Colossians 1:15-23 (New Living Translation)
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.
Paul was one sold out dude. I just love his passion for spreading the news. The Good News. The Almost-Too-Good-To-Be-True-News. Here Paul is further educating us as to just who Jesus is. He tells us here that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before all of creation. It was through Christ and for Christ that all things were created. He holds all things together.
Notice that Paul is not speaking in the past tense here. Jesus is still and will always be supreme over all creation. He is the beginning and the end. How does Jesus operate today? Through the Word! You see, the bible clearly tells us that Jesus IS the Word. I wrote a blog a few days ago on this very topic. Included in it was this passage found in John Chapter 1. Verses 1 through 5 tell us this:
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
Then in verse 14 we learn this:
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son”
This is taught to us again in 1 John Chapter 1. I love this passage from Verses 1 through 4:
“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.”
So then we know that it is only through Christ (The Word) that we can be reconciled to God. That means that no matter how far you may have strayed along the wrong path, no matter what crime you may have committed, no matter how bad you think your life is, through faith in Christ you can be made whole again in the eyes of God himself. Notice in the passage where it says this:
“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”
Because of what Christ did for us, and because we believe in him, God not only brings us into his presence, but he sees us as “Holy” and “Blameless”, without a single fault! Isn’t that awesome? Without a single fault!
Colossians 2, verses 13 & 14 say it like this:
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
He canceled the record of the charges against us! Do you have some things on your record my friend that you are ashamed of? I know I did. I had a 40-year trail of bad records. My testimony is proof of that. But thank God for His Word. Thank God that he sent his word to us in human form so that we could believe. I encourage each of you to spend more time with Jesus. Spend more time in the Word. It is life, health, and healing to all. It will accomplish what he sent it to do!
I am out of time again but want to thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to leave your comments.
Michael
Oct 27, 2007
Christ Is Supreme
Oct 24, 2007
Do Not Love This World
"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. "
This is a pretty simple lesson here. John tells us that one of the ways we can tell that we have the love of the Father in us, is by the lack of desire or love for the things that the world has to offer. Paradoxically, if you love the things that this world has to offer then you do not have the love of the Father in you.
This isn’t saying that God doesn’t love you. According to Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 35, nothing can separate us from the love of God. But what this verse is saying that if you are going after fancy cars, huge houses, constantly seeking physical pleasure, coveting the things that others have, trying to store up treasures here on this earth then you have not received the full portion of God’s love that he wants to give you. It’s just not in you. For when you are filled with the kind of love that comes only from God, giving that love to others is all that is important to you. The “things” of this world will no longer matter.
Friends, I can honestly say that I speak here from experience. I started making pretty good money back when I was 17. Then by the time I was 26 I owned my own business. I spent many years chasing after the things of the world and putting almost all of my attention on money. What I now know that I was lacking was love from the Father, therefore, love towards anyone else. This was a formula for disaster and this formula most definitely proved to be true. Here is a link to my testimony for any of you who care to see just how true that formula ended up being.
But now, Praise God, after seeking God diligently for a few years and renewing my mind to who I am in Christ, I can say that today I am filled with the love of the Father. I could care less about anything that this world has to offer. It’s all fading away, and in the long run, in the grand scheme of things, means absolutely nothing.
See, I have been at both ends of the spectrum. I have had much and I have had little. I have been miserable in both situations. But now that I let the love of God flow through me, I find that I can be quite content in either scenario. Paul said this same thing in Philippians chapter 4, verses 10-12. Check this out:
“How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little”. (NLT)
There are several other scriptures that come to mind and I feel like I could talk about this for hours. But here is my point: Are you tired of chasing after goals that seem impossible to reach? Have you reached certain steps on that company ladder only to find out that they are not nearly as fulfilling as you had hoped they would be? Are you happy running in the rat race that the world pressures you into? Did you know that whoever wins the rat race is just the greatest rat! Is that the title you are shooting for? My advice, spend some time with the Father. Begin to let his love flow into your heart. Renew your mind to his word and I believe you will find a brand new life for yourself. One that is filled with love, peace, joy, contentment, abundance, self-control, happiness and hope!
I am out of time but thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave your comments!
Michael
Oct 23, 2007
The Wisdom of God
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”
What is the Power of God? Well, according to this passage it is” the message of the cross”. Paul states this emphatically in the Book of Romans. Check out these scriptures found in chapter 1, verse 16.
"For I am not ashamed of this “Good News about Christ”. It is the “power of God” at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. "
The good news about Christ is that he died for us but was raised from the dead. He now pleads with God on our behalf. It Seems foolish to most people. But to those of us who believe it is the “very power of God” at work within us. Jesus became wisdom for us. He is our wisdom. It is in Him and Him alone that we are made right with God.
I used to be the kind of person that always had to figure everything out. I could not believe in something unless I could see it, touch it, feel it and understand all the intricacies of how it worked. I used to be the guy saying “God, if you are real then send me a sign. Strike me with lightning. Let me hear audible answer to my prayers, anything! Well, according to this word, this train of thought is foolishness. How can we expect that an almighty, all-knowing, ever present God, the creator of everything we can and cannot see operate on the same level as us? That’s foolishness. Check out what he says in Isaiah 55, verses 8 & 9.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Once I just let go of trying to operate in my own wisdom and opened my heart to the truth about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, my need to understand everything turned to an attitude of trust, belief and faith. Once you do this, God begins to reveal things to you that you could have never concluded in your own thinking. The Spirit Himself will reveal to you things that are unknown and the great mysteries of life.
Friends, today I encourage you to put your trust in the Good News. The Gospel of Christ. It is Power! It is Wisdom! It is Life! Choose it Today!
Thank you for visiting and feel free to leave a comment!
Oct 22, 2007
How Do You Study The Bible?
During my first quarter of school one of my classes was "How To Study The Bible". There is a huge difference between reading the bible and studying the bible. The book we used as a guideline was entitle "Bible Study Methods" by Rick Warren. I highly recommend this book to all who are serious about growing in your knowledge of God. Perhaps I will blog at a later time about the different methods he describes and some of the ways to apply those to your everyday reading.
This quarter I am taking a class called Evangelism / Making Disciples. I can tell already that this is going to be my favorite class. On the first night of class we were introduced to an entirely new way of looking at scripture as it applies to evangelism. The method seeks to discover 5 major areas of each passage of scripture. Those areas are as follow:
The Master: The Father, The Son, and or The Holy Spirit - What part did they play in this passage?
The Masses: Who specifically was this message directed to?
The Messengers: Who was it that was actually delivering the message?
The Message: What was it exactly that was being communicated?
The Method: How was the message presented?
My first passage that I studied in this method was Luke 9:1-11. Below I have posted an outline of this study. Feel free to offer additions to this list. The Lord speaks to each of us in our own way and I would be interested to see what you pull from this passage. Feel free to utilize your own version and also to offer your comments.
And now for my study.........
Scripture Passage: Luke 9:1-11 (New Living Translation)
One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick. When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead. “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” And he kept trying to see him. When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
The Master – God and His part in evangelism?
• Jesus gave the twelve disciples power to cast out demons and heal all diseases
• God provided for all their physical needs along the way
• God’s Kingdom is the reason for them being sent
The Masses – The audience of evangelism?
• Everyone
• Those who needed healing
• Those who needed deliverance from demonic influences
• Towns and villages
• Town of Bethsaida
The Messengers – Believers and their role in evangelism?
• The twelve disciples were given power and authority to cast out demons and heal all diseases
• Must depend upon God to provide all of their needs
• Must show appreciation to those who welcomed them
• Must know that not everyone will be receptive to their message
• Jesus was a messenger himself in a sense because Herod Antipas “heard” about everything he was doing.
• The apostles told Jesus about everything they had done
• Jesus taught all the crowds that followed him
The Message – What is communicated?
• The Kingdom of God
• Healing (physical, emotional, and mental) - Spirit, soul, and body.
The Method – How is the message communicated?
• Telling everyone about The Kingdom of God
• Healing those that were sick
• Preaching the Good News
• Showing respect by not moving from house to house
• Shaking the dust off their feet when leaving towns that would not receive the message
• Welcoming followers
Personal Application – Which Truth in the passage seems most important to you?
• The Kingdom of God is not just a spiritual message that will happen “some day”.
• The Kingdom of God is also physical and provides for healing of all diseases.
• The Kingdom of God is available here and now in the hearts of all who will believe
What is a practical way to apply this truth in your life?
• The same power that Jesus gave to his disciples is available to me today.
• I want to be able to operate more fully in these powers and let people know that the Kingdom of God is available right now.
• I also want to grasp more fully that God will provide for me when he has asked me to do something.
• He always makes provisions to assure his mission gets completed.
Oct 19, 2007
What are you saying?
As I mentioned in my previous posts I have been through a period of isolation during the last couple of weeks. I have been feeling lonely and depleted. I even blamed this attack on the devil. But as I was in prayer last night God reminded me that I have the power to create and the loneliness that I was experiencing was really just the result of me saying the wrong things about myself.
God's Word is full of scripture that teaches us about the power of the tongue. Proverbs says the tongue has the power to bring life or death. In Mark we are told that we can have whatsoever we say, as long as it lines up with the will of God*. In James we are told that, the like a rudder turns a huge ship, so it is with the tongue.
I am so short on time today that I don't have time to write all that I want to on this subject. I hope to be able to write a more complete blog entry this weekend. School just started back however and I have a considerable amount of reading to do. In the meantime, I encourage you to keep a close watch on your lips. Begin to speak the things that the Word says about you. There is so much power in the Word and it becomes creative power when you begin to speak it.
Remember that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; You are more than a conqueror! You are a royal priesthood! You are welcomed in the beloved! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! You are the apple of God's eye! You are without spot or blemish! Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world! You are a member of God's family! You are a friend of God!
Today I say Thank you Jesus!
In you I find my true identity!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!
*Please see commentrary
Oct 16, 2007
Satan is a Liar!
Thanks to all who have visited and left comments. I really appreciate you!
It's been quite a battle for me over the last couple of weeks. As I mentioned in my previous post Satan has been trying to keep me in isolation. He knows that I am a threat to his kingdom. He's trying to use his trickery to keep me from persevering unto God! What a liar he is!
James 4:7 tells us this:
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!
Did you know that resist means more than just ignoring Satan's temptations. Resist is an action word. It means that we have to literally fight against him. It means that we have to use all of our God-given weaponry and take affirmative action against him.
I almost fell pray to his latest attack. I have been spending much time alone, avoiding church activities, not studying the Word, not spending time in worship, dodging phone calls, etc. That's exactly where the devil wants me to be. He desires for us to feel alone. He desires for us to feel defeated. His sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.
But thank God that we have Jesus who never leaves us or forsakes us. Jesus came to give us an abundant life! And today I do resist the enemy! I do submit myself unto God! I do cast all my cares unto the Lord! I do receive the abundant life that he came to give me! It flows through every organ and every tissue of my being! I am like a tree that's planted by the rivers of water. I bring forth fruit in my season and my leaf shall not wither! Praise God!
I give God praise right now by saying publicly that I take Victory over the enemy in this battle! He is under my feet! I have taken the shield of faith and resisted all of his fiery darts!
Are you going through a similar battle today my friend? I encourage you to dig into the word of God with all you have. Even if it seems like you have to force yourself to do it. That force you feel coming against you is the enemy. But he cannot stand up against the Word. He never could and he never will! He is a defeated foe!
1 John 5:3-5
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Oct 7, 2007
Bloggers Block!
Do you ever have times when there are 100 things on your heart to share but you cannot get your fingers to relay what's on your mind? Well, that's exactly where I am. I finished first quarter of Bible School last week. I aced my final exams, I know I did. I have so many messages that I want to share but just cannot express them. Satan knows I am a threat. He's trying real hard to come against me this week. I rebuke him! He's a liar and a thief! Pray for me, please! He's trying to keep me locked up in loneliness and isolation. He's trying to tell me to leave my church. He's trying to tell me that no one is interested in what I have to say. I take authority over him in the name of Jesus!
Loneliness. What can you share with me about loneliness? I know that Jesus never leaves me or forsakes me! So why am I feeling lonely? I welcome your comments.
I will be posting a couple of very strong messages very soon. They are on my heart. They were spoken to me by God himself. They are on the tip of my tongue and fingers.
Satan I want to remind you of your future according to Revelation 20:10
"Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I'll be back with my message. You can count on it!
Oct 4, 2007
Your Spouse is Not the Enemy
Later on, when they are all sitting at the dinner table eating, he chuckles and says, "Chicken again, honey?" Suddenly, she explodes at him. "You're always criticizing me! You don't like it? Maybe you should cook dinner for the rest of the week!" The husband is genuinely taken aback. "I didn't mean anything by it, honey. What's wrong?" She rolls her eyes and mutters, "Nothing." Annoyed, the husband does not press the issue, and for the rest of the meal, both husband and wife are brooding, speaking only to the children and not to one another. They continue to ignore each other for the rest of the evening. The wife gets more and more irritated as she corrals the kids and fights to get them bathed and ready for bed while her husband works on the computer to complete an unfinished task for his job. At bedtime, husband and wife exchange a terse "Good night" and collapse on opposite sides of the bed, still irritated with one another.
If you have been married for any significant period of time, you can relate to this couple. So what went wrong?
Both husband and wife allowed the devil to influence them in this situation, turning them against each other and causing unnecessary exasperation. Satan used a spirit of offense to drive a wedge between them, and a fight that could have easily been averted ended up ruining the entire evening. The first problem was that the wife did not ask her husband for help with the children while she made dinner. Instead, she stewed silently, getting angrier and angrier while he relaxed on the sofa after a long, hard day at work. Had she let him know that she needed his help, he may well have gotten up to help her. This was the first open door that Satan took advantage of. Obviously, we see her frustration finally come out at the dinner table when her husband makes what she perceives to be an antagonistic remark. This is the result of allowing offense to build up inside of you without making any effort to resolve the situation.
Now before you husbands get too smug, let's look at where the husband went wrong! Although he may have had a hard day at work, it is obvious that he did not make the effort to communicate with his wife when he got home. He could have told her just how long a day he'd had, and she may have been more understanding of his need to relax. At the same time, as the father and head of the household, he should have made the effort to help his wife with the children without her necessarily having to ask for help. Whether he simply kept them out of the kitchen while she was cooking, helped them with their school work, or went outside to play with them, he should have taken a proactive role in helping his wife and further developing his relationship with his children.
As we ultimately see, the situation escalates outrageously, with more and more offense being sown by the enemy as the evening goes on. Eventually, husband and wife go to sleep, still angry with one another.
How can we avoid situations like this? The key is to communicate. I cannot stress enough the importance of communicating with your spouse. By communicating honestly and being transparent with one another, you will be much more successful at avoiding Satan's trap of offense in your marriage. When you are irritated or angry with your spouse, tell them! Don't let it build up inside of you to the point where you explode.
This week as you seek to build and improve upon your marriage, make it a point to communicate your feelings to one another, keeping in mind that your spouse is not the enemy, and that Satan is the one attempting to sow strife and offense into your marriage. As you become more and more accustomed to communicating and being open with one another, you will find yourselves arguing less and less, and you'll also discover an intimacy with your spouse that is beyond anything you have ever experienced together.
Oct 1, 2007
Test Time
It's been a few days since I have posted anything on this blog. I am in the final week of the first quarter of school. I have been a studying fool the last few nights. Please lift me up in prayer. I have three tests tomorrow night and three on Thursday night! I pray that the Holy Spirit will bring to my remembrance all that He has taught me.
John 14:26
"But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you."
Normally I do not just post scripture without adding some of my own commentary as to how that I have, or have attempted, to apply that passage to my life. But for lack of time I leave you with a passage on Cultivating Good Relationships. After all, that is the theme of my blog, right?
Following is the 14th. Chapter of Romans taken from the Message. Enjoy!
Romans 14 (The Message)
Cultivating Good Relationships
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently...........
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.
What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:
"As I live and breathe," God says,
"every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
that I and only I am God."
So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.
Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I'm convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.
If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don't you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!
God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don't drag them down by finding fault. You're certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God's work among you, are you? I said it before and I'll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.
Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.
Spread the Word!
