Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
When You Discover Your Place in God’s Plan
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.
Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do.
Finding Your Place
Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. Some make the excuse they can't do anything for God, because they are working two or three jobs and they have so much 'on their plates. One day while driving between meetings, I heard the voice of God say to me, "Matthew 6: How long are we going to be about 'our business' instead of being about the 'Father's business? For ye are bought with a price: There are so many people that have stopped going to church for one reason or another. After a period of time it becomes so easy to stay home that they haven't even entered through a church doors in years.
Now, I understand that going to church isn't going to make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's is going to make you a hamburger.
Knowing our place in God’s plan. John ; | Christian teaching
But going to church will make you a stronger Christian. There are some things the Lord may have told you do and you haven't done them in years. Pick those things back up and do those desires He put in your heart. God gave the best thing He had to offer for us and it is Jesus. Shouldn't we at least give Him our best? Last year, I was sitting in my office and the Lord spoke to me.
It might have been a drive late at night, and a wrong turn spun you around, and, truth be known, you had no idea where to go next. What is even worse is coming to a point in life when we realize that we have lost our way as a human being. We might know our mailing address and how to get to school, work, or church, but we are not sure why we are on this planet.
We have no sense of our purpose. It is in these moments that we look to God, the Master Storyteller, and discover that the best way to understand our story is to listen to his. Tell about a time in your childhood when you got lost and how you felt when you were finally found. As you watch the video teaching segment for session 1, featuring Max Lucado, use the following outline to record anything that stands out to you.
- La seducción del vampiro (Pandora) (Spanish Edition).
- I Quit!!
- Finding Your Place.
In your own words, how does the Bible end? What are the epic themes that conclude the story of the Bible Revelation?
Don't miss out!
God wants you to know His story. Knowing connects us, links us, bonds us to something greater than we are. How can these messages help us understand who we are and how we are to live in this journey through life? Your life emerges from the greatest mind and the kindest heart in the history of the universe: Take time to think through three or four of your favorite stories in the Bible. Why are you drawn to these stories?
How do you see your story connected to these stories? Contact a patriarch or matriarch in your family and ask if you can spend time with them, face to face or over the phone. Ask questions about your family, their life, and those who have gone before you.
- Laying Down the Law.
- Talk About It.
- How To Identify and Multiply Business Opportunities (Become The Exception Book 5)!
- Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology E-Book.
- Introduction.
- Jump into the Sky.
- La blonde et la brune (French Edition).
Listen with an open heart and seek to discover more about what has formed you and those you love. Consider inviting each group member to make a personal commitment to read and reflect on the Bible in the weeks your group meets. Then, when you meet, ask every person to tell about. Come share your thoughts and comments on our blog.
