Welcome!
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
Today: Pleasing God than man
Passage: Rom 12:14-16NIV
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
Sometime back, somebody was telling me:
“It’s so difficult to practice Christian life the way God wants it”
That person was right. It is so difficult, when we try it on our own
In Romans 7, Paul himself attests to that fact
But Romans 8 is the answer. Once we are in Christ, He will help us
The labor was finished on the cross. All we do is to appropriate it with faith
We don’t have to labor again for that
Once we are in a car or bus, we don’t have to carry the luggage. We put it down
In Romans 12, Paul shares a great principle with us
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 1: 1-2, NIV)
Paul speaks about the act of worship, which comes from an attitude of worship
The change has to first happen in the heart
“Renewing of the mind” is the key
Sometimes parents are worried about Children. They wonder “what in the world is this kid doing (!?)” and start dealing with each of their actions
But that may not always work nicely
Instead, pray for them so that there will be a change on the inside
Have you seen some people/kids in church behaving/dressing strange?
Sometimes people are confused because they can even preach very nicely from the word, but their actions don’t match
I know some TV preachers who preach nicely, but their appearance, their dress, their luxury life style becomes a big stumbling block to the effectiveness of their preaching
Our lives, our appearance, our dress, our words and actions are closely watched
We may say, “I only care what God thinks about me”
But the word of God teaches us that it is important not to cause offense to anybody by our actions, if possible
Christian life is not one of slavery. There is no code that we have to wear a certain outfit or anything like that. But we must not misuse the freedom in Christ
Common sense and wisdom should tell us what is appropriate and what is not
People with an inferiority complex may do anything to get others’ attention; but, when God comes on the inside, we will attract others to Christ
We live in a very tempting and compelling world
But those who are really transformed by the word, keep their separation from the “world“-does not mean we go away from everybody else out there
While we can have friendship with many, we cannot have fellowship with all
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Cor 7:1, NIV)
When we think of the price Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, we will fall in love with Him and not with the world
Christian life is a life full of Joy, peace and happiness; it is a life of prayer, praise and worship
Thank God for His love and mercy
He is good – He is God – all the time!
Stay blessed
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, transform me and make my life a useful one for you. Let me spend more time in prayer than what I spend on my hair and other stuff which is less important than prayer. Amen