Category: Level: Beginner

receive comfort

Humbly Receiving From Others

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When we respond to others, it helps to be mindful of how we like to be treated after we say something; usually our strongest desire is for others to give weight to our words. Likewise, when others speak we can honor them by giving weight to their words in our response. We deem their words important and we let those words influence us when appropriate. This shows that we value them and indirectly shows that God values them since Christ’s character is presumably flowing through us. More specifically, if they are offering comfort or help to us, then we are to receive it with humility. This shows them that we value what they are giving, and it affirms that we value our relationship with them. Consider how you feel when you try to help someone and they will not receive it; it feels like you hit a wall. Therefore, it Continue Reading →

words people

Do Your Words Edify Others?

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It seems like God gave us a superpower when he gave us the gift of speech; he gave us some of his power. God used words to create the universe, including humans and the Garden of Eden. He used words to reveal himself in Scripture and his Son is the living Word of God. Since he made humans in his image, God also gave humans the ability to exercise power through words. But with this great gift comes great responsibility. Jesus warned us: “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37, NIV). Why such a dire warning?  Because God so tremendously loves the humans he has made and he doesn’t want us harming them with words. Jesus Continue Reading →

wealth

Does God Promise Us Prosperity?

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Sadly, many ministers all around the world today teach that God promises prosperity to all faithful followers and that believers should freely seek, and expect to acquire, wealth beyond their needs. This teaching appeals to the “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16), in other words, the materialism of the old self. The teachers often add that our tithing will lead God to bless us financially. We refer to these teachings as the “prosperity gospel”. The prosperity gospel has never been considered orthodox in Christian history; it would have been summarily rejected by all the great Christian teachers of the past. This includes the pioneers of Pentecostalism. Much of prosperity teaching relies on the Old Testament, which as we saw in our previous post on wealth is not legitimate because the New Testament teaches a new approach to wealth. Do we want to live under the old covenant? Do we Continue Reading →

future heaven

Our Destiny Motivates Us To Holiness

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Most of us have areas in our lives we have not achieved holiness. It helps to remind ourselves of how God motivates us to holiness. One way is reminding us of our destiny. Since we are destined to live as perfected new Adams in an eternal community of love with God and his followers, why would we embrace anything that doesn’t fit with our future identity? Why would we resist the restoration of God’s image in us? We long for our full Christformation so we pursue Christlike purity now. In other words, God has predestined us to holiness: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Eph. 1:4, ESV). Christ died “in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith” (Col. 1:22-23, ESV). One of the major Continue Reading →

obey God's will

5 Movements Toward Pursuing God’s Will

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Last week we looked at committing ourselves to God’s will. Now consider an area of your life in which you wonder if you are doing God’s will. We will go through five steps for examining our hearts and choosing God’s will. This is not so much an exercise in finding God’s will as it is an exercise in guiding our hearts to abiding in God. Five Steps Toward Pursuing in God’s Will We remind ourselves to consider God’s will. We examine ourselves to determine if we are really open to pursuing God’s will. We try to discern God’s will. We ask ourselves if we are now willing to do God’s will. We do God’s will. The first movement is to get in the habit of reminding ourselves to consider God’s will for the decisions we make or attitudes we embrace. This is simply looking to him for his will. Common Continue Reading →