In a world so saturated with icons, stars, and idols, Christians must make every effort to portray the right picture to others and follow after men and women of God who exhibit solid Biblical principles and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. In our walk with God we should strive to both emulate those who have gone before us and be an example for those who would follow us. Both of these concepts are set forth in scripture.
God wants us to follow the right example:
John 13:15 - For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
I Corinthians 11:1 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
I Peter 2:21 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
God wants us to be a good example to others:
I Timothy 4:12 - Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
I Peter 5:3 - Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.
God expects us to learn from others--both the good and bad:
I Corinthians 10:11 - Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
James 5:10 - Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
Jude 1:7 - Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Let's be the light we need to be for this lost and desperate generation. We need to follow after those who are doing the right things, emulating excellence and walking in the Spirit to impact our world with apostolic revival!!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Leaving the Leaven for Leftovers
All too often, we allow little things to creep into our lives that hinder or even prevent us from getting all that we need from God and being all we need to be for the Kingdom.
Hebrews 12:1 challenges us to lay aside the sin and the weights that hinder us. Likewise, Galatians 5:9 let's us know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. For those who don't know what leaven is, here's the basic Wikipedia breakdown:
Leaven or leavening agents such as yeast are often used in baking/cooking. The chemical compound of such agents creates gas, usually carbon dioxide that gets trapped as bubbles in the dough, causing the dough to "rise." Generally, very little of such agents is necessary to permeate throughout a batch of dough to affect the entirety.
What this translates into for us, is that we need to watch out and guard ourselves from not only those big nasty sins that might tempt us, but also from those little things that inhibit our prayer lives, personal devotion, Biblical study, and general relationship building with Jesus Christ. Why? Because those "little" things can be difficult to spot and sometimes even appear harmless when and if we are able to identify them. However, the Bible lets us know that the little things can cause us to stumble and fall just as much as the big things.
If it's the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15) then we need to pay close attention to those seemingly insignificant habits, activities, etc...that may be preventing us from being all we need to be in God. The tricky part about it is that what may be a hindrance for me may have no affect on you and vice versa. So it's up to us to search ourselves and weed out those things that might be the "leaven" in our lives so we can impact this world with red hot REVIVAL!!!
Hebrews 12:1 challenges us to lay aside the sin and the weights that hinder us. Likewise, Galatians 5:9 let's us know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. For those who don't know what leaven is, here's the basic Wikipedia breakdown:
Leaven or leavening agents such as yeast are often used in baking/cooking. The chemical compound of such agents creates gas, usually carbon dioxide that gets trapped as bubbles in the dough, causing the dough to "rise." Generally, very little of such agents is necessary to permeate throughout a batch of dough to affect the entirety.
What this translates into for us, is that we need to watch out and guard ourselves from not only those big nasty sins that might tempt us, but also from those little things that inhibit our prayer lives, personal devotion, Biblical study, and general relationship building with Jesus Christ. Why? Because those "little" things can be difficult to spot and sometimes even appear harmless when and if we are able to identify them. However, the Bible lets us know that the little things can cause us to stumble and fall just as much as the big things.
If it's the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15) then we need to pay close attention to those seemingly insignificant habits, activities, etc...that may be preventing us from being all we need to be in God. The tricky part about it is that what may be a hindrance for me may have no affect on you and vice versa. So it's up to us to search ourselves and weed out those things that might be the "leaven" in our lives so we can impact this world with red hot REVIVAL!!!
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