Thoughts to Consider
By Randall E Howard
Below are simple encouragements that we hope will be a blessing to you.
They are thoughts to consider on relevant topics for your life.
May God use these to edify you this week.
GOSPEL CENTERED LIVING
Gospel centered living is to be the new norm for every believer without exception. The Gospel is the truth about King and Kingdom. It is the very thing that settles our hearts, secures our hope and sends us forth to search out the harvest. How is the gospel impacting your life on a daily basis?
DOUBLE MINDEDNESS
A double-minded man is one with no settled principles, but controlled purely by his emotions. He is fickle, inconsistent and lacks discipline in his life. The opposite of this is what the Psalmist says:
“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” (Psalms 57:7)
“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” Psalms 108:1)
“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” (Psalms 112:7)
The heart of a devoted Christian is a fixed heart that is determined, disciplined and steadfast always faithful and abounding in the Lord! When our hearts are not FIXED on God, we become FORGETFUL of God! When we become forgetful of God, then we will do whatever we think is right in our own eyes.
WAITING ON GOD
Waiting is not just something we have to do while we get what we want. Waiting is the process of becoming what God wants us to be. What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for. Waiting, biblical waiting, is not a passive waiting around for something to happen that will allow us to escape our troubles. Waiting does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It is not a way to evade unpleasant reality. Those who wait are those who are obedient and faithful to serve in the meantime because they trust Yahweh rather than themselves. The farmer can wait all summer for his harvest because he has been faithful to sow seed and water plants. Those who wait on God can go about their assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and conclusions to their lives and the harvest to their toil. Waiting is the confident, disciplined, expectant, active, and sometimes painful clinging to God.
CHURCH ON FIRE
There’s a story about a town atheist who was not a bad man, he just didn’t believe. He was not interested in church and there was only one church in the area. It was a cold, dead church more like a social club with no real commitment, no prayer and no lives being changed. One day the church building caught on fire, and the whole town ran toward it to help extinguish the flames including the town atheist!
Someone hollered out: “Hey, this is something new for you, the first time we’ve ever seen you running to church!” He replied, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the church on fire!”
May we each cry out for the fire of God’ Spirit to burn in and upon our lives today!
THE PURPOSE OF PREACHING
The purpose of preaching is to bring conviction not condemnation. The unbeliever (according to John 3) is already condemned. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit simply reveals to people that they are condemned in their sin so that they will come to a place of confession, repentance and belief. Holy Spirit then moves one from condemnation to conversion; from conversion to consecration; from consecration to commitment. How precious and powerful are the gospel and the Holy Spirit!
PASSION
Passion is a strong and energetic motivation within us directed toward something of great importance to our heart. True passion is what alerts the senses and provokes us to action. Jesus’ passion was to do the will of the Father! Every day of His life was geared toward the fulfillment of what the Father sent Him to do on earth. So it is with each of us. God has created you for a reason and has placed in you a sense of urgency to meet your destiny head on. Jesus’ passion was never more evident than in the Garden of Gethsemane when His prayer was so deep and agonizing that it brought forth from His body sweat mingled with blood flowing from His pores. Everything within Him was moving up and out toward the ultimate will of His Father - the redemption of a fallen race. May we have the passion to praise Him and proclaim Him! May we love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.
