Have You Left Your First Love? July 19, 2008

40 Evidences That You May Have

Left Your First Love

 

1. You can go hours or days without having more than a passing thought of Him.

2. You don’t have a strong desire to spend time with Him.

3. You don’t have a strong hunger for the Word; Bible reading is a “chore” - something to mark off your “to do” list.

4. Spending time in prayer is a burden/duty rather than a delight.

5. Your worship is formal, dry, lifeless, merely going through the motions.

6. Private prayer and worship are almost non-existent . . . cold and dry.

7. You are more concerned about physical health, well-being, and comfort than about the wellbeing and condition of your soul.

8. You crave physical food, while having little appetite for spiritual food.

9. You crave human companionship more than a relationship with Christ.

10. You spend more time and effort on your physical appearance than on cultivating inner spiritual beauty to please Christ.

11. Your heart toward Christ is cold and indifferent; not tender as it once was, not easily moved by the Word, talk of spiritual things, etc.

12. Christianity is more of a checklist than a relationship with Christ.

13. You measure spirituality (yours/others’) by performance rather than the condition of the heart.

14. Christianity is defined more what by what you “do” than who you “are” (”doing” vs. “being”).

15. Your obedience and service are motivated and fueled by expectations of others or a desire to impress others, more than by passion for Christ.

16. You are more concerned about what others think and pleasing them, than about what God knows and pleasing Christ.

17. Your service for Christ and others is motivated by a sense of duty or obligation.

18. You find yourself becoming resentful over the hardships and demands of serving Christ and others.

19. You can talk with others about kids, marriage, weather, and the news, but struggle to talk about the Lord and spiritual matters.

20. You have a hard time coming up with something fresh to share in a testimony service at church or when someone asks, “What’s God been doing in your life?”

21. You are formal, rigid, and up-tight about spiritual things, rather than joyful and winsome.

22. You are critical or harsh toward those who are doctrinally off-base or living in sin.

23. You enjoy secular songs, movies, and books more than songs or reading material that point you to Christ.

24. You prefer the company of people who don’t love Christ, to the company and fellowship of those who do.

25. You are more interested in recreation, entertainment, and having “fun” than in cultivating intimacy with Christ through worship, prayer, the Word, and Christian fellowship.

26. You display attitudes or are involved in activities that you know are contrary to Scripture, but you continue in them anyway.

27. You justify “small” areas of disobedience or compromise.

28. You have been drawn back into sin habits that you put off when you were a young believer.

29. “Little” things that used to disturb your conscience, no longer do.

30. You are slow to respond to conviction over sin - or you ignore it altogether.

31. You enjoy certain sins and want to hang onto them. You are unwilling to give them up for Christ.

32. You are not grieved by sin - it’s no big deal to you.

33. You are consistently allured by certain sins.

34. You are self-righteous–more concerned about sin in others’ lives than in your own.

35. You are more concerned about having the right position than the right disposition.

36. You tend to hold tightly to money and things, rather than being quick to give to meet the needs of others.

37. You rarely give sacrificially to the Lord’s work.

38. You rarely have a desire or burden to give, when you hear of legitimate financial needs within the Body, your church, or a ministry.

39. Accumulating and maintaining material “things” consumes more time and effort on your part than seeking after and cultivating spiritual riches.

40. You have broken relationships with other believers that you are unwilling or have not attempted to reconcile.

Revelation 2:1-7

1To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

 

© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.ReviveOurHearts.com

Info@ReviveOurHearts.com\

My Thoughts Aloud June 28, 2008

From the point of conversation, what is it about the Lord that is able to choose and keep us?  At times, I “feel” incapable of living the Christian life, because I struggle with my devotion and prayer life.  There have been areas in my life (thoughts & deeds) that I have tried to “sanctify and purify” myself, and due to the work of self (nothing of myself), it was with limited success.  I’ve come to realize that the Lord has to do the work for a permanent sanctification and purification.  Without taking advantage of the forgiveness & grace of my Lord, the reason why I’m a Christian is because I’m not perfect.  It is a perfect Lord that I learn to love and follow all the days of my life.

The Scripture in mind is Philippians 1:5-7 (English Standard Version)

5^(A) because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began^(B) a good work in you^(C) will bring it to completion at^(D) the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you^(E) in my heart, for you are all^(F) partakers with me of grace,^[a] both^(G) in my imprisonment and in^(H) the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

 

The Lord has saved me, and is saving me… April 11, 2008

Being raised and living a life as an unbeliever in a family of dysfunction, I would find myself questioning if there is a God and if so, what is He like? I remember as a fifth grader coming home and asking my mom, “What religion are we?” “Roman Catholic”, she replied. I was pretty happy about that, because my friends were Catholic. I was already an out-cast in school, so to “fit-in” I blindly and immediately accepted Catholicism as my faith, yet not understanding anything about it. (I was still an out-cast as I claimed Catholicism) I remember as a sophomore in English class, I simply ask a girl sitting behind me, “Who is Jesus?” “Jesus is God”, she replied. As I turned forward in my desk, I thought to myself, “Okay, Jesus is God” and accepted it as fact. It was evident that I wanted to meet the God of the universe, but I just didn’t know how, when or where I would find Him.

At the age of 18, I find myself dating a man that is backslidden and “running” from God…so he thought. He never mentioned God or His nature, but yet questions still arose in my mind, so I would ask him. On our first date at Navy Pier in Chicago on July 24th, 1999, I found myself staring and gazing at the stars. As I looked towards the Heavens, I ask my date if he belief in God. In a short and brief response he said, “Yes”, not want to discuss God. As our relationship progressed, I later began to ask about Christ’s humanity. His dual nature of humanity and yet being God was fascinating.

It is the Lord that sought me and brought me to His saving grace three years after my first date with the man that I have spoken of. The Lord revealed Himself to me, and I humbly accepted His Lordship and Salvation on August 23, 2002. He brought me from a life of self-destruction and damage of sin, and invited me into the fold, the family of God. The man I was dating recommitted his life to the Lord just two days later, August 25, 2002 and we committed our relationship in a covenant with God in marriage on September 29, 2002. Praise God!

PRAISE GOD, FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW
DOXOLOGY
By: Thomas Ken

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Bible Quiz’s January 20, 2008

I stumbled on some Bible Quiz’s.  Check it out and take a shot at one of them.

http://www.theologywebsite.com/quiz/quizidx.shtml

Lessons January 12, 2008

By: Regina Brett The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , OhioTo celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It’s the most-requested column I’ve ever written.
My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here’s an update:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

 

 

Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year or On Your Birthday January 4, 2008

Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year or On Your Birthday

Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. “Consider your ways!” (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.

Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It’s so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we’re going and where we should be going.

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

In addition to these ten questions, here are twenty-one more to help you “Consider your ways.” Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month.

11. What’s the most important decision you need to make this year?

12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what’s one way you could simplify in that area?

13. What’s the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?

14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?

15. Who do you most want to encourage this year?

16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?

17. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?

18. What’s one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?

19. What’s one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?

20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?

21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?

22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?

23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?

24. What’s the most important trip you want to take this year?

25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?

26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?

27. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?

28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?

29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?

30. What’s the most important new item you want to buy this year?

31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

The value of many of these questions is not in their profundity, but in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by articulating which person you most want to encourage this year is more likely to help you remember to encourage that person than if you hadn’t considered the question.

If you’ve found these questions helpful, you might want to put them someplace—in a day planner, PDA, calendar, bulletin board, etc.—where you can review them more frequently than once a year.

So let’s evaluate our lives, make plans and goals, and live this new year with biblical diligence, remembering that, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage” (Proverbs 21:5). But in all things let’s also remember our dependence on our King who said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Copyright © 2003 Donald S. Whitney.

http://www.spiritualdisciplines.org/NewYear.html

Will You Go Out Without Knowing? January 3, 2008

January 2, 2008

He went out, not knowing where he was going —Hebrews 11:8

Have you ever “gone out” in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, “What do you expect to do?” You don’t know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to “go out” in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don’t know what God is going to do next. Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to “go out,” building your confidence in God. “. . . do not worry about your life . . . nor about the body . . .” (Luke 12:22). In other words, don’t worry about the things that concerned you before you did “go out.”

Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do— He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you “go out” in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is! Let the attitude of your life be a continual willingness to “go out” in dependence upon God, and your life will have a sacred and inexpressible charm about it that is very satisfying to Jesus. You must learn to “go out” through your convictions, creeds, or experiences until you come to the point in your faith where there is nothing between yourself and God.

Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ Jesus? December 31, 2007

If you are reading this, I would assume that my title has captured your attention.  Nevertheless, I just present a question that we all, Christians, should pounder. 

 

Are you, am I, growing in the grace and knowledge our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus? 

 

2 Peter 3:18 (KJV) But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 

 

In the 2 Peter 3:17, Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us “…to beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness”.  After we are warned of being led by the wicked, we are told here that it would be of our own doing (“fall from your own stedfastness”).  Therefore, if we find ourselves in error, we should understand that it was a lack of our own stedfastness in the living word of God.  In verse 18, we are told how we are to deflect such an injury to ourselves.  We are to toil for our spiritual growth, which is growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by reading the word of God.  When we become aware of the grace God has so graciously showered on us, we then shall study the word of God, which alone should be the strongest desire in our lives.  Bring it down to a humanistic stand-point; have you ever watched a talk-show about how someone rescued an individual from a severe mishap or even in a life or death situation?  Well, the survivor usually has this innate desire to know who rescued them and gain a full understanding of the situation they were in.  Saying that, if we are truly believers in the Lord Christ Jesus, then we ought to get to know Him and have an unmistakable understanding of what He has saved us from.  The creation has the invitation to be friends with the Creator.  Praise Ye the Lord!   

 

I encourage you to read your Holy Bible, according to Scripture, you will defiantly grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  (Notice He must be your Lord before He is your Savior!)