Chan - God's Will?

“I think a lot of us need to forget about God’s will for my life. God cares more about our response to his Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions. It is easy to use the phrase ‘God’s will for my life’ as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience. It’s much less demanding to think about God’s will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. It’s safer to commit to following him someday instead of this day. To be honest I believe part of the desire to ‘know God’s will for my life’ is birthed in fear and results in paralysis.” (120)

God wants to listen to his Spirit on a daily basis, and even throughout the day, as difficult and as stretching moments arise, and in the midst of the mundane. My hope is that instead of searching for ‘God’s will for my life,’ each of us would learn to seek hard after ‘the Spirit’s leading in my life today.’” (120)

“The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow him to the cross, to true Life.”

Worley- Why?

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Patrick Willis

Calvin on Divorce

John Calvin:
“They who, for slight causes, rashly allow of divorces, violate, in one single particular, all the laws of nature, and reduce them to nothing. If we should make it a point of conscience not to separate a father from his son, it is still greater wickedness to dissolve the bond which God has preferred to all others.” –John Calvin’s commentary on Genesis 2:24


(Denny Burke)

Beast!

Are you a Bigot??

Eric Metaxas said:

Tolerance used to be defined as a willingness to put up with the beliefs or practices of those with whom we disagree. Today, tolerance means we must accept the beliefs and practices of others as correct — or risk being called a bigot. It’s interesting that this redefinition of tolerance almost always involves debates over homosexuality — and it always seems to be people on just one side of the debate calling those with whom they disagree “intolerant.”

I mean, when was the last time you heard a Christian accusing a gay-rights activist of intolerance because he refused to acknowledge that biblical teachings about homosexuality are correct?

And now we’re seeing the same kind of redefinition going on regarding the word bullying. If you so much as whisper that you believe that true marriage can take place only between one man and one woman, you’re accused of bullying.

Three Responses to Same-Sex Attractions

by Tim Wilkins  

In most cases, same-sex attractions are not chosen. They probably result from many complex factors over a period of time. One of the mysteries of life is that we don’t get to choose what we are tempted by. Someone has said, “I can resist everything except temptation.” The Bible clearly states all are tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads, “But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Note that Paul said “but when you are tempted” not “if.” The fact is that temptation is inevitable and though we may not choose to be tempted by something, we do choose our response to the temptation.

There are at least three responses to same-sex attractions. This brief article is not meant to answer all the questions surrounding homosexuality, but to provide an understanding of what we can do when homosexual temptation rears its ugly head.

One response is to repress it! From a psychological perspective, repress means to “to exclude (painful or unpleasant memories, for example) from the conscious mind.” Repressing same-sex attractions is like trying to hold a large beach ball under the water forever. Although it can be done for short periods of time, it’s an exhausting task and requires almost undivided attention. Many men and women who are tempted by homosexuality mistakenly think they have mastered this technique. They never really deal with the issue; rather they try to keep it in check, until one day they give in to a second response.

They express it! They give in and act on the temptation; what follows is a snowball effect. Very soon one act of indiscretion takes control and they find themselves imprisoned. The brief sexual pleasure becomes the dominating factor in their life. Career, healthy friendships, hobbies begin to suffer. As a wise sage said, “The devil will take you farther than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay.”

Fortunately there is a third response to same-sex attractions. Confess it! John the Apostle wrote “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Confessing a temptation or sin to God is agreeing with God that it is wrong. It is not a sin to struggle with temptation; it is a sin to give in to temptation.

A wonderful thing happens when we agree with God that He is right. His power is unleashed in our lives to keep us from giving into the temptation. Additionally, James 5:16 reads, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” You say you cannot tell anyone your struggle? Yes you can, but it takes time to find a mature Christian who will listen. Take the first step and He will provide light for each subsequent step.

(cross ministry)