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He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

• There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.


• The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.


• In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)


• It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.


• The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.


• I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?


• I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.


• Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.


• If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

We know we are supposed to focus our thoughts on Jesus. But how does this apply to our daily life? Jesus tells us to imagine building a house:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25)

What happens if we do not put God’s words into practice? Jesus warns us of the consequences:

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:26-27)

Focusing our thoughts and then letting Godly actions spring from those thoughts is the essence of a fulfilled life. Our thoughts and actions must be aligned. We cannot think one way and act another or we will end up torn apart. But when our thoughts and actions work together, our faith and experience turn hope into God’s manifest reality. And our worldly desires are destroyed.

This is an important step to take as believers. When our thoughts and actions work together we can see evidence of our growing spiritual maturity. God wants us to grow. He has bestowed his gifts to us for this purpose.

“To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13)

Our faith is mature when we experience the fullness of Christ. Our desire to be filled with his fullness increases daily as we grow to see God’s glory, his wonder, his beauty, and his worth. When we mature, our thoughts and actions spring forth from the fullness of Christ, and we allow him to be our joy and our portion. Our imaginations are integrated with him.

Therefore, we must mature spiritually just as we mature physically and emotionally. In order to mature physically we need nutrition and conditioning. Maturing spiritually is no different. Spiritual nutrition comes from the word of God. Spiritual conditioning comes from aligning our thoughts and actions with his will.

How do we know that we are maturing in Christ? Hear the warning written by James:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says.” (James 1:22)

James tells us we must act out our faith or our faith is without maturity. We are mature when our house is built on the foundation of the word and our actions flow from that foundation.

We also need to examine the motives behind our actions. Are our actions guided by Christ or by selfish desires? The apostle Peter exhorts us to right motivation.

“If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:11)

God has promised that he will provide for us now and for eternity. When we are totally in love with Christ and are faithfully focused on him, we will be blessed with riches beyond our wildest imaginations! Therefore, it is essential that each of us has a circumcision of the heart, cutting away selfish ambition and being filled with God’s Spirit. Then our actions flow from his will and we mature spiritually.

What are your imaginations? Is your thinking based on what is above the water line, or what is below? Is your cup half way full or half way empty? Actions based on external priorities reveal a lack of Christian growth. Remember only the internal spiritual realities and your relationship with God live forever.

Living for God is easy, pray all-ways and always remember URLVD

URLVD

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