Perspective - Protects

Perspective Protects Us From Error by Rick Warren

Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG)

• Perspective protects us from error. If there was ever a time that Christians need to be grounded in the truth it is today. We live in a society that rejects absolute truth and accepts every opinion as equally valid.
• Pluralism has created a very confused culture. The problem is not that our culture believes nothing but that it believes everything.
• God intends for us to have his wisdom and perspective. The result of this will be believers who are ROCK solid.

"Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth."

(Ephesians 4:14 LB)

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We Need One Another

"To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” - 1 Corinthians 12:7
The Holy Spirit uses believers to minister to other believers.


Right in line with modern culture’s emphasis on personal independence, it’s often easy for one to say, “If I have the all-sufficient Holy Spirit living within me, that’s all I need to live my Christian life.” That is true, but because you are not completely sanctified, you do not always allow the Spirit to fully do His work. Therefore, God needs to use other believers to minister the Spirit’s correction, exhortation, or encouragement.

 The Bible is very clear about this. The Epistle to the Hebrews says God wants followers who do not waver in their profession of faith. And a primary way Christians will fulfill that is by regularly meeting together and seriously stimulating one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:23-25).


We don’t have to look far for the proper setting in which to meet regularly and encourage one another. It’s any Bible-believing local church that is exercising its spiritual gifts. These special gifts are simply the loving channels through which the Holy Spirit ministers to those within the fellowship of believers. Today’s verse suggests that each of us has a gift, and this truth is explained a little more in verse 11: “One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” Here the apostle Paul reveals yet one more way in which the Holy Spirit sovereignty helps us and others to become more mature.


What’s remarkable about the Spirit’s working through us is that we become extensions of His voice. Perhaps you’ve thought of that comparison at times when you’ve shared the gospel with the lost. But the analogy fits equally well when you reach out and minister to someone within your church. The idea of being an extension of the Holy Spirit’s ministry ought to encourage you toward greater faithfulness in using your spiritual gifts to help other believers. Likewise, it should make you more sensitive to the Spirit’s correcting and edifying work in your life as others come alongside and minister to you (Collosions 3:12-13).

For Further Study:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. What kind of example did the Macedonians set regarding aid to other believers? How should that motivate us (v. 7)?

Inserted from <http://www.gty.org/Resources/Devotionals/strength>

Eye-Black Message

Sugar Bowl - Cincinnati: Eph 2:8-10  "8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  [UPDATED; JAN  1ST, 2010]
SEC Championship - Alabama:   John 16: 33 ~ 33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  [UPDATED DEC. 5TH]

Tebow's Final Home Game

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators, turned his eye black into a billboard for his faith. He chooses a different bible verse to feature each week, with his selection for last year's 2009 BCS Champion -ship Game earning 93 million hits on Google the next day.  
Go Gators! Go God!

Thank you Tim for your leadership in both

Sport and Spirit!

CLICK | http://www.tebowseyeblack.com/

For verses used by Tim this year:

Meditate, Pray or Both

Finding the time and a place to "quiet" myself enough to hear God's voice has been a challenge for me lately.  There are so many other influences that seem to consume my time and energy, distracting me from what I know I need to do more of.  Below is a great article on meditative prayer which is helping me refocus my priorities and seek more quiet time...

WE NEED TO FIND A QUIET PLACE TO

BE WITH GOD

AND HEAR HIS WORD

CLICK | "Meditative Prayer" article

"We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask, for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God."—J.I. Packer

Journaling...it does your spirit good!

Tonight we discussed the benefits of journaling at our men's bible study.  For some, they like to read one chapter of Proverbs each day and use that reading to start the journaling.  Many times the words would take on it's own direction as they wrote, it became a conversation between the writer and the Lord.  Since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, it is a great source for devotions for each day of the month.  Others, used it to record what was going on that day and offer a prayer need or praise.  In later entries it strengthens their faith when they saw those prior prayer request answered.  Now that it is recorded, these words can remind us of  God's faithfulness, helping us get through present struggles or doubts.  When we are feeling down, it is sometimes hard to see a way out.  Our ability to remember God's faithfulness is clouded by our despair.  The journal can be the light that can replace hopelessness with hope. 


It was at the prior meeting that we were first challenged to start journaling.  Most of us did and tonights testimonies of the benefits were inspiring and encouraging.  My own writing has been sporadic thus far.  After tonight's meeting I received a stronger desire to continue with greater regularity.  My time has been divided between writing this blog, Facebook, Live-journal and a written journal.  I'm hoping in the next few weeks I will acheive an appropriate balance. 


The gleaming I get from those who have been journaling for a while is that there is a special dynamic that takes place in writing the words out on paper that isn't quite as powerful in other formats.  I will yield to their experience and wisdom and strive to put more effort in the written journal. 


If you are  journaling how has it benefited you?  If you don't, will you consider joining me?

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise in later life.

Common Sense and Tested Faith

from SUBLIME INTIMACY by Oswald Chambers  MUHG-  Aug. 29

The contrast between faith and common-sense are discussed here.  It helped clarify the substance of faith for me and I thought you may benefit from this as well.  ~  Dave

"Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40

Every time you venture out in the life of faith, you will find something in your common-sense circumstances that flatly contradicts your faith. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual.

Abraham's Stars

Abram was questioning God on how he was going to be blessed by Him since he had no heirs. Our Lord said to him in Genesis 15:5 "Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "Your offspring will be that [numerous]." v6 Abram believed God and it was credited unto him as righteousness.

My first assumtion is that Abram can count and secondly that it was night time. Yet the second assumtion would be incorrect, it must have been daytime for in verse 12 we find that later the sun was going down.

Abram had to look up at the sky and believe the stars were there, even though he could not see then.

Has God shown you his faithfullness is the past, remind yourself of those times and believe God to be faithfull always, even when you can't see it now.

May God's word strengthen your faith today!

In Christ,

Dave