A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE

Jesus said, “As for everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”  (Luke 6:47-49 NIV)

No words ever written or spoken can compare with those of our Lord… Perhaps you’ve lost sight of this.

If you’ve been running low on faith, maybe it’s because you’ve been listening to the wrong people. With talk radio and television blaring 24/7, with a record number of magazines in prints, with thousands of publishers spitting out scores of books a year,… we live under a Niagara-like torrent of verbiage. But how many of those words are truly worthy of your time and attentions? How many are going to impact your life in any meaningful way? Not that many, I’m afraid.         

But one thing is sure: our Lord’s words are packed with power and, given the chance, will make a dramatic difference in your life.  

-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

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TO FOLLOW JESUS IS TO BE DIFFERENT

Christians are different. Or at least they should be.

After all, as the Apostle Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)  What a revolutionary idea: As Christians, you have been crucified with Christ. He now lives in you. That means you no longer live by the world's standards; instead, you live by faith in the Son of God. Your values will differ from the world's values. When the world says, "If it feels good, do it," Jesus says, "Deny yourself and follow Me." When the world says, "I gotta be me," Jesus says, "You are My sheep, My flock." When the world says, "Do unto others, and then split," Jesus says, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." To follow Jesus is to be different.

In other words, Jesus wants your heart and your soul. He yearns to free you from the awful bondage of serving only yourself and seeking only your advantage. He envisions yours as a heart that desire God and His pleasure most of all.

That's what Paul means in Galatians 5:16 when he says, "Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh." The-best-version-of-yourself will live by faith in God rather that faith in yourself or in the powers of this world. As a result, your behaviors, values, and priorities will change.

-- Allen R. Hunt in Nine Words

#3895

A FOUNDATION FOR UNITY

A pure heart is a heart redirected toward the love of God and neighbor. It is uncluttered in its adoration of God and has a single-minded desire to do His will in everything. This sense of direction is an inner reality, welling up from inside. In fact, the love of God becomes so real that it completely overlooks trivial matters such as denominational differences in the church, or varying views of worship. Purity of heart is a foundation for unity of all Christians in Christ.

-- Jerry Mercer in Cry Joy!


#3365

AN EXERCISE OF LOVE

It makes a great difference in our feelings towards others if their needs and their joys are on our lips in prayer; as also it makes a vast difference in their feelings towards us if they know that we are in the habit of praying for them.  There is no chasm in society that cannot be firmly and permanently bridged by intercession; there is no feud or dislike that cannot be healed by the same exercise of love.

-- Charles H. Brent (1862-1929)


#3326