful Walk with God

How would you define spirituality. A spiritual world around us? A feeling of closeness to gods spirit? To live the life Jesus did? A man after gods on heart? Being in-tuned with gods will? Having a Christ like mind set? There are a lot of answers to that question and all are applicable.

Thought provoking statements...

Statement: You can do the deeds of a servant and not have the heart of a servant but if you have the heart of a servant you will automatically do the deeds of a servant!

Statement: you can act your way into a better of feeling than feel yourself into a better way of acting.

If we are to be like god, we have to love what god loves and hate what god hates! (example Jesus in the temple) this is true spirituality!

1 Corinthians 2:11-14

The spiritual truths are in the bible and god has given them to each of us freely. The bible has the power and gods work speaks for it self.

1 Corinthians 3:1-17

The point here is not exalting men but to point each other to god and giving him all the glory.

Deuteronomy 10:12

What Has Been On Your Heart?

Luke 12:34

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   

or in other words  …For whatever is on your heart is what you also treasure.

 

Our hearts are "the wellspring of life" (Prov 4:23) and we are commanded by God to guard our hearts, protect them,properly feed them only what is good and  to share our hearts with him.

 

The scripture in Luke 12 is what Jesus said to his disciples because of the great many distractions they faced and  that we also face as God's people. The world, our careers, our dreams, our feelings and even our past can get in the way of having a steadfast heart for God and his Kingdom.

 

Currently what has mostly been on your heart?

Has it been gratitude, has it been love, mercy, has it been humility, forgivness or has it been Grace?

Has it been sacrifice, has it been understanding, has it been patience, zeal for God, has it been purity or has it been great faith?

Throughout the bible God calls us to search our hearts, so that we can be honest with ourselves, so that we can bear good fruit,

so that we can give glory to him. By this we will be examples of how much God loves his people. Living any other way, will diminsh who GOD is, and rob him of his glory.

 

I believe that we have entered a time of God's blessing and a time of Spiritual restoration not only for ourselves but  for the salvation of many others and unless ALL our hearts are fully engaged, we will miss out on such an Awesome blessing of seeing God at work within us.

 

I want to spur you on towards "Love and Good deeds" as well as for you to Search Your Heart and consider the following:

 

1)      Searching your heart to see if anything is hindering you ie. sin, bitterness, pride or         resentment. Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter                 root grows…

2)       Pouring out your heart to God by deeping your prayer times and study times with         God.

3)       Reintroduce in your life times of fasting and meditation.

4)       Strive for great humility and consitency in your one-another relationships.

5)       Share your faith … so that you will have a full understanding of every good         thing we have in Christ. (Philemon 1).

6)       Engage in serving, giving, loving  and sacrificing for each other and the lost. (1             Corinthians 13:1-) Our gifts mean nothing if we are not loving each other.

 

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!

Amen!

 

Imitating One Another Through Christ

God created all of us to imitate Jesus Christ and to imitate others as they imitate Jesus!


1 Corinthians 11:1

Paul taught the early Christians to follow him as he followed Christ!

This does not mean that we copy each other or mimic each other, but we need to imitate the godly qualities that we see in each others life. The difference is imitating the godly qualities and trying to copy a personality or a specific action.

God has given each of us talents and gifts that other people can imitate in us.

Like wise following someone and discipleship is not copying or mimicking someone.


1 Corinthians 4:14-17

Every single one of us should be an example for others to imitate. Just as timothy imitated Paul and Paul called the Corinthian church to imitate timothy as they both strived to initiate Jesus.

What godly qualities would your friends want to imitate in you? If it is hard for me to answer that question, then I am not living and modeling my life after Jesus.

A man who's life and godly doctrine are inline is a man that people can imitate and who's life gives examples to others on how to live like Jesus.

We need to surround our selves with godly spiritual people that can help us mature spiritually.


Proverbs 11:14

The proverbs are full of scriptures that speak of getting advice and how that will lead you to sound judgment.

This is the key to imitating others as they imitate Christ by asking and seeking advice from godly people who have been successful spiritually in handling a given situation.

To ask for advice we have to lower our pride and act on humility!


Hebrews 6:12

Again the bible calls each of us to rely on each other and to seek out godly people that we can follow and imitate!

Help is in the church through godly people but you have to be willing to get help with what ever your issue or struggle maybe. Follow them as they follow Christ!

Love The Way God Intended It

 

What would you say is the worlds definition of love? Lust, a physical attraction, sexual relations, a strong feeling....etc

Gods definition of love is quite different!

1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us that love the way God intended it never fails!

Think about that for a minute. Love the way that God intended it will NEVER fail. Love in the world is destined to fail! Worldly love breeds bitterness, regret, insecurity, immorality...etc

So what is so different about Godly love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

When I read this scripture I have to ask my self if I am loving my spouse in this way? Am I loving the people around me in this way?

This is the nature of God and we have to imitate him in our love for other people. Replace the word love with God and re-read this passage.

4GOD is patient, GOD is kind. GOD does not envy, GOD does not boast, GOD is not proud. 5IGOD is not rude, GOD is not self-seeking, GOD is not easily angered, GOD keeps no record of wrongs. 6GOD does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7GOD always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

What do each on of these acts of love have in common? They are all decisions and are things that we choose to do or choose not to do.

What would our marriages or our relationships look like if we approached them with this kind of love?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

People aspire to do many things. Some want to be successful in business, sports...etc but none of this is of value to GOD unless we do it out of love.

Presenting Jesus Christ Through Our Lives

2 Corinthians 4:10-11

10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

Think about vs 10! As Christians we carry around with us in our body the death of Jesus!

What do you think about that? It's encouraging in some respects, because we know that Gods grace through Jesus death is always upon us. It's also sobering to know Jesus is with us in every thing that we do on a daily basis.

Where has your body been? Where have you taken the cross of Christ? Into arguments with your spouse? Pornography? Inpatients with your kids? Wordly endeavors?....etc.

When I'm in the middle of sin Jesus and his death is right there with me! Do I continue to sin or allow Jesus's death lead me to repentance?

We are called to carry the cross in a way that will glorify God.

Have you carried the cross of Jesus in a way that his glory would be revealed through you to others? We need to continually think about how we are presenting our selves as Christ ambassador and the way we represent him with our lives.

How do you represent Jesus in your marriage, work, school...etc. Do people see Jesus in you as you interact with them during your daily routine?

Vs 11 tells us that the purpose of carrying Jesus's death in our bodies is so that Jesus's life will be revealed to others through us and that we should be putting our sinful nature to death.

Evangelism is not about what you say but about how you live your life. We have to be Godly examples in every aspect of our lives!

What struggles have you put to death or do you plan to put to death today?

When we have unrepentant sin in our lives, the bible says we are crucifying Jesus all over again (Hebrews 6:6).

If by our lives people can see Christ then conversely if we are not living the life Jesus called us to live as Christians, then we can have a negative impact on the way others view Christianity or even God as a whole.

DON'T LOSE HEART – THERE IS HOPE!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Sometimes trying to live a Christian life can feel like you're wasting away! But we can't loose heart or get discouraged! Satan wants us to think that our troubles are not momentary and we are some how missing out on life, but vs 17 tells us that we are achieving an eternal glory that far outweighs them all!

 

Building Gods Kingdom through love

2 Timothy 1:1-8

God does not want us to have a spirit of timidity when it comes to the good news and testimony of Jesus Christ!

God wants us to have a spirit of love and confidence. Our love should be evident to all people!

Our challenge as Christians is to learn how to love the way god intended us to love! Gods definition of love and the worlds definition of love are two totally different things.

1 John 4:7-11;16

God is love! To truly define Gods love you have to look at what God has done for us. He is always faithful, always there for us, he never has nor will let's us down. He sacrficed his one and only son for us so that we would not meet destruction!

Our challenge in building the kingdom is to love one another in the same way God has loved us! Then and only then will we people be able to see Gods spirit in us. Our example to the world is through our love.

The world teaches us that love is conditional. If you love me and treat me the way I want, then I will love you...etc

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Love is more important in Gods eyes than any wordly accoplishment we can obtain or achieve!

This is the Godly definition of love. Do you love your brothers and sisters, your neighbors, your family the way this scriptue defines love?

The best way to measure your love for someone is to ask them. Ask your family and friends if they feel loved by you in this way?

Matthew 22:35-40

The bible hangs on two things. Loving God and loving other people.

John 15:9-14

Loving God has to do with being obiedent to his commandments. We cannot love God unless we love other people!

Being obiedent to God is also connected to denying our sleves. Denying our selves what we want by following gods will for our lives instead.

Love is having a "one another relationships". Being deeply in love spiritualy for each other and being envolved in each others lives! Having compassion for people in the world. How can God use you in someone elses life? What impact spiritualy can you have in someone elses life.

1 John 2:9-11

God sees our hearts. We may be able to fool each other but god knows our motives and actions. We cannot walk with God and be in the light unless we love our brothers and sisters!

Building Deep Spiritual Relationships

Ask yourself this question; How are my relationships? None us can make it on our own! God designed one another relationships for a reason and he wants us to have deep brotherly relationships to help us spiritually!

Of course not all relationships will be at the same intimacy level and God does not expect us to have cookie cutter relationships! The bottom line is, we need to build relationships that allow the spirit to move in our lives. The goal is to help each other to stay faithful and get to heaven!

Proverbs 27:17

Our number one priority should be our relationship with God but we cannot neglect the power of God that works through others in our relationships. Sometimes other people can see us better than we see our selves.

Deuteronomy 6:4

Again we need a personal relationship with God.

Do you have prayer time with God every day? If Jesus is to be lord of your life then you need to be spending time in prayer everyday!

Do you ready the bible everyday? We eat food every day to survive and our spiritual health is no different. We need the word of God to sustain us and allow us to grow spiritually!

Ephesians 5:22-30

  How is our relationship with our Spouse? Are we fulfilling this scripture with our relationship with our spouse?

Husbands do you love your wife the way Christ loved the church? Our responsibility is to present our bride radiant and blemish free!

1 Timothy 5:8

God wants us to be connected to our physical families and provide for them

Deuteronomy 6:7

We need tone in a teaching mode with our kids so that we can impress upon them the word of God. Providing for your family means so much more than just worldly physical needs. Their spiritual health is important in your relationship with them.

With regard to the relationships in the church we need to be open with each other. We need to confess sin to each other so we can help each other?

Encouragement should be another key factor in building deep and close relationships. The bible also talks about practicing hospitality with our brothers and sisters. Invite people into your home. Allow people to get close to you and to see your life on a daily basis.

With these key principals you will have Godly relationships with you physical family and your spiritual family.

Godly vision for a new year!

Zechariah was called by god to inspire gods people to rebuild the temple. There was much opposition from neighboring countries. The temple was started and then stopped and then delayed, but Zechariah new that the temple had to be completed and God's will must be done!

Zechariah 4:1-6

Not by might nor by power but by the spirit of the lord. When we do God's will we have to rely on him. We will have obstacles and set backs but with gods power we can accomplish all things!

Zechariah had a vision to see what was to come and the angel of the lord asked Zechariah what do you see?

So I will ask, what do YOU see? What plans do you have for fulfilling God's will in your life? We have to have vision for what God can do in our lives and then we have to be willing to let God use us!

Not by might and not by our own power but by the strength of the spirit of the lord! As long as God is with us we will be able to complete the task!

Psalms 46:1-11

Vs 10 Be still and know that I am God! God will do the work if we surrender to him and his will!

Zechariah 4:7

Gods spirit moved mountains. Some of us are over whelmed with the mountains in our lives! We have to see that God has the power to overcome what ever struggle, trial or tribulation we may be facing in our life!

Today, what is your mountain? We can name all the problems we have and believe that this the reason for the struggles in our lives but the real mountains we have to overcome are internal! The true battle is how we deal with our problems internally! Bad things can and will happen, however, it is how we react to them that changes the outcome.

Pride, impatience, selfishness, envy, greed....etc are the mountains that we face and they are all internal sins.

Matthew 21:21-22

Have faith and god and throw that mountain into the sea!

Where do you get your confidence?

TEEN BIBLE STUDY:

How do you build confidence or more personally, what things build your confidence?

Some basketball players wear a shooting sleeves and football players wear elbow bands. Why? Mostly for looks. Like wise, some girls wear trendy clothes, jewelry and a lot of make up.

How do you feel when you wearing the latest fashions? When you dress your best and feel good about what you are wearing? Do you go to school with confidence? Of course you do!

Why do we put of confidence in such things?

Some times we get our confidence from the wrong places like clothes, Jewelry, shoes, friends...etc.

The world tells us that our self worth has to come from material things.

Where should our confidence and strength come from? God, the bible and through prayer!

Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Lets break this scripture down by verse and meditate on what God is saying here.

Vs 10 – Where should we get our strength? From God and his mighty power!

Vs 11 – Put on the full armor of God! Would you fill confident in battle with out armor? What if you only had a helmet and no shield...etc. No you would not be confident until you were wearing the full armor.

Vs. 12 – Satan wants us to think our battle is against each other, but our battle is really against the status quo. The underlined forces that tell us we have to dress a certain way to be cool or have sex before marriage...etc. Our battle is a spiritual battle! A spiritual battle for the purity of our souls!

Vs. 13 – When will the day of evil come? It's not a matter of IF but when! How do we stand our ground and resist temptation? This can only be accomplished with the full armor of God!

Vs. 14-17 – In order to stand firm, to be strong and confident we must put on each piece of armor. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet have to be fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith (use to extinguish Satan's arrows), the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of god!

So how do we put on the full armor of God? By upholding the truth, making a decision to live a righteous life, spreading the good news and being about our purpose, having faith in his promises and his power, accepting our salvation and reading the word of God and obeying his commands.

We can face anything life has to throw at us with strength and confidence if we have this approach. With God all things are possible and he has given us the tools and power to overcome!

Romans 8:31-35

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Our confidence should come from God and God alone! Our faith and trust should be in him and him alone! Make a decision to follow the word of God and not the status quo.