1 Corinthians 9: 19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law,* I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
In the King James version of the Bible, in vs 23, Paul says, "I am all things to all people."
Hmmmmmmmmm...
So, I guess we meet people where they are, no matter what sin they're in? Iow, we hang out with all kinds of people, even though some folks may think "birds of a feather flack together?"
;-)
Just a thought...
24 Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Iow, being a couch potato is out?
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
a sign
Psalm 86: 17 Send me a sign of Your favor
Ya know, sometimes ya just need some sort of indicator that what you're doing is what you're supposed to be doing.
Ya know what I mean?
It's not like you're asking for some spectacular miracle - just something small - something that would say, "Yeah, I (as in God) know what you're up to, & you're right where you need to be in this situation."
Nothing stupendous - it could be just something small that only me & God would know was a signal from Him; a signal that just said, "You're fine."
Ya know, sometimes ya just need some sort of indicator that what you're doing is what you're supposed to be doing.
Ya know what I mean?
It's not like you're asking for some spectacular miracle - just something small - something that would say, "Yeah, I (as in God) know what you're up to, & you're right where you need to be in this situation."
Nothing stupendous - it could be just something small that only me & God would know was a signal from Him; a signal that just said, "You're fine."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
sex
1 Corinthians 6:
9-11Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.
9-11Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.
12Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.
13You know the old saying, "First you eat to live, and then you live to eat"? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!
14-15God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.
16-20There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
Monday, May 4, 2009
a few verses
Sometimes I just get the impression I should share some of the scriptures I've read that morning. Here are the 2 sections I feel impressed to share this morning that I read just now.
Don't know who this is for...
Psalm 84:11b No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who right.
1 Corinthians 6: 12 You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, "Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food." (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can't say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.
15 Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
Don't know who this is for...
Psalm 84:11b No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who right.
1 Corinthians 6: 12 You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, "Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food." (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can't say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.
15 Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
some scriptures to hang on to
Some scriptures from the dan waits translation / paraphrase / commentary Bible... ;-D
Don't cling to your life. If we hold on to our life with a tight fist, we'll lose the life we could have had. But if we let go of our life & trust God with it, He'll have the freedom to give us the life He dreamed for us eons ago. (This is from Matthew 10)
Don't worry about your life. That's the long & short of it - don't worry about it. God's got it, He's in control. Trust Him with our life - He knows what He's doin'. (This is from Matthew 6 - Aaron Barth helped me see the truth of this.)
God is out there in the future preparing the way for us & for what He wants us to be & do. And what's more, He's mopping up behind us, taking care of the consequences of our obedience. (Psalm 139:5)
Sink your roots deep into Him. The stakes are too high. The Life He's dreamed for us takes more too much strength & courage. We're not strong enough to do this on our own strength. We got to sink out roots into Him, getting nourishment & stability from Him. (Colossians 2:7)
Don't cling to your life. If we hold on to our life with a tight fist, we'll lose the life we could have had. But if we let go of our life & trust God with it, He'll have the freedom to give us the life He dreamed for us eons ago. (This is from Matthew 10)
Don't worry about your life. That's the long & short of it - don't worry about it. God's got it, He's in control. Trust Him with our life - He knows what He's doin'. (This is from Matthew 6 - Aaron Barth helped me see the truth of this.)
God is out there in the future preparing the way for us & for what He wants us to be & do. And what's more, He's mopping up behind us, taking care of the consequences of our obedience. (Psalm 139:5)
Sink your roots deep into Him. The stakes are too high. The Life He's dreamed for us takes more too much strength & courage. We're not strong enough to do this on our own strength. We got to sink out roots into Him, getting nourishment & stability from Him. (Colossians 2:7)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
talk vs action
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God's power.
Here's what my Life Application Bible says about this verse...
"Some people talk a lot about faith, but that's all it is - talk. They may know all the right words to say, but their lives don't eflect God's power.
"Paul says that the Kingdom of God is to be lived, not just discussed. There is a big difference between knowing the right words & living them out.
"Don't be content to have the right answers about Christ. Let your life show that God's power is really working in you."
Do you ever feel like we do an awful lot of talking, but very little action?
Do you ever feel like we know a lot about God, but we don't know God?
We spend a lot of time reading about Him, discussing Him & his attributes, but do we really know Him? Do we know the Person, & personality, of the God of the universes who misses a constant intimate contact with each & every one of us?
In John 10:10, Jesus said, "I am come that you might have life, & have it more abundantly."
Abundantly...
And where does this abundance come from?
God Himself & the Power He emits just because of who He is.
Our daughter, Casey, once say, "We were meant to experience life, but instead, we just get it done."
Iow, we talk a lot about living, but we seldom do it.
Why?
Because we seldom abandon ourselves to the One who can really make us live.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be known for my fancy talk. I want people to remember me as someone who really lived.
A life lived like that can not only be thrilling & exhilerating to live, but will have an incredible ripple effect on those around us.
And it's the life God dreamed for all of us when He dreamed us all up.
Here's what my Life Application Bible says about this verse...
"Some people talk a lot about faith, but that's all it is - talk. They may know all the right words to say, but their lives don't eflect God's power.
"Paul says that the Kingdom of God is to be lived, not just discussed. There is a big difference between knowing the right words & living them out.
"Don't be content to have the right answers about Christ. Let your life show that God's power is really working in you."
Do you ever feel like we do an awful lot of talking, but very little action?
Do you ever feel like we know a lot about God, but we don't know God?
We spend a lot of time reading about Him, discussing Him & his attributes, but do we really know Him? Do we know the Person, & personality, of the God of the universes who misses a constant intimate contact with each & every one of us?
In John 10:10, Jesus said, "I am come that you might have life, & have it more abundantly."
Abundantly...
And where does this abundance come from?
God Himself & the Power He emits just because of who He is.
Our daughter, Casey, once say, "We were meant to experience life, but instead, we just get it done."
Iow, we talk a lot about living, but we seldom do it.
Why?
Because we seldom abandon ourselves to the One who can really make us live.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be known for my fancy talk. I want people to remember me as someone who really lived.
A life lived like that can not only be thrilling & exhilerating to live, but will have an incredible ripple effect on those around us.
And it's the life God dreamed for all of us when He dreamed us all up.
Friday, May 1, 2009
who REALLY does what
1 Corinthians 3:6 My (Paul speaking about himself) job was to plant the seed in your hearts, & Appollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow. 7 The ones who do the planting or watering aren't importanrt, but God is important because He is the One who makes it grow. 8 The one who plants & the one who waters works as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work. 9 We work together as partners who belong to God.
Sometimes we forget that it's all about God's favor. We think we're the ones making things happen.
Nope...
It's all about God's favor.
We can be brilliant, be a great speaker, a terrific band, a great facility, gobs of help, lgihts, cameras, sound equipment, & a dog & pony show, & still now have anyone show up.
But if God's favor is with us, we can start a church in a pitiful second floor of an office park & God will turn it into 1 church in 5 1/2 locations.
Just a thought...
I'm your friend ;-)
I love ya
Sometimes we forget that it's all about God's favor. We think we're the ones making things happen.
Nope...
It's all about God's favor.
We can be brilliant, be a great speaker, a terrific band, a great facility, gobs of help, lgihts, cameras, sound equipment, & a dog & pony show, & still now have anyone show up.
But if God's favor is with us, we can start a church in a pitiful second floor of an office park & God will turn it into 1 church in 5 1/2 locations.
Just a thought...
I'm your friend ;-)
I love ya
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