Contentment Comes When You Give Yourself to Others

And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, ‘God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.’ 1 Peter 5:5 (TEV) If you will begin giving yourself to others, sharing what things you do have, sharing your time and your talents, you will find yourself learning to be content. Helping others will give you an appreciation for what you have and who you are, but more importantly, God designed you to serve and share with others. Until you do that, you will never be truly content. Real servants don’t serve for the approval or applause of others. They are content to live for an audience of One. They are content with quietly serving God. You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address. by: Rick Warren

"Man's way to reach God is religion; God's way to reach man is Jesus."

               

 Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Christ (Personal Relationship)

Goal: trust fully in Jesus, then live to please Him

Means: confess sins, repent, yield self to Jesus

  Power: the Holy Spirit does God's work in and through us

  Control: allow the Holy Spirit to control & direct our lives

  Results: love, joy, peace, freedom, power eternal life in heaven,...

Religion (Self Effort, Works)

Goal: reach out ot God, try to work your way into heaven

Means: diligent service & works, with hopes of a reward (heaven)

Power: good, honest effort through self-determination

Control: self-motivation and self control
Results: apathy, failure, chronic guilt, eternal separation from God

Don't Understand? Trust God

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

You may be facing a dead end right now—financial, emotional, or relational—but if you will trust God and keep on moving in faith, even when you don’t see a way, he will make a way.

It will become more understandable as you head down the path he sets before you, but understanding is not a requirement for you to start down the path.

Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter till the full light of day.” (NIV) One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path he specifically chose for you. 

In the meantime, do what Proverbs 3 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Be patient. God knows what He’s doing. God knows what is best for you. He can see the end result. You can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays—all the things that make you ask “why”—one day will all be clear in the light of God’s love.

But for now, we’re learning to trust God.

by Rick Warren

When You Are Confronted, Choose to Love

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words cause quarrels.” Proverbs 15:1 (LB)

It’s one thing to talk about living a life of gentleness, and letting God be in control. But how do you apply this practically when someone confronts you or pushes your buttons and you feel the anger rising inside yourself?

Proverbs 17:14 says, “Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop the argument before it gets out of control” (NLT).

How do you stop it? How do you break the cycle of verbal retaliation when someone confronts you? You do it by choosing to exchange harsh words for “a gentle answer [that] turns away wrath …” (Proverbs 15:1 LB).

Gentle means with humility. It means you recognize where you are wrong, which is not easy to do. That’s why you ask God to give you the power to exchange your natural reaction of harsh words for gentle ones in that situation.

What if you’re dealing with a person who appears hard-headed and incapable of responding to gentle words? God has an answer for that: “A gentle word can get through to the hard-headed” (Proverbs 25:15b NCV).

This may mean that you stop and pray, even just a silent prayer in your mind. It may mean stepping away from the situation so that you can ask God for the right words to say.

One of my favorite prayers is Psalm 141:3, “Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say” (NCV). This is a quick prayer that can make a difference when you feel yourself getting angry. Try it this week and see if God doesn’t show up with the power to help you respond in love.

The Source of Real Power

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Do you want to make a difference in your life but just can't seem to get there? Do you want to see a change in a situation but it just doesn't seem to happen? Where do you find the real power to make a real difference in your life?

Jesus teaches us that real power is found in one of the strangest, most unexpected places. Real power is found in meekness.

Now when we talk about meekness, or gentleness, we tend to think of something sweet and gentle like a lamb or a baby. But, in God's dictionary, meek does not mean weak. It means "power under control."

Imagine it this way, it's like a rocket launching off a pad. If you took the same amount of energy and created an explosion, it would destroy the launch pad. But because that energy is funneled in a certain direction, it is instead able to launch the rocket into space.

That's what God wants to do in your life. He wants to take the power you have in your words, emotions and drive, and put it under control. But it's your choice. You have three ways you can choose to live your life.

1. The out-of-control life. This kind of living destroys everything around you. It's explosive with a lot of anger, issues, destructive power and undisciplined actions. It may seem like a lot is happening, but it leads to destruction in all areas.
2. The in-control life. In this type of living, you try to control every aspect of your life. This approach will leave you tired and stressed out as you realize you can't keep everything in check.
3. The under-God's-control life. In this type of living, you take the power God has given you and you give it back to him. You stop trying to control everything yourself. Under God's control, you can be used in ways you never thought were possible.

Can you guess which way of living will be the most fruitful? When we submit our life to God's control it will produce the fruit Paul talked about in Galatians 5:22-23, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (NIV).


by Tom Holladay

Faith is Something We Do

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” James 2:15-16 (NIV)

Jesus showed us that faith is practical. When we see a need, we do something about it.

Faith is more than something you just feel. Many people confuse emotions and feelings with faith. They come to church and they’re moved emotionally, they're inspired, and they're stimulated. But that doesn’t mean they’re walking in faith.

The Bible says faith is something we do, not just what we feel. In other words, faith is not mere sentimentality. Let’s say I go out on the street and I see someone who is homeless and destitute. I see that person is hungry, cold, in need of clothing and shelter. Would I be showing great faith if I walked up and said, “Cheer up! Don't worry, be happy! Feel good! Put on a happy face?”

It doesn’t take much faith to do that. Faith carries compassion. Faith says, “I’ll do anything I can to stop your hurt.” Throughout the New Testament, the witnesses say Jesus was moved with compassion for people. Jesus showed us that faith is practical.

When we see a need, we do something about it. We don't just toss out a quick - “Well, I'll pray for you.” The Bible says we show our faith by what we do.

by Rick Warren

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Developing the Desire to Do God's Will

Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? John 14:5 (NIV)

Am I willing to decide, in advance, that I will do what God asks me to do, no matter what it is? Or do I say, "God, show me the whole plan, wait for me to understand, and then I'll decide whether or not to do what you ask"?

Do you realize that when you’re not obedient to Jesus, you’re fighting against what is best for you? You’re fighting against God’s purpose for your life.

Part of the strength God gives you to “do all things through him” is the ability to choose to do his will, even before you know the full implications of what that means. He will begin to change your desire, developing within you more and more of a “want” to do his will.

Am I willing to decide, in advance, that I will do what God asks

me  to do, no matter what it is? Am I abandoned to him and his will, believing he will strengthen me to do all the things he asks? Or do I behave as if I believe I am the final judge of what is best for my life: “God, show me the whole plan, wait for me to understand, and then I’ll decide whether or not to do what you ask”?

The Good News is that, even if you’re not ready for immediate obedience, God will give you strength to be honest with him. He already knows about your hesitancy, so he won’t be surprised by prayerful confessions, such as, “Father, I’m not sure I’m ready to do your will. I don’t know if I want to do it or not.”

Yet God is gracious and patient. Tell him, “I don’t know that I’m willing to step out in faith without first knowing everything that’s going to happen, but I’m willing to be made willing.”

by Jon Walker