WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE
“Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
-- 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
When you pick up a Bible and a read passage like Isaiah 6:3 that says, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” what do you think the word “holy” means?
Well, in both the Old and New Testaments, whether we’re talking about God’s holiness or ours, the word “holy” doesn’t just mean good behavior. No, it means completely set apart and distinct from the status quo!
It’s unfortunate that today we don’t hear a great deal of preaching about being set apart because there are so many Christians today that are like chameleons, changing colors with every crowd they’re in. They’re just like the world rather than being different from the world.
But Christ calls us to a higher standard. And when you live a life that’s noticeably different from the world around you, you’ll experience the joy that God wants you to have. He doesn’t want you to be separated so you’ll miss out on all the fun. He wants you to find true fulfillment in him!
Some people today have just enough religion to make them miserable. They’ve got the world with one hand and Jesus with the other hand. They get the least of both worlds and the best of neither! But if you’ll let go of this world and with both hands cling to the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll find the unspeakable joy that can only be attained through unhindered fellowship with God.
THE SCRIPTURE CALLS YOU TO LIVE NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD AROUND YOU. WHEN YOU DO, YOU’LL FIND UNSPEAKABLE JOY IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
THE JOY OF BEING FULLY KNOWN BY OTHERS
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
-- John 15:15
Emotionally speaking, there are three basic needs that every single person has: the need to be loved, the need to be understood, and the need to be needed. And I’m convinced that today in OUR SOCIETY, we are seeing the largest gap ever between the amount of emotional need we have and the amount that need is being fulfilled.
The reason this is such a problem in our culture today is that people delude themselves into thinking they have strong friendships, yet they don’t really ‘know’ anyone. They desire emotional closeness but only practice emotional closed-ness by shutting others out.
People want to be loved, understood, and needed. But they refuse to first be known.
Even Jesus had these emotional needs. If anyone could’ve lived life in isolation, it would have been Jesus. Yet he understood these key needs and he surrounded himself with people he called “friends.”
It’s so important that you and I as believers in Christ surround ourselves with people we also call friends. I don’t mean casual acquaintances that you only see every now and then. I’m talking about building intentional relationships with others and truly bearing one another’s burdens in life (Galatians 6:2).
So find people who you can care for and who can care for you, and grow together in Christ. You’ll be amazed when you find out what it’s like to be fully known!
GOD CREATED YOU TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY, SO BUILD INTENTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
-- John 15:15
Emotionally speaking, there are three basic needs that every single person has: the need to be loved, the need to be understood, and the need to be needed. And I’m convinced that today in OUR SOCIETY, we are seeing the largest gap ever between the amount of emotional need we have and the amount that need is being fulfilled.
The reason this is such a problem in our culture today is that people delude themselves into thinking they have strong friendships, yet they don’t really ‘know’ anyone. They desire emotional closeness but only practice emotional closed-ness by shutting others out.
People want to be loved, understood, and needed. But they refuse to first be known.
Even Jesus had these emotional needs. If anyone could’ve lived life in isolation, it would have been Jesus. Yet he understood these key needs and he surrounded himself with people he called “friends.”
It’s so important that you and I as believers in Christ surround ourselves with people we also call friends. I don’t mean casual acquaintances that you only see every now and then. I’m talking about building intentional relationships with others and truly bearing one another’s burdens in life (Galatians 6:2).
So find people who you can care for and who can care for you, and grow together in Christ. You’ll be amazed when you find out what it’s like to be fully known!
GOD CREATED YOU TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY, SO BUILD INTENTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.
FINDING COMFORT IN SEASONS OF LONELINESS
Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
-- Psalm 102:1-2
For most people, November and December are the happiest months of the year. I know it’s true for me. I love this season of the year when we give thanks. Then we enter into that time of celebration of Christ who came into the world that we might have eternal life. And after that, we get to celebrate a brand new year!
But on the other hand, it’s a very unhappy time of the year for many as well. In fact, statistics tell us that there are more suicides and depression from Thanksgiving to the beginning of January than at any other time of the year. So what’s the culprit that’s stealing so much joy?
I truly believe that one of the biggest causes of this great unhappiness that’s so evident is loneliness. The same season that reminds most of us of joy evokes in others painful memories of lost loved ones or bad family experiences. Many men and women feel just exactly as the psalmist felt in today’s passage and they cry out to God and ask him to be near!
As you begin a new year, you may be going through a time of loneliness and pain. But thanks to Jesus Christ, you have a God who is near, not distant. And because of that, you can have full confidence that he hears you when you call!
IN THE MIDST OF LONELINESS, CRY OUT TO THE LORD BECAUSE HE IS NEAR.
Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
-- Psalm 102:1-2
For most people, November and December are the happiest months of the year. I know it’s true for me. I love this season of the year when we give thanks. Then we enter into that time of celebration of Christ who came into the world that we might have eternal life. And after that, we get to celebrate a brand new year!
But on the other hand, it’s a very unhappy time of the year for many as well. In fact, statistics tell us that there are more suicides and depression from Thanksgiving to the beginning of January than at any other time of the year. So what’s the culprit that’s stealing so much joy?
I truly believe that one of the biggest causes of this great unhappiness that’s so evident is loneliness. The same season that reminds most of us of joy evokes in others painful memories of lost loved ones or bad family experiences. Many men and women feel just exactly as the psalmist felt in today’s passage and they cry out to God and ask him to be near!
As you begin a new year, you may be going through a time of loneliness and pain. But thanks to Jesus Christ, you have a God who is near, not distant. And because of that, you can have full confidence that he hears you when you call!
IN THE MIDST OF LONELINESS, CRY OUT TO THE LORD BECAUSE HE IS NEAR.
MAKE AN ETERNAL IMPACT WITH YOUR MOMENTARY LIFE
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
-- James 4:13-16
Life goes by so quickly, doesn’t it? An old friend of mine said it best when he told me, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!” I remember when I was younger and a year seemed like forever. But now, it’s like January 1st comes earlier and earlier each year!
The Scripture confirms this truth in today’s passage where you and I are called a “mist.” Now, what does that mean? Well, simply put, our lives are a momentary flash in the grand scheme of eternity. Our time on this earth is as temporary as a morning fog that burns off as soon as the sun rises.
But don’t be deceived into thinking that your vapor of a life can’t make an eternal impact! While your life is short, God wants to use you to make a difference for his Kingdom. He’s given you the very important responsibility of loving him and leading others to him.
So as you enter a new year, be reminded of the brevity of your life in the face of eternity. But also, be encouraged that this life isn’t all there is! And let that create in you a sense of urgency for leading others to Christ.
LIFE IS SHORT, BUT YOUR LIFE CAN MAKE AN ETERNAL IMPACT WHEN YOU LIVE IT OUT IN CHRIST!
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
-- James 4:13-16
Life goes by so quickly, doesn’t it? An old friend of mine said it best when he told me, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!” I remember when I was younger and a year seemed like forever. But now, it’s like January 1st comes earlier and earlier each year!
The Scripture confirms this truth in today’s passage where you and I are called a “mist.” Now, what does that mean? Well, simply put, our lives are a momentary flash in the grand scheme of eternity. Our time on this earth is as temporary as a morning fog that burns off as soon as the sun rises.
But don’t be deceived into thinking that your vapor of a life can’t make an eternal impact! While your life is short, God wants to use you to make a difference for his Kingdom. He’s given you the very important responsibility of loving him and leading others to him.
So as you enter a new year, be reminded of the brevity of your life in the face of eternity. But also, be encouraged that this life isn’t all there is! And let that create in you a sense of urgency for leading others to Christ.
LIFE IS SHORT, BUT YOUR LIFE CAN MAKE AN ETERNAL IMPACT WHEN YOU LIVE IT OUT IN CHRIST!
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