Ei, please allow me to share some insights I got from my quiet time, are you cool enough to read thru?
7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants- Matthew 13:7
And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life. – Matthew 13:22
This is true to some of us.
We accepted the Word, believed Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. But the worries of living– food on the table, tuition fee for kids, payment for mortgages and other bills prevented us from experiencing the fullness of God’s goodness.
Please allow me to illustrate, the ideal lifestyle of a Christian should have the following:
But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. — 1 John 1:7 (New Century Version)
Just want to share with you what I learned in my quiet time. I am praying for God to lead me from temptation as there are serious ones I am facing lately. As I read my bible, this passage blessed me.
So how do we maintain a clean life?
1. Have a conscious effort to live right by connecting to God.
2. But this is not enough. We must connect with other believers. Spending time with people who thinks like you, believes like you strengthens you. It’s difficult to stand your ground if your environment and the people around you thinks otherwise.
3. The two acts above will lead to further “purification”, thus sinful desires and memories are cleansed.
I was in church service early this morning, and during the offering time, I was teary eyed when my kids brought their tithe in the altar. It’s not about the religious compliance that I am happy about, but it’s the sincerity and willingness from their heart to give back to God what on the first place belongs to Him.
My kids are like ordinary kids, makulit, pasaway and a lot more. Wifey and myself prays for them regularly to spare them from youthful indiscretions that we have committed, and to protect them from the pressure of drugs, alcohol and sex.
While I was watching them do go to the altar, the Holy Spirit assured me that they will be OK, as long as they keep on giving their tithe.
Tithing is an act of submission to God, after a person is saved and born again, aside from water baptism, this is one decision that will keep their hearts tender and receptive to God. When Christians backslide, it started when they doubt the doctrine of tithing. As soon as a Christian refused to yield what belongs to God, they will soon refused to submit to His authority on the other areas of his life. Thus, a Christian may be going to church regularly every Sunday, but lives like the devil during weekdays.
In a nutshell, this is the message of Dr. David Sumrall in the services. The key to a passionate relationship with God is eternal life (with eternal life defined as experiential knowledge of God). And to experience God is to seek him.
But how do we seek God?
Discipline ourselves to daily read our bible and pray [...]
7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants- Matthew 13:7
