Your Worldview Matters

Not long ago, I heard someone ask, "What if we treated

our Bibles like we treat our cell phones?" That is an interesting

question when you think of how important cell phones have

 become to us. They have become so essential to us now.

But do we treat our Bibles the same way?

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.   2 Timothy 3:1–3


It is sad when someone who has been a Christian for awhile is illiterate when it comes to the things of the Bible. Probably one of the greatest problems we are seeing in the church today is a complete ignorance of what the Bible actually teaches. After conducting a study that revealed that less than one in every 10 believers possess a biblical worldview as the basis for his or her decision-making and behavior, researcher George Barna pointed out that the Christian body in the United States is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy. The most widely known "verse" among adults and teens who claimed to be believers was "God helps those that help themselves." The problem is that you won't find it in the Bible.

Your worldview matters. And it is not a question as to whether you have a worldview; it is whether you have a biblical one. Your worldview, the way that you see life, is formed by many things. It can be formed by the culture you are raised in, by your upbringing, by the books you read, by your education, and by the media you expose yourself to. And the reason your worldview is important is that it is comprehensive. It affects everything you do, from your personal morality to the way you spend your money to the way you vote to the way you live.

So what is a Christian worldview? Simply put, there is a living God, and He has revealed himself in Scripture. Therefore as Christians, we believe that we can find absolute truth from the Bible, regardless of what is politically correct, regardless of what we feel is right or not right. We base our beliefs on what the Bible teaches. That is what it means to have a Christian worldview.
 
BE BLESSED!
 
DAWN

Discerning God’s Goodness

Read Psalm 31:19-24


I’ve often heard folks proclaim, “God is good!” when all is going well, but then doubt His benevolence when the blessings they envisioned don’t materialize. Because God alone is good, only He can accurately determine what is best for each person. His kindness is expressed in more ways than simply provision of wealth, health, and relationships. Some of His gifts are experiences we would never choose, but the Lord knows we need them in order to grow in faith, obedience, and perseverance. Consider the following expressions of God’s goodness toward us:


• Loving discipline. Since God’s love is unfailing, He corrects us when we refuse to follow Him and instead go our own way. The process is painful, but the result is “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11).

• Wise Limitations. Satan offers a world of opportunities and possessions that seem to promise happiness but ultimately draw us away from God. With great wisdom, the Lord lovingly withholds those things that prove detrimental to our spiritual life.


• Useful suffering. God knows which refining experiences we need in order to become fruitful and useful in His Kingdom. What appears to us as a valley of weeping is God’s valley of preparation for godliness and service.

It can be tempting to interpret God’s character on the basis of our circumstances. If evidence compels us to doubt His goodness, we must remember that while His gifts come in a variety of wrappings, they are always beneficial. As Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

What If You Die Today?

13) Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14) How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  James 4:13-15 (NLT)

I'm sure that the people in Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004 expected another typical day. But tragically and sadly, for many, that day was to be their last. The unsparing waters of the Tsunami devastated well-to-do tourists visiting for the holidays, as well as peasants who went about their daily work.

Let me ask you right now: what if you were to die today? What would happen? And most importantly, where would you spend eternity? You need to know that God loves you and wants you to spend eternity in heaven with Him. But you also must know that a wall separates you from a perfect God as a result. Try as you might to scale that wall, you will fail—be it through good deeds, morality, or even religion. According to the Bible, we all "have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23).

But God loved you so much that He reached out to you by sending His own son, Jesus Christ, to this earth. There never, ever has been anyone who walked this earth like Jesus. Jesus was both God and man. Therefore, He was uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between a holy, perfect God and sinful, fallen humanity. With one hand, Jesus took hold of God the Father, and with the other, He took hold of sinful humanity. Spikes were driven through those hands as He died for your sin and mine. Then, Jesus rose again from the dead, conquering sin and death. He promises that if we will turn from our sin and put our complete faith and trust in Him, we can be forgiven of all our sin and go to heaven when we die.


14) For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15) Remember what it says:  “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” Heb.3:14-16 (NLT)


CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE; CHOOSE LIFE!
 
Be Blessed & Be a Blessing to One Another!
 
Dawn

The Python and the Chihuahua

What we think about is really important.


In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul wrote, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things" (NKJV).

Another translation puts it this way: "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse" (THE MESSAGE).

What we think about ultimately affects what we do

Therefore, we must nip in the bud any thoughts that are impure, spiritually harmful, or that feed the beast of worry. This means refusing to play the "What If" game and driving yourself to despair.

You remember the first temptation, when Satan came to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:1 says, "Now the Serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (NKJV)

He did not introduce himself by saying, "Hi, I'm the Devil, the enemy of God, and I have come to ruin, destroy, and pull you into hell with me and my demons!" He may be wicked, but he isn't stupid!

The Devil is like a snake

When the Devil comes to us, he comes with subtlety, snake-like, slithering in when you least expect it. People don't always keep their guard up for him either.

I read about a large python that ate a family's dog, a silky terrier-chihuahua crossbreed. The children, ages 5 and 7, watched as the snake finished his meal.

This is sad, but also odd. The local zoo owner, who eventually came and picked up the snake, said, "The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it."

"They should have called me then, but (the snake) got away . . . and came back," he added.


We can be like that with the Devil


He has essentially plopped himself right in our bed, and we pay him no mind. "Oh, he won't be back," we think to ourselves.

But just like that python, he is stalking you! Don't underestimate his power, and don't leave your mind open to his attack.

As a snake, Satan attacked Eve's mind. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3, "I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (NASB).

Why? Because it is here in "command central" that we reason, contemplate, and fantasize. Your mind can reach into the past through memories, and into the future through imagination.


Train your brain!

You need to train your mind to think properly and biblically. We read in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we should cast down "arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."


Just some things to think about today. Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

Don't Conform—Transform

And do not be conformed to this world, but be

transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may

prove what is that good and acceptable and

 perfect will of God. — Romans 12:2

A recent survey revealed that America's youth now spend, on average, over seven-and-a-half hours each day involved in electronic media. And that number doesn't include the amount of time spent texting or talking on cell phones. The problem is that a lot of that time spent in front of media screens will influence them in the wrong way.

The Bible tells us to fill our minds with the things of God. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

Romans 12:2 tells us, "Do not be conformed to this world. . . . " As the J. B. Phillips translation puts it, "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould [sic]." The word "conformed" refers to the act of assuming an outward appearance that does not accurately reflect that which is within. Of course, we all just want to fit in. We don't want to be thought of as dorks, nerds, fools, or idiots. We don't want to be classified as uncool. So we will do things that we think others want us to do. But let's not try to appear to be of this world when we are not.

By "this world," Romans 12:2 means a culture, a mentality, a way of thinking that is largely hostile to God. As 1 John 2:16 tells us, "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world."

Remember, God's will is better than our own. His will is good and acceptable and perfect.
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

Our Reasonable Service

Romans 12 begins with what we might call a conditional promise. The promise is that we will know the "good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The conditions are as follows:


I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . . .

To know the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, we must present ourselves to God. In the first 11 chapters of Romans, the apostle Paul writes about the fact that we are all separated from God by our sin. There is nothing we can do, through our own strength, to right our situation. But God showed His love toward us by sending Christ to die for us and forgive us of all sin. So in light of this, considering all that God has done for you, Paul says, here is what you ought to do: "present your bodies (wills and emotions) a living sacrifice."

We are to present ourselves to Him as an offering. And offerings are not taken; they are given. Your life is something that you offer to God. It is a living sacrifice, however. Generally sacrifices are dead. Sacrifices that have been killed don't squirm off the altar. But living sacrifices have a tendency to do that. So we need to willingly offer ourselves again and again as living sacrifices.


The Bible also says this is our "reasonable service." The word "reasonable" used in Romans 12:1 could be better translated "logical." In other words, it doesn't make any sense not to do this. A half-hearted commitment is illogical. So if you want to know God's will, then present yourself as a living sacrifice.


Oh Lord as we honestly examine our own hearts, we pray that we might know we’re in the faith. Bring into the prayer room those that need to come Father, do Your work in all our hearts. In Christ's name... Amen.
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

A Friend You Can Trust

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,

and He will show them His covenant. — Psalm 25:14

There are certain people in my life that I regard as true friends, friends whom I know I can trust. A true friend is someone who will keep your confidence. You can reveal your heart to a true friend. You can trust a true friend. You can tell a secret to a true friend.

Not only that, but a true friend tells you the truth. A true friend will speak the truth, even if it is not easy. Proverbs 27:6 says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

God is our friend, and He always will tell us the truth. Not only that, but He wants to reveal His secrets to us. In Psalm 25:14 we read, "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. . . ." God wants to speak to us. In fact, Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

That Jesus compares us to sheep is not a compliment, by the way. Sheep are among the dumbest of all creatures. Most animals, in many cases, will survive if released into the wild. They will learn to fend for themselves and make it. But a sheep released into the wild cannot survive. Sheep have no survival skills whatsoever. They are totally dependent upon the shepherd—just like we are. The sheep come to know that when the shepherd speaks they should follow, because his plan for them is better than their plan for themselves.

It may be that one of the reasons we don't know the will of God in certain areas is because we have not applied what is clearly the will of God for all areas. Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters unrevealed.

Be Blessed!
 
Dawn