"But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way"....1st Corinth. 12:31
We all desire the perfect life. A life of purpose and pure power. Our challenge we face is, "what kind of life must we live now in order for us to experience this level of excellence?". This is the question The Apostle Paul tries to address.
He summarizes his thought in one statement; "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."....1st Corinth 14:1
Let me try to draw a general connection.....pursue love and desire gifts that build people.
Love is the greatest motivator. It leads to a perfect life. I mean love that is pure and purposeful. 1st john 2 admonishes us to be motivated by the love of the father rather than what it calls, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. These motivators go contrary to the perfect life which is solely motivated by love and a heart that gives.
A few things to bare in mind:
1. Your Motivation
2. Your Imagination
3. Your Conversation
4. Your Association
5. Your Decision
These aspects of our lives if carefully managed will produce for us the excellent lifestyle. Have a lovely day.
DI
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
THOUGHTS ARE THINGS
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing every THOUGHT captive to the obedience of Christ.
There are basically two kinds of thoughts:
1. Thinking thoughts
2. Feeling thoughts
"Thinking thoughts" appeal to the logic of the mind. This appeals to a man's sense of reasoning and logic. If it doesn't make sense or concur with an individuals current frame of reference, it will not be accepted. It is more difficult to persuade a by logic than by emotions. Rational people are the most difficult to persuade especially by rationalization.
"Feeling thoughts" appeal to the emotions. Thoughts of love, compassion, kindness, hatred, jealousy, envy, lust, bitterness, concern, fear, anxiety, excitement, joy, happiness etc are the most influential kinds of thoughts.
In my opinion God is logical but He knows that man cannot be won primarily on the basis of logic. If man must be converted to God's side he then must be influenced at the level of his emotions. Evil is promoted on an emotional level and so if good must win the heart of men, it also must come on an emotional level.
Arguments are either logical or emotional. Our ability to translate arguments from the realm of logic into the realm of the emotional makes us more effective in the delivery of our arguments.
There is a fierce battle for the control of our minds. "...taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ". We must challenge every logic that is not consistent with the knowledge of God as well as every emotion that is not godly in nature.
You certainly cannot overcome emotions with logic, neither can you overcome logic with emotions. In the eternal battle for our minds, we must understand that for us, our reality lies in the realm of our thoughts and our feelings. He who rules the mind, rules the man.
There are basically two kinds of thoughts:
1. Thinking thoughts
2. Feeling thoughts
"Thinking thoughts" appeal to the logic of the mind. This appeals to a man's sense of reasoning and logic. If it doesn't make sense or concur with an individuals current frame of reference, it will not be accepted. It is more difficult to persuade a by logic than by emotions. Rational people are the most difficult to persuade especially by rationalization.
"Feeling thoughts" appeal to the emotions. Thoughts of love, compassion, kindness, hatred, jealousy, envy, lust, bitterness, concern, fear, anxiety, excitement, joy, happiness etc are the most influential kinds of thoughts.
In my opinion God is logical but He knows that man cannot be won primarily on the basis of logic. If man must be converted to God's side he then must be influenced at the level of his emotions. Evil is promoted on an emotional level and so if good must win the heart of men, it also must come on an emotional level.
Arguments are either logical or emotional. Our ability to translate arguments from the realm of logic into the realm of the emotional makes us more effective in the delivery of our arguments.
There is a fierce battle for the control of our minds. "...taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ". We must challenge every logic that is not consistent with the knowledge of God as well as every emotion that is not godly in nature.
You certainly cannot overcome emotions with logic, neither can you overcome logic with emotions. In the eternal battle for our minds, we must understand that for us, our reality lies in the realm of our thoughts and our feelings. He who rules the mind, rules the man.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
CHARACTER
"The history of a man is his CHARACTER"....W.Von Goethe
A man's character is the summation of all the people he has met, all the books he has read, all the things he has experienced and all the places he has been.
It is the register of all the mean and loving words he has heard.
A man's character is the evidence of his past encounters. It is the sum of every word he has spoken, every action he has taken and every thought he has pondered. It is the residue of the many decisions he has made.
Truly, you can have a glimpse into a man's past by the character he manifests. So "Daniel", observe and gain wisdom. Let the memory of today be the history of your character tomorrow. So make firm, God birthed decisions today because they define your character tomorrow. Our future is a plain canvas, we are the architects of our destinies. Expressions of our character defined by our choices today. Have a great day.
DI
A man's character is the summation of all the people he has met, all the books he has read, all the things he has experienced and all the places he has been.
It is the register of all the mean and loving words he has heard.
A man's character is the evidence of his past encounters. It is the sum of every word he has spoken, every action he has taken and every thought he has pondered. It is the residue of the many decisions he has made.
Truly, you can have a glimpse into a man's past by the character he manifests. So "Daniel", observe and gain wisdom. Let the memory of today be the history of your character tomorrow. So make firm, God birthed decisions today because they define your character tomorrow. Our future is a plain canvas, we are the architects of our destinies. Expressions of our character defined by our choices today. Have a great day.
DI
Thursday, September 9, 2010
A MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD'S CALL
We all have a calling from God. The challenge for most of us is that we really do not know how to respond to His voice. The prophet Samuel is a case in point. Samuel in 1st Samuel 3 was called by The Lord three times but instead of responding to The Lord, he answered to The prophet Eli. Most of the time this is the way we respond to God's call. We often run off in error. For some of us, we sense a call and immediately interpret it to mean we ought to begin a church based organization. Your call may be to start a godly business that will provide employment for a small community. Your call could be to start a school that will raise the next generation of political, economic or social and religious leaders that will point our nation in the right direction. You see we need clarification from the one that has called. This call has many dimensions or expressions. The call must meet certain basic criteria for it to be a godly call. One, it must be motivated by the love of God. Two, it must express God's love to people. Three, it must be self fulfilling and must enhance a man's sense of self worth before God first and promote a sense of duty to his family and mankind. When you hear that call, respond promptly and respond accurately. Open your heart to the call of God and respond accordingly.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
FAITH, UNDERSTANDING AND WISDOM
Faith is a word we all are familiar with. It is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. I really like the way Smith Wigglesworth put it "faith is not a leap in the dark but a walk in the light".
Spontaneity is not faith. Careless and carefree living is not faith. Faith requires wisdom. Faith requires understanding of the deepest kind. The scriptures say "there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the almighty gives him understanding". Faith is the product of divine insight. Faith is the product of divine understanding. A man of faith is a man of understanding. A man of faith is a man of wisdom. Remember, that to him that hath, more is given. This tells me that all you need is a little understanding, a little wisdom, a little faith and a little obedience. What makes the difference isn't the great things we do but the little things. Gather understanding bit by bit. Gain wisdom a little here and a little there and so does your faith grow. Faith is exercised on act of obedience at a time. You see faith with the Lord is a tricky thing. The more you obey, the more you understand. The more you understand, the more you grow in wisdom. The wiser you get the more you trust and the more your faith grows. This is amazing! its all so intertwined. Have a lovely day
DI
Spontaneity is not faith. Careless and carefree living is not faith. Faith requires wisdom. Faith requires understanding of the deepest kind. The scriptures say "there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the almighty gives him understanding". Faith is the product of divine insight. Faith is the product of divine understanding. A man of faith is a man of understanding. A man of faith is a man of wisdom. Remember, that to him that hath, more is given. This tells me that all you need is a little understanding, a little wisdom, a little faith and a little obedience. What makes the difference isn't the great things we do but the little things. Gather understanding bit by bit. Gain wisdom a little here and a little there and so does your faith grow. Faith is exercised on act of obedience at a time. You see faith with the Lord is a tricky thing. The more you obey, the more you understand. The more you understand, the more you grow in wisdom. The wiser you get the more you trust and the more your faith grows. This is amazing! its all so intertwined. Have a lovely day
DI
A STRONG MAN'S WAY
John.G.Lake says that "Christianity is a strong man's way"; I agree. It is not for wimps. It is the ultimate test of character and valiance. It is one's commitment to the highest ideals and confidence in the ability of man to triumph by rising above self and love others. Love is the way of the strong.Uncontrolled passions, hate, jealousy, self pity, pride and arrogance are the ways of the weak. Love is the expression of godly virtues and it requires exceptional strength and valour. This is what is needed in this generation. Christ's life in you is the hope of a glorious life. A life filled with virtue and valour. What we need is a life of strength, a life of honour; filled with power as we make wise godly decisions on a moment by moment basis.Guess what? It is worth it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)