Fruit of Misbehavior

We are ought to bless every person we meet. As christians, christ likeness should be part of our lifestyle. It is a must to live according to the perfect will of God so that we may not be tempted to do things that are not pleasing to God.

If its hard to bless other people, unfortunately, it is very easy to misbehave and offend other people. I guess this is the weakness of every human. We normally do something harmful against others even though we did it intentionally.

Whether we like it or not, we are personally responsible for our own actions, if we sow good things, we will reap also good things, on the other hand, if we planted bad seeds, we will reap bad fruits. This is what's hard about leadership, your years of work and sacrifice could be forgotten with a single mistake of error.

As a leader, you should exam your actions and decisions often. Not all those things you thought of is right, some of them are deceiving. Guard your heart, guard your intentions. Acknowledge God in your life and make Him your guide. You know why? Because there are serious consequences of every misbehavior we have done. In fact, according to 1 Corinthians 2:27 "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

This simply means that every wrong act you do could disqualify you on receiving your gifts. Although of course, you will reap according to what you have done.


By: Edwin Joseph

THE INFLUENCE OF A LIFE

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38 within

An unknown preacher of a little Wesleyan Chapel in Nottingham, England, was visiting the slum homes of the city and found a young boy by the name of William. He had compassion on him and his dire needs and saw within his heart a longing to know the Love of God, that was so foreign to him. Sensitive to this “occasion” of God’s grace, he became the ‘channel’ through which God used to lead this needy young boy to Jesus. His name was William Booth, whom God used to be the Founder the Salvation Army! The Influence of a Life.

An artist in Dusseldorf, Germany, was asked by a young girl to explain the picture of Christ which he had painted. She said, “You must have loved Him.” Reconciled to God, he painted another picture, the thorn-crowned face of Christ, whom he had learned to love. Underneath the picture he placed these words … “All this I did for thee … What hast thou done for Me?”

One day, the proud and rich Count Zinzendorf was being escorted through the Gallery. His eyes were arrested on the piercing picture of Christ. His heart was touched and moved by the Spirit of God, and his life was transformed forever, by the grace of God. He immediately gave up the glitter of the world for the eternal gold of the Redeemer.

A band of Hussites (converts of the godly martyr John Huss) asked to camp on the land owned by Count Zinzendorf. He was struck by the simplicity and godly power of these persecuted Moravians. He cast his lot with them and became a hated, but God-fearing Hussite. Count Zinzendorf was the vessel God used to give birth to the Moravian Church. Out of this spiritual band of Believers came Peter Bohler. The Influence of a Life.

John Wesley went to Georgia to convert the Indians, who later wrote, that he himself had never been converted, although an Anglican Preacher. On shipboard while making his voyage across the Atlantic, they encountered a terrifying storm. John Wesley noticed a group of Moravian Christians singing and praying, while others, including the sailors, were in dreadful fear. Conversation with the Moravians convinced him they steadfastly served the Lord in a manner wholly foreign to him.

When Wesley returned to England, he became a close friend of Peter Bohler who told John Wesley about the deeper things of God. Through his influence and instruction he led both John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. John Wesley’s life reads like fiction. He preached 52,000 times, rode over 200,000 miles on horseback preaching in the hamlets across America, authored more than 200 books, became the channel God used in one of the world’s greatest revivals, and founded the Methodist Church. John and Charles Wesley wrote over a thousand hymns such as … “And Can It Be” … “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” … “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”… “Take Time to be Holy” … “Soldiers of Christ Arise” and a thousand others. Each one of these men was … INFLUENCED BY A LIFE !

What is the message that rings through these testimonies? … THE INFLUENCE OF A LIFE committed to God, used to impact others through word and life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God wants to use YOU, As You Are, Where You Are, as a “channel” through which He can impact others with the Gospel. You might be the “only means” through whom someone will hear the Gospel!


From: Literature International Ministries - Ed Powell

Obsessed with Stuff

“Be on your guard against every form of greed.”
Luke 12:15 NASB

In 1900 the average person living in the United States wanted seventy-two different things and considered eighteen of them essential. Today the average person wants five hundred things and considers one hundred of them essential.

Our obsession with stuff carries a hefty price tag. Eighty percent of us battle the pressure of overdue bills. We spend 110 percent of our disposable income trying to manage debt. And who can keep up? We no longer measure ourselves against the Joneses next door but against the star on the screen or the stud on the magazine cover. Hollywood’s diamonds make yours look like a gumball-machine toy. Who can satisfy Madison Avenue? No one can. For that reason Jesus warns, “Be on your guard against every form of greed” (Luke 12:15 NASB).


From: Max Lucado

Are You a Stone Thrower or a Coat Holder?

"You stab your own brother in the back," says Psalm 50:20 in The Message. The New King James Version states it this way, "You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son."

Why do we do this?

Unfortunately, we use our tongue "to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse our fellow-man, who is created in the likeness of God." (James 3:9 GNB)

If I was created in God's image and likeness, and you were created in God's image and likeness, and your family, friends, and neighbors were all created in God's image and likeness, then how do we justify speaking against God's creations?

Jesus said, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matt 15:19 NIV) Slander and speak against mean to be a false witness, be spiteful or malicious, speak evil of, be a talebearer, gossip, be hurtful, and so on. It is speech that is injurious to another's good name.

Jesus also said, "A good man's speech reveals the rich treasures within him. An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it." (Matt. 12:35 TLB)

So, what do our tongues reveal? What wiggles its way out of our hearts, tickles our vocal chords, and jumps off the ends of our tongues? Is it the rich treasure of complimenting and encouraging others, or is it the venom of speaking gossip and negativity?

God is very particular about how we treat His body parts, His sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters. Malachi asked, "Don't we all come from one Father? Aren't we all created by the same God? So why can't we get along?" (Mal. 2:10a Msg)

Why can't we get along? How is it possible to love God and hate Him in others at the same time? How do we not love all parts of Christ's Body? It would be like this: Do our eyes hate our polished toenails for being prettier? Do our teeth covet the gold in our ears? Are our hands jealous because our feet sport new coverings?

That may sound silly, but when Christ lives in others, they become a part of His body. So how do we not see them as vessels containing His Holy Spirit, unless the snarling monster of self raises its ugly head to block our view?

If we speak against or criticize another, gossiping behind his or her back, we put ourselves in opposition to God's love and His Word, just as James tells us, "Don't criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God's law of loving one another, declaring it is wrong." (James 4:11a TLB)

If we are not to speak against our Christian brothers and sisters, do we then have free reign to use our words to tear apart the unbelievers? No, of course not. Jesus said in the old devotional God At Eventide, " The love you give to your neighbour is the overflow of your love for Me ."

Jesus admonishes us, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." (John 13:34 NLT) To love is a commandment, not something we choose to bestow only on certain people, when we feel like it. Godly love is an act of the will, not a feeling. If we say we walk in the Spirit, then we walk in love, with everyone, not just a select few.

The Lord once said to me, " Do not wound My Heart by saying unkind things about those I love, things you could not say to their faces ." Wow! We grieve the heart of our precious Lord by what we say about the ones He loves, which includes everyone .


Our love for Christ must hinder us from hurting Him with our criticism, gossiping, and judgment of others, whether vocalized or silent, whether against a believer or unbeliever.

We should be as wise as David when he prayed, "Take control of what I say, O LORD, and keep my lips sealed." (Ps. 141:3 NLT)

We can neither pass gossip along nor stand and listen while another pours it out.

Paul, the worst of all persecutors of Christians, tried desperately to destroy the church. One day, on the Damascus Road, he encountered a blinding light as the Lord surrounded him, and said, "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting.'" (Acts 9:4-5 NKJV) In persecuting the Christians, Paul had persecuted the Lord Himself.

Before this confrontation, Paul witnessed the stoning of Stephen. As the Jewish leaders took their religious stance, fingers tightly clutching their stones of condemnation, Paul stood there, as one of the crowd, watching, while he held the garments of the other witnesses, making it easier for them to hurl the stones of pharisaical piety that ended Stephen's life.

Paul had to lose his sight before he could gain his vision. When he encountered the Lord's blinding presence on that day, he confessed to Him, "When Your witness Stephen was killed, I was standing there agreeing. I kept the coats they laid aside as they stoned him." (Acts 22:20 NLT)

So, let's make this a personal application. Is there a stone of judgment or revenge clutched tightly in your hand? Or do you stand holding another's coat while someone else throws sanctimonious stones or gossip gravel at another person?

I leave you with this thought: Jesus said, " Treat all as you would treat Me, with Love and consideration. Let nothing that others do to you alter your treatment of them ." (God Calling)


From: Delve Into Jesus

Don't Pull the Weeds

Jesus taught, "In gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest."
-Matthew 13:29-30 (NRSV)

I love gardening, but I was unsure of what vegetable seeds to plant during the fall and winter. My father suggested mustard. He also suggested scattering the seed on the prepared ground rather than sowing in rows. I took his advice.

Usually, I plant in rows, which makes it easier to recognize the weeds; anything not in a uniform row is usually a weed. So if I scatter the mustard seeds over the ground, how will I distinguish between mustard and weeds? Then I remembered the parable about a worker who had a similar problem. He wanted to pull up the weeds as soon as he saw them. However, he was instructed to wait and let them grow together with the crop. If he acted too quickly, he might inadvertently pull up the crop along with the weeds. In time, their difference would become apparent.

Likewise, Christians are called to be different from non-believers. As followers of Christ we are meant to talk differently and behave differently. However, we must not judge, criticize, and condemn others; God is at work in their lives, too, and we cannot know what they may grow to be. Let us obey and trust that God will bring about a good harvest.


Prayer:
Lord, help us to obey your word and not judge others. In Jesus' name. Amen.



From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Leon McBride

What To Renounce

We have renounced the hidden things of shame . . . — 2 Corinthians 4:2


Have you "renounced the hidden things of shame" in your life— the things that your sense of honor or pride will not allow to come into the light? You can easily hide them. Is there a thought in your heart about anyone that you would not like to be brought into the light? Then renounce it as soon as it comes to mind— renounce everything in its entirety until there is no hidden dishonesty or craftiness about you at all. Envy, jealousy, and strife don’t necessarily arise from your old nature of sin, but from the flesh which was used for these kinds of things in the past (see Romans 6:19 and 1 Peter 4:1-3 ). You must maintain continual watchfulness so that nothing arises in your life that would cause you shame.

". . . not walking in craftiness. . ." ( 2 Corinthians 4:2 ). This means not resorting to something simply to make your own point. This is a terrible trap. You know that God will allow you to work in only one way— the way of truth. Then be careful never to catch people through the other way— the way of deceit. If you act deceitfully, God’s blight and ruin will be upon you. What may be craftiness for you, may not be for others— God has called you to a higher standard. Never dull your sense of being your utmost for His highest— your best for His glory. For you, doing certain things would mean craftiness coming into your life for a purpose other than what is the highest and best, and it would dull the motivation that God has given you. Many people have turned back because they are afraid to look at things from God’s perspective. The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted.



From: RBC - Utmost For His Highest