If you watch television, listen to the radio, search the internet, or watch movies there is no doubt that mainstream media has had some effect on our thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and world view. As much as we fight to protect ourselves from such influence, at least what we are aware of, it is inevitable that an overlap will happen. If there is one area that has been dramatically impacted through this overlap would be the overall view and foundation of the ideology of LOVE. Love means many different things and to most has multiple interpretations. The Bible, however, is very clear on what love is, based on the perfect theology of love which was demonstrated from originator of love, God, through His son Jesus Christ.
If you study scripture, loving like Christ always refers to a love that requires sacrifices. 1 John 4:10 says “This is real love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins”. Real love, in essence, is not loving someone who already loved you but loving through sacrifice without condition. In fact scripture explains that only loving those who love you has no reward and is no different from the love that comes from a sinner. This type of love is so essential to the daily life of a believer that the removal of it, as we see in 1 Corinthians 13, turns the tongues of angels into a noisy gong, the gift of prophecy into meaning nothing, the faith to move mountains into doing nothing and every act of generosity into gaining nothing. Increasing the magnitude of loving or not loving is 1 John 4:8 which says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God”. This verse is not just saying that if you do not love, you do not know God but is actually saying that if you do not love – as in the way the Christ defines love, with sacrifice and without condition - then you do not know Christ.
If we truly know Him then we will love like Him. When is the last time you have loved an enemy or prayed for an individual who persecuted you? We must not let the world’s distortion of love effect the demonstration of God’s love through us. “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expressions in us” – 1 John 4:12. God is dependent on us loving like Him so that the world can see the full expression of His love in us.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Are You Stewarding The Little Things?
One of the most basic principles that we see as a constant throughout the bible is stewardship. Those who are faithful with a little will be entrusted with much more. This principle suggest that the simplest way to advance, grow, or increase in whatever area in your life that you desire to is directly dependent on stewarding what you currently have. The exciting element of this principle is that we are all given a measure to start with whether faith, favor, talent, finance or gifting we all have something to steward. No matter how big or how small the measure may initially be; the practice of stewardship results in an increase of that measure. Pretty basic, yes, but this basic principle is easily ignored and constantly overlooked. How so? If you are stagnant in your walk, finances, business, marriage, or relationship with God it most likely hinges on some element in those areas that has not been stewarded. What you steward increases and brings you into another level of growth and another level of stewardship. More importantly what you do not steward usually diminishes and in many cases is completely taken away.
Heres the bigger picture to access all that God has destined for you to possess is directly dependent on stewarding what He has already been given. And within your God given destiny and eternal purpose we know that what God has created and destined you to do is designed to have an impact on others. Our calling always results in changing or impacting lives, cities, states, and nations. So an increase in the ability, anointing, power and position to affect the lives of others is directly dependant on stewarding the lives of those that God has currently placed in your life.
This is where it gets interesting. In Matthew 25:34-45 Jesus is speaking about the Day of Judgment. In this passage a picture is painted of the righteous (those who will enter into heaven) being separated from the unrighteous (those who will be sent to eternal damnation). In this moment of judgment Jesus says to the righteous, "'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry, and you fed me, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into youre your home. I was, naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. To this the righteous and unrighteous responded, Lord when did we ever see you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison, or a stranger'". The response to this question is alarming - 'I tell you the truth, what you do to you the least of my brothers or sisters you do to me'.
The foundation of the passage alone is based on the fact that what you do or don't do to the least of those among you, the needed, sick, poor, hungry, and naked, - you do to Jesus. It is amazing that what separated the righteous from the unrighteous was not sin or even salvation it was how they treated the least of those among them or in essence how they stewarded the least of those that had been placed in their life. Are you stewarding the least of those in your life ? Do you help the poor, care for the widow, care for the homeless, do you stop for the one? These are the easiest people to ignore, to overlook, to justify not helping, and to simply forget about but if we do that then our destiny on earth and in eternity will be compromised.
Heres the bigger picture to access all that God has destined for you to possess is directly dependent on stewarding what He has already been given. And within your God given destiny and eternal purpose we know that what God has created and destined you to do is designed to have an impact on others. Our calling always results in changing or impacting lives, cities, states, and nations. So an increase in the ability, anointing, power and position to affect the lives of others is directly dependant on stewarding the lives of those that God has currently placed in your life.
This is where it gets interesting. In Matthew 25:34-45 Jesus is speaking about the Day of Judgment. In this passage a picture is painted of the righteous (those who will enter into heaven) being separated from the unrighteous (those who will be sent to eternal damnation). In this moment of judgment Jesus says to the righteous, "'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry, and you fed me, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into youre your home. I was, naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. To this the righteous and unrighteous responded, Lord when did we ever see you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison, or a stranger'". The response to this question is alarming - 'I tell you the truth, what you do to you the least of my brothers or sisters you do to me'.
The foundation of the passage alone is based on the fact that what you do or don't do to the least of those among you, the needed, sick, poor, hungry, and naked, - you do to Jesus. It is amazing that what separated the righteous from the unrighteous was not sin or even salvation it was how they treated the least of those among them or in essence how they stewarded the least of those that had been placed in their life. Are you stewarding the least of those in your life ? Do you help the poor, care for the widow, care for the homeless, do you stop for the one? These are the easiest people to ignore, to overlook, to justify not helping, and to simply forget about but if we do that then our destiny on earth and in eternity will be compromised.
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