"[Jesus] said to him the third time, 'Simon, son
of Jonah, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third
time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You
know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.' " (John 21:17 NKJV)
I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter
was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or
even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks".
"So
if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV)
I
am entirely ready to have the chains that keep me bound be broken.I am entirely ready for the walls I've built
around myself to be torn down.I am
entirely ready to give up my need to control every situation.I am entirely ready to let go of my
resentments.I am entirely ready to grow
up.
Greed
is really an attitude, which means it is possible for anyone to be greedy.
Whether you have a lot or a little, you will always want more. Credit only
becomes the vehicle for fueling our greed. At its root is a lack of contentment
with the provisions of God. Unlike the apostle Paul, we have not become good at
being content in whatever state we find ourselves.
--
Bruce Howard, Chair of WheatonCollege's Business and
Economics Department, in ChristianityToday.com
Finding words to adequately define the promptings of the
Holy Spirit is no easy feat.Promptings
are mystical.They are phenomenal.They are intangible.And they're real.In fact, promptings have been present in the
lives of Christ-followers since Jesus left his bodily form on earth and
ascended to heaven.Remember?That was the day when He sent the Spirit of
God to take up residence in the heart of every believer."You will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you," He said. (It should clue us in to the challenging
nature of our mission that Christ would need to send a permanent source of supernatural
power to assist us.) But what exactly was this power all about?The rest of the story from Acts 1:8 explains
that Christ-followers have a mission while here on earth.They are to be Christ's witnesses all over
this planet.It's as if Christ said,
"Think you're missing the book smarts, the street smarts, the looks, the
talent, or the speaking ability to accomplish this mission?Don't be concerned with those things, because
you have my mountain-moving, life-transforming, death-defying power on your
side."