Life Lesson 2

            Here’s a life lesson for you. It is my contention that Christians are partially responsible for some people to turn away from God. Here’s a real life example that just took place at my job the other day. 

            Guy #1, who does not know the Lord, was told by a “religious” person, we’ll call him guy #2, that guy #1 shouldn’t be cursing, especially on that day, because it was Good Friday. Then guy #2 proceeded to drop an F bomb himself less than 5 minutes later. That would make guy #2 a hypocrite and that’s exactly how guy #1 saw it. 

            Point #1 – Chances are guy #1 may know very little to nothing about that holiday season. Point #2 – His cussing is not going to send him to hell; his rejection of Christ will. Point #3 – Guy #1 doesn’t know any better. Point #4 - Guy #2 DOES know better. Point #5 – Guy #2 was judging Guy #1 for doing something that he does as well.

             There are too many people like Guy #2 who pass judgment with their words of indictment, and they need to stop that. Once a person receives Christ the Holy Spirit will deal with the profanity issue. Sometimes we clean up our language only to have it reemerge sometime down the road. Let me repeat was I said in Point #3 above … people who don’t have a relationship with God don’t think anything of cussing and that is understandable. It doesn’t make it all right, but it is not our place to instruct him regarding what may be perceived as our regimented list of Do’s & Don’ts. Some of us need to get off our high horse before we make a fool of ourselves in front of others. We must humble ourselves. We are better than no one. We aren’t to compare ourselves to others, but rather to God. This will put us in the place where we belong, beneath the Lord and equal with everyone else. Salvation doesn’t elevate you in status; it forgives you of your sins. That makes you different in that one respect; otherwise, we are really no different than those who are unsaved. No matter how hard you try, even your best efforts will fall short in your quest to be just like Christ. In spite of that, continue striving to be a living example of our Lord, because as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Life Lessons

            Life is like a book with many chapters. The story begins and at an undetermined time the first chapter ends, and the second chapter begins. During one of the chapters you are introduced to the Lord, and he becomes a regular part of the story. There’s a chapter for childhood, one for the teenage years and a special chapter focusing on schooling, one chapter has a fixed climax when graduation occurs. There’s a chapter for college, chapter for courtship, chapter for marriage and a chapter for having children. Some chapters are light; some are dark depending on the subject. People come into your life either in the midst of a chapter or at the start or conclusion of another. 

            Having said all that, I tend to believe that some people are only in our lives for a brief time. When they move, switch jobs, or churches or simply pass away, a chapter ends and another one begins. We mourn the loss and move on. There is a chapter regarding the re-emergence of a person from your past where you discuss how much each of you had changed. Depending on how the chapters play out will determine whether you end up single, married, divorced, remarried or alone. All the while we try to figure out the meaning of this life and why it seems to be so complicated. For a large part of our life I believe we think way too hard about a lot of things and the more we think the more we become confused. Worry begets stress, which is kin to tension, which can do very bad things to your physical body. We take prescription drugs to regulate our heart, our head, our blood flow, and our nerves. 

            Some books, like their corresponding lives, are long and drawn out, others are short and definitively to the point.  Some make a big splash based on the character of the subject. Some just exist without much to say or do. Those with Christ in their lives will nearly always be more interesting. 

            It is said that our lives will be the only Bible others will ever read. I believe that is true, therefore, we should let our lives be true to what the author intended. Let your life be a worshipful symphony of truth and faith and hope and peace. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! 

In His Name & for His Glory.

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

5 Things We Need to Understand

5. We need to learn how to surrender our will in favor of God’s will, for His will for us is designed with us in mind.

 

            As followers of Christ we need to realize that God has a will for each one of us. A perfect, edifying, all-inclusive will for us specifically. Now there is a general will that involves witnessing about the goodness of God in your life in the attempt to lead others to Christ. But I’m not talking about that right now. 

            We think we know what God’s will is; maybe we do, maybe we don’t, but scripture is clear regarding God and how well He knows us. “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:27 NIV) THE MESSAGE translation goes so far as to interpret this verse as such: “He (God) knows us far better than we know ourselves, ...”. That is a very true statement. He knows our thoughts and the motive of our heart. He knows what is good for us, while we do not. He knows what we should stay away from, while we do not. 

            The Lord even says thru the prophet Jeremiah that He has plans for each one of us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) We cannot know this, for we are incapable of foreseeing the future, but nothing is hidden from God. As long as He is with us in all our endeavors, our future in Christ is bright and hopeful.

            Autonomy is the enemy of obedience. Thinking you have all the answers and a plan for your life is detrimental to a believers walk with Christ. Would you rather follow the plan of someone who KNOWS or speculate regarding your future. God is perfect in every way and cares for us too much to watch us fail, but if you insist on doing things your way instead of Gods, you will ultimately fail. You see God has your whole future lined up for you. Following His will is somewhat like knowing which rocks to step on to get across a rushing stream. With the Holy Spirits leading you can know which way to go, without having to guess.

            This concludes our look at the 5 things we need to understand, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Ministries

5 Things We Need to Understand

4. We need to understand that we are part of God’s unfolding plan.

 

            God's unfolding plan refers to the progressive and divine revelation of God's purposes and will for individuals and humanity as a whole. The idea of God's unfolding plan is rooted in the belief that God has a master plan for each person's life, which may not be fully understood at first but becomes clearer over time through faith, obedience, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. For instance, the Bible states, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" [Jeremiah 29]. This verse highlights that God's plans are ultimately for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

            This plan includes the redemption of humanity through Jesus Christ, the transformation of believers into the image of Christ, and the ultimate restoration of all things [Ephesians 1]. 

In summary, God's unfolding plan is a dynamic and progressive revelation of His will and purposes, which unfolds over time as individuals and communities grow in their relationship with Him. It is a call to trust in God's sovereignty, to seek His guidance, and to be open to the ways He leads and transforms lives. The ultimate reason for man's existence is to know God and experience the pleasure of His presence, as God created humanity for His own pleasure and to share in His glory. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org

5 Things We Need to Understand

3. We need to understand that life can be very tough, unfair, and unjust, but God loves us, controls everything in His creation, and always work things out for our greatest good.

            God is NOT a genie in a bottle. Yes, God controls all things, but because He gives all of mankind a free will to do as he pleases, the door for evil to manifest itself has been opened. His children are obliged to seek His will rather than stumble thru life on their own. Your battles are not your own. God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, enables you to avoid evil and/or withstand it if it takes place. 

Do some believers die unexpectedly. Yes. That can be seen as the product of a dark, and sin-sick world. If God stopped all evil from taking place then what would be the point of giving us a free will. With that free will many enter into situations they have no business getting into, but our curiosity is our downfall. Do we not trust God? He’s not trying to keep us from having fun, but think about the things we want to do for fun. Some are innocent and some cross a line into the danger zone. God allows it because we insist by our actions. 

No matter what transpires in our lives, in the end as you look back over your life, you should see that everything worked out just as God planned it. He won’t interfere with any consequences a person may have won as a prize for a possible misstep, but even then I believe God shows us mercy. Know your Bible. Try to understand how God operates. Trust Him implicitly and without hesitation. Your reward shall come in the end. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name and for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

5 Things We Need to Understand

2 - We need to see others as God sees them.

            Judging others is a well-documented problem of mine, but I am not the lone ranger regarding this issue. I think most people have this problem to some extent and it’s not right. We know nothing about the individuals we judge. We judge their appearance, their voice, the way they talk, and so on. I’m really not sure what we think gives us the right to do this, but we do it. 

            To combat this issue I’ve been asking God to enable me to see others thru His eyes. We need to consider how He looked at us prior to conversion. I can tell you that He looked upon us with compassion, love, and mercy. I can tell you that for sure because of how 
scripture describes our God. “God looks upon us with a mix of holiness and love, seeing us as His creation, His children, and His friends, while also being fully aware of our sin and desiring our salvation. For those who are in Christ, God sees the righteousness of His Son rather than our sin. This means that God sees us as justified, redeemed, sanctified, even glorified.”

            Knowing all this, we should do the same, but it doesn’t come easy. We have to WANT to stop judging others; however, if we’ve been doing it for most of our lives stopping could be harder then it seems. It takes a conscious effort to stop and look at that person as a creation of God, just like you. It is a challenge for a lot of us, but if we’re serious about stopping then the effort expended will be rewarding. 

I have no doubt I’ve been judged by someone I may not even know, and you have been to. Have compassion on our fellow man. We all fall short of God’s glory, so we should keep that in mind and treat others the way we’d like to be treated. Let’s start adjusting our vision today, okay. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org

 

5 Things We Need to Understand

1 - We need to see ourselves as God sees us ...

Too many of us Christians fall for the enemy’s lies regarding our worth. Maybe it’s negativism from your parents, or your friends, or bullies at work or school, or your bosses or teachers. We have no control over how others treat us. To counter the negativism, which can be understandably polarizing at times, we really must learn to see ourselves the way God sees us.

A negative Christian is an ineffective Christian. Once saved we have a clean slate. Any past mistakes in judgment we made do NOT define us now. God loved us prior to our conversion and His feelings for us have not changed one iota.; and they never will. The enemy will continue to try to drag us down; however, searching the scriptures and familiarizing yourself with God’s Word and more specifically God’s promises can elevate your mood and better equip you to combat the negativity that permeates our society.

            God sees us as highly valuable. You are one of His most precious creations. His love for all of us is unrivalled and never ending. After our salvation we are looked upon by God as a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are seen as holy and blameless because we are in Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18). God sees me as His child (cf. John 1:12–13). He sees me as “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11). God sees me as His handiwork (Psalm 139:13–16; cf. Ephesians 2:10). God sees me as part of His flock: “He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:7). So as you can see from scripture, Christians are valued very highly by our Heavenly Father. Don’t ever look down on who you are in Christ, for you are very special in His eyes and frankly, should anything else really matter? Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries