Do you Love the World?

 

    Do you love the world?  It can be difficult to have the right balance of affection for the world.  As a Christian, you live in this world.  You are immersed in it and it affects every aspect of your life.  However, you are also not a part of the world.  I are the one that should be influencing the world around you as you defeat the ways the world tries to take a hold on you.

    Some Christians love the world a little too much and you can't tell a difference between them and non-Christians.  The there are other Christians that don't love the world enough.  How do you know where you fit in the spectrum of love for the world?  Well, that is between you and God, but there are some things you can do to test yourself.

    To figure out how much you love the world over your relationship with God, you can start simply by asking yourself some questions.  Maybe write them in a prayer journal and record your answers to pray over until you think you have a heart like God in the areas.  One question to ask is do I hate sin, but love the sinner or do I hate the sinner for sinning?

    You can't be in the world as a beacon of light if you have hate for people in your heart.  You can't be a living and holy sacrifice if you can't sacrifice your pride when people hurt you.  Love requires actively pursuing forgiveness.  That leads to another question:  Am I able to forgive?

    God does not care for a lukewarm Christian.  It is better to be cold and have a place to start, then to be indifferent.  You will never be able to love the world the way Jesus did if you are not passionate.  As a Christian you are required to live a holy lifestyle, but that does not mean that you can be indifferent or even think you are better than non-Christians just because you are a part of God's family.  You need to find passion for people to want them to become a part of the family too.

    When you choose to walk away from sin, some people in the world will hate you.  They hate you because they hate Jesus.  However, some people will see that you are different in a good way and they will be attracted to Jesus because of how you choose  to live your life.  That means you need to give your entire life: heart, mind, soul, and energy to God.  Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in how best to use them.

    As a Christian, you are only a good person because you are trying to live like Jesus.  By God's standards, no one is a good person.  We are all flawed and tainted by sin.  That means you are no better than a non-Christian.  It also means that no one gets to decide who is a good person.  That is God's decision to make.  

    If you want to live like Jesus, then you have to be willing to sacrifice your desires, spiritual ideology, emotional baggage, and mental traps.  You give that to God and replace it with the armor of God.  Over time, the more you are in God's Word the more you will become like Jesus.  That means as you invest into your personal relationship with Jesus, the more you become acceptable.  You will never be worthy of the gift he gave, but you can be acceptable.

Psalms 73:21-26, Romans 5:3-5, 1 John 2:15-17 & 5:21

Christian Relationship to the World Part 2

 

    All Christians are evangelist in this world.  We hold that title because we are here to serve God, not the world.  We are meant to influence the world, but not allow the world to influence us.  It is a struggle because our natural nature is to be in the flesh and live like the world.  It requires a transformation that comes with salvation and daily maintenance.

    New believers need to acknowledge their struggle and not get caught up in the spiritual high that comes with salvation.  It is the only way they can guard themselves through obedience and not fall back into the same old traps that they lived in before their step of faith.  No one is perfect, but some strongholds that happen before salvation are really hard to break.

    We all need to look for areas of vulnerability to fall into sin.  It changes up at times to keep us on our toes.  That is why you need to fully understand God's nature and how He holds more power than anything else in your life if you are willing to surrender it all to Him.  

    God is merciful.  He sent His son to be the ultimate and only truly pure sacrifice.  He allowed Jesus to suffer and die on a cross (a truly horrific death) to show us how much He loves us.  God loves each and every one of his creations, but especially people.  He created us unique to be able to have a real relationship with us. 

    However, God hates sin.  He will not allow sin anywhere near Him.  It is repulsive in every way.  At the same time He also provides us with a radical deliverance from sin through salvation.  Salvation is a free gift, but comes with an oath that you will faithfully follow Jesus.  

    Salvation is more than an obligation to follow Jesus.  It is to exchange the power of sin over you to embrace the power of God.  No one deserves is, but those who accept it are blessed by deliverance.  How you choose to live your life tells the world if you love it or if you love Jesus.

John 14:30-31, 15:18-27, 16:5-15, 17:13-19, Romans 11:25-36, & Ephesians 2:1-3

Christian Relationship to the World Part 1

 

    You either love this world or you hate it.  There are some warning signs that Christians need to look for to avoid the world getting a stronghold on them.  The goal is to stay free from the power of sin over your life because of your relationship with Jesus.  It is more than good behavior.  It is a relationship that you value over your own selfish desires.

    When you start putting your desires over what you know you should do, that is a warning sign that you are walking away from God and not nurturing that relationship.  If you ignore the warning signs, then you walk into trouble.  You can't blame God when your life gets all messed up when you ignored all the warning signs that He tried to give you.

    The Holy Spirit will place things on your conscience.  God will place people in your life.  He will allow things to happen to try to redirect you.  He has provided the Bible to give you daily guidance.  No one can say that God has not done His part to try to protect us from ourselves.  If you observe and heed His warnings, then life will be much less troublesome.

    Satan will make God's path look hard and difficult.  He will twist the truth to make God look like an overbearing parent.  He will do whatever he can to make it look too hard to walk with Jesus.  If you ignore Satan's lies, then you will discover that Jesus' path is not easy per say, but He is there with you.  You never have to journey life alone.  Satan will never be there for you, so ultimately following him leads to a much harder path.  His way leads to eternal suffering. 

    It is up to you to decide this new year to overcome obstacles to stay in a close relationship with God.  It helps to measure what is happening in life to God's Word.  It will never lead you astray.  Science can back up how God's diet is actually health beneficial.  Working hard leads to a better quality of life.  Morals will build a strong character.  You may have to give some things up right now, but it is for your benefit.  Your relationship is personal, so you need to work that out in God's Word and prayer.

    God's way does not normally lead to immediate satisfaction, but it does lead to a much better over all life.  He has made His standards clear.  He has not moved.  He puts in much more work in the relationship than you do.  It is up to you to take responsibility over your part.  You will only be as close to God this year as you want to be.  You live in this world, but you do not belong to it.

John 17:13-19, Romans 12:1-2, & 1 John 2:15-17

Worship Takes Trust

 

    As the New Year approaches you can set resolutions or you can take a step forward in faith.  You can take a look at your life and be critical or you can see opportunities to grow or change.  There is no reason to put unrealistic goals that will only trip you up.  Instead look for ways to walk closer to God and to worship Him.  

    To worship God requires faith.  Worship will never be genuine if you do not trust Him.  How can you trust Him if you don't believe in His Word? How can you even know what to believe if you don't know His Word.

    Start the New Year looking at one of God's promises and take a deep dive.  Figure out if you trust all of it.  If you don't, then why?  God makes the impossible possible.  He can change the unchangeable.  The subject matter doesn't matter: your body, life, money, health, relationships, church, work, or anything else that plagues your thoughts.  God is in the details.  He is working for the good of everyone who walks faithfully.

    You need to trust God to worship because worship is an act of obedience.  It requires prayer that seeks to be closer to God.  It is working with your church to serve God humbly.  Worship is far more than attending a church service.  

    You can face life and still have worship in your heart and mind because you trust that God is going through life with you.  Walking in faith makes facing life better because you find restoration.  God has given you your life.  What we make of that life is up to each of us.  God can do anything.  He is limitless, so don't put limits on Him.  Are you ready to step into the New Year in faith?

Isaiah 40:12-24 & Romans 12:3-5

God's Greatness

 

    God is great.  We can see His greatness in his timelessness and vastness.  His greatness is unmeasurable and incomparable.  He is the designer of this beautiful world.  He is the original artist.  He provided variety.  He gives us so much beauty and variety that we can easily get distracted.  Some people worship what God created instead of God Himself.  He is the creator, so it is safe to say He is greater than His creation.

    When you can see and appreciate how Great God is, then you can use wisdom to worship.  Knowledge can lead to worship because you see how much more His than your own little world.  You understand that He is always working and that you will never fully comprehend how much.  Humans have limits, so we try to limit God too.  Instead of limiting God, use your wisdom to live with integrity and allow Him to be seen in your life.

    God is the origin of truth.  He is all powerful, eternal, and the original creator of all good things in the world.  However, He still seeks a personal relationship with each and every one of us.  This truth makes Him unique and separates Him from all false Gods.  He is the original who gives each of us unique qualities.  He provides prosperity in various ways.  Nothing that we do will ever compare.

Isaiah 40:12-20

Owning Your Worship

 

    When it comes to worship, you have to take ownership.  It is not the music director's or the pastor's responsibility to drag it out of you.  When you come to church, you should be in the attitude of worship.  They only enhance the experience.  Worship is an act of respect, submission, or homage to God.  You put yourself in a state of focus and ready to respond to God.

    Owning your Worship is expecting God to be there when you open His Word.  You are in the mindset to focus on your relationship with him and listen to what He has to say to you today.  You pray over what you read and see the wonders reveal themselves.  It is not expecting everything to be good all the time, but preparing and being ready for when they are not.

    To be able to own your own worship is to align your heart to wanting to please and be close to God.  David did a lot of bad things.  He was not a great father, he had way too many wives, and family drama that he did not take charge of.  However, his heart was aligned with God and he could be in a state of worship at any moment: good and bad times.

    You may ask yourself what God can do with me?  He can do anything that you allow Him to do in your life.  God is great.  He had a unique relationship with His people (all Jesus followers).  He can work among doubters and unbelievers.  Where are you in your walk with Jesus right now?  Is your true heart ready to follow no matter what?  Are you struggling with some issues?  This is what God is waiting for you to come to him about.  He is ready to address any issue with you.

Psalm 59:14-17 & Isaiah 40:12-18

Bold Faith Part 3

 

    Through the power of God, we all have the ability to do great things.  If you are willing to follow God boldly and faithfully, then you can see Him work in your life in ways you never imagined.  You just need to be willing to allow God to use you in whatever way He sees fit.

    God uses angels as messengers and warriors, but their job description belongs in the supernatural world.  He calls you to be His messenger in this world.  The message is always the same: the good news of Jesus and how to follow him.

    To be bold does not mean that you do not have fear.  It means that you do not allow fear to silence your or cripple your life.  If you stop looking at the circumstances and the what if games in your mind, then you can focus on Jesus.  He is powerful enough to bring you peace in chaos.  If you focus on your journey with Jesus, then he can turn your fear into peace of mind and heart.

    The truth about humans is that we speak boldly about what we deeply believe in life.  If you are not able to speak boldly about your faith, then it reveals that you have doubts and things you are working through.  That is okay as long as you keep moving closer to Jesus.  The speed you grow in faith depends on how much quality time you spend with God and then put what you learn into action.

    Life is always changing.  Nothing ever stays the same forever.  To be bold is to be able to ride the waves of life confidently because you know Jesus is there with you.  You allow the Holy Spirit to guide your movements and follow His lead.  You do this because you know He cares.  

    If you do not feel bold, but want to become bold, then start with the small things.  As the New Year approaches, decide when and how long you are going to spend in God's Word.  Put it in your scheduler, so that it is in print that you are carving out time with God.  

    Prayerfully start doing small things for other people.  Be willing to do things that make you uncomfortable and that are inconvenient for you.  Nothing will ever change in your comfort zone.  Start sharing with other people what God is teaching you, showing you, and showing up for you.  Share your testimony as it unfolds, but just in a grand way.

John 20:19-23, Acts 4:8-12, & Ephesians 3:12-13