Do you like to get good news? Everybody does. Do you like to share good news? Most people do. At our house, we love sharing good stories or things we have accomplished. In our staff meetings, we have a great time when we share good stories that are happening in the church or in people’s lives. The writer Mark in the Bible says that, “We’re to tell the good news to everyone.” Now many of us think, “The people I work with and my friends . . . they’re not interested in the good news.”
That is the wrong perception! They may not be interested in religion, but they are interested in the good news. The problem is not that our friends and co-workers aren’t interested. Could it be the problem is we’ve forgotten how good the good news really is? Once you’ve been a Christian for a while, we forget how miserable it was to live without hope. We forget what it was like to have guilt, fear, regrets, bitterness, and boredom in your life—a life before Christ.
What happens to most of us is that the longer we’re a Christian, the more we tend to take for granted just how good the good news really is! Likewise, most people who do not know Jesus don’t understand how good the good news really is. If you go out into the community, many people feel they have to earn their way to God. That is not good news . . . how good is good enough for God? It’s no wonder why they don’t get excited about it!
But here’s the good news: you are able to enter into a relationship with God through an attitude of trust—trust in Jesus Christ—and not through a religion of rules, regulations, and rituals.
God says you get to know him just by trusting him. If you trust his Son with your life, you receive forgiveness for your past, a purpose for living in your present, and a secure hope in the future. Is that good news? Do you think anybody you know would be interested in that? The good news keeps sounding better and better because the bad news of the world keeps getting worse and worse.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
I SURRENDER
When I was a young kid I loved playing army. It was great when you would approach your friends unexpectedly and say to them, “Surrender!” Their hands would immediately go up in the air!
God does not sneak up on us, but He does approach us with the His constant voice to surrender to Him in all situations. The Apostle Paul challenges us in Romans, to “Give yourselves completely to God... surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes." Romans 6:13 This is a pure picture of true worship.
“Surrender” is an unpopular, yet a humbling word. Many times we don’t welcome it. It is doing what God wants rather than what we want, being the person that God wants us to be rather than who we want to be in situations.
Surrender evokes unpleasant images of admitting defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to a stronger opponent. The word is almost always used in a negative context. For example, captured criminals surrender to the authorities.
In our world we're taught, “I have rights,” “I have the right,” “Never give up,” and “Never give in,” so we don't view surrendering as a healthy option. If winning and getting my way is everything, surrendering is unthinkable.
Yet, the Bible teaches us that instead of “fighting for our rights,” that we are to yield, submit, obey, and surrender. This is the higher and healthy road. And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship. This is true worship . . . bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves completely to Him.
Surrendering is best demonstrated through obedience, by cooperating with your Creator. Instead of what I want or how I feel, we stop, and say, "Yes Lord" to whatever He asks of you.
Surrendered people obey God's word, even when it doesn't make sense. God is a Lover and a Liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage.
God does not sneak up on us, but He does approach us with the His constant voice to surrender to Him in all situations. The Apostle Paul challenges us in Romans, to “Give yourselves completely to God... surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes." Romans 6:13 This is a pure picture of true worship.
“Surrender” is an unpopular, yet a humbling word. Many times we don’t welcome it. It is doing what God wants rather than what we want, being the person that God wants us to be rather than who we want to be in situations.
Surrender evokes unpleasant images of admitting defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to a stronger opponent. The word is almost always used in a negative context. For example, captured criminals surrender to the authorities.
In our world we're taught, “I have rights,” “I have the right,” “Never give up,” and “Never give in,” so we don't view surrendering as a healthy option. If winning and getting my way is everything, surrendering is unthinkable.
Yet, the Bible teaches us that instead of “fighting for our rights,” that we are to yield, submit, obey, and surrender. This is the higher and healthy road. And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship. This is true worship . . . bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves completely to Him.
Surrendering is best demonstrated through obedience, by cooperating with your Creator. Instead of what I want or how I feel, we stop, and say, "Yes Lord" to whatever He asks of you.
Surrendered people obey God's word, even when it doesn't make sense. God is a Lover and a Liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage.
Friday, August 13, 2010
My Thought Life...
“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Proverbs 4:23
The Bible says our thoughts influence our lives. For instance . . .
Your Insight Influences Your Situation. It's not what happens to me that matters as much as how I choose to see it. The way I react will determine whether the circumstance makes me better or bitter. I can view everything as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth -- a stumbling block or a stepping stone.
Your Beliefs Influence Your Behavior. We always act according to our beliefs, even when those ideas are false. For instance, as a child, if you believed a shadow in your bedroom at night was a monster, your body reacted in fear (adrenaline and jitters) even though it wasn't true. That's why it's so important to make sure you are operating on true information! Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct.
Your Self-Talk Influences Your Self-Esteem. We constantly talk to ourselves. Do you run yourself down with your self-talk? Stop doing that! Proverbs 23:7 says, "As he thinks in his heart, so is he."
The Bible says our thoughts influence our lives. For instance . . .
Your Insight Influences Your Situation. It's not what happens to me that matters as much as how I choose to see it. The way I react will determine whether the circumstance makes me better or bitter. I can view everything as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth -- a stumbling block or a stepping stone.
Your Beliefs Influence Your Behavior. We always act according to our beliefs, even when those ideas are false. For instance, as a child, if you believed a shadow in your bedroom at night was a monster, your body reacted in fear (adrenaline and jitters) even though it wasn't true. That's why it's so important to make sure you are operating on true information! Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct.
Your Self-Talk Influences Your Self-Esteem. We constantly talk to ourselves. Do you run yourself down with your self-talk? Stop doing that! Proverbs 23:7 says, "As he thinks in his heart, so is he."
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