God's Throne

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
"God insists that He set up His throne in the heart, and reign in it, without a rival. If we keep Him from His right, it will not matter by what competitor."
... William Wilberforce (1759-1833), Wilberforce committed himself to two ambitious callings: rousing professing Christians to understand the nature of true faith, and bringing about the end of slavery in England's colonies. His book, Real Christianity stirred the consciences of Christians in England

Criticism

Criticism. You dread it. I dread it. Who doesn’t?
In fact, it can completely derail your day, your week, and your work.
So what do you do when it comes your way?
1. Don’t Respond for 24 Hours. Just Don’t.
2. Ask Yourself: Is There Any Truth in This?
3. Own What You Can.

Great leaders assume responsibility. Weak leaders blame.
I found this from Carey Nieuwhof
 5 Ways to Make Criticism Sting Less

http://careynieuwhof.com/2014/09/3-ways-make-criticism-sting-less-help/

In honor of Labor Day

Article adapted from Cripplegate.com

http://thecripplegate.com/labor-daze-4-truths-not-covered-in-job-orientation/

"In honor of Labor Day here are four truths your PR department probably didn’t cover in your orientation package…"


God created man to work [the Garden] and before sin entered, it was very rewarding.

1. Work is a gift
Ecclesiastes 2:24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. {should make...: or, delight his senses} 3:22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?


2. Work has been cursed However since sin entered, "That said, work bites."
Ecclesiastes 2:18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. … 22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? 23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. 6:7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. {appetite: Heb. soul}


3. Work is not always for moneyProverbs 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

"Though her remuneration is less tangible than a paper paycheck, her industrious contribution to the family and society and God’s kingdom should be valued beyond the spot price of gold."

4. Work is about worship   Colossians 3:22

Servants, [interns/secretaries/cubicle dwellers] obey in all things your masters [shift-leaders/project managers/ board of directors according to the flesh; not with eye-service [e.g. minimizing your Facebook window as your boss walks in the door],, as men-pleasers [brown-noses],; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men [wages/profit-sharing/commission],; 24 Knowing that of the Lord [not your union and not your retirement fund] ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Repeating God's Message

In expository preaching the preacher’s first aim is to discover the text writer’s intended theological meaning in the selected text. We preachers tend to search the Bible for a sermon. We hope for something to leap out at us that will preach. But a program of expository preaching calls for the preacher to aim for a clear understanding of the text writer’s meaning. Only out of that theological message can he properly preach an expository sermon.  http://www.lifeway.com/pastorstoday


May we all be found faithful in presenting God's Word without alteration, bias or preference, when facing God's people

Lacking Faith?

  .
Faith - The powerful gift you have already received! From Larry Sparks

Here is some really good news that I pray will bring you great relief: You don't need MORE faith. There's no super-sized faith that we need to constantly be begging God to give us. Remember, the very reason you received faith to begin with was because of God's free and unmerited grace." 

 

Bored Listeners

One of the areas that all of who speak to God's people on Sunday is preventing ourselves from boring people.  I read an illustration years ago about a student presenting a paper in class. After about 10 minutes, the student noticed that the prof had dozed off.  Frustrated the student chided the prof for not paying attention so he could evaluate the presentation. The prof smiled and said "my dozing off is my commentary on your presentation."

Attention spans aren't really shrinking. People just don't have time for boring. - 
10 minutes of boring is 10 minutes too long. 1 hour of fascinating isn't nearly enough. - 
Carey Nieuwhof

Without Faith

I found this illustration Fresh Ministry

They say that the Tower of Pisa in Italy is one of the most famous buildings in the world

But it has a "little problem".

It’s foundation was too shallow to hold the building up on the soft soil it was built on. The tower has stood for over 800 years, but it leans 18 feet off center. One day - experts say - it will fall.

All because it wasn’t built on the right foundation

Hebrews 11:6 says that "WITHOUT FAITH it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

The foundation of our relationship with Jesus is faith.

Unless we exercise faith in that relationship with Christ there is a shallowness to our foundation. We can tend to lean off center… and even fall over as Christians.

John 4:27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

Quotation:
There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord; but few of us willing to do little things... Look at that wonderful sermon that [Jesus] preached to that lone woman at the well of Samaria. He was tired and weary, but he had time and the heart to preach to her. This is but one of many instances in the life of the Master from which we may learn a precious lesson. If the Son of God had time to preach to one soul, cannot every one of us go and do the same?

... Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899), The Gospel Awakening, Chicago: Fairbanks and Palmer Publishing Company, 1885, p. 154

Walking By Faith

 2 Cor 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight)
His parents' faith, following Abraham's patter, simply trusted God. Hebrews 11.20
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

 "by means of" They took action to demonstrate their faith
Do we have an active or inactive faith?