Or Maybe We Shouldn't Stop at Seventeen
Khen Lim
1: I Am Teachable
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We
are forever learning; we don’t stop learning till we die
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To be teachable is to want
to learn; to not want to learn is to suggest that
we are smart enough; if we’re not willing to learn, we are not teachable
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Knowledge
and the application of knowledge leads to wisdom and understanding; when God asked Solomon what he wished if he had a
choice, he said “wisdom”
“Choose instruction instead of silver and knowledge rather than
choice gold…” (Proverbs 8:10)
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What we learn is important
– don’t learn for the
sake of learning; learn because we want to grow in Christ; learn so that we can
be better testimony to Christ; learn so that we can be of service to others;
learn so that we may teach worthily to others; learn so that we can right our wrongs
and not repeat our mistakes; learn so that one day, our chance will come for us
to prove our worthiness
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Make
our learning experience one that is worthy of Christ and through us, we can
then help to equip others
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Knowledge serves us a
lifetime; material
wealth perishes and fades
“If we work upon marble, it will
perish. If we work upon brass, time will efface it. If we rear
temples, they will crumble to dust. But, if we work upon men’s immortal minds,
if we imbue them with high principles, with the just awe of God, with
the love of their fellowmen, we engrave on those tablets something which no
time can efface and which will brighten and brighten to eternity.” (Daniel
Webster, American statesman, b.1782 d.1852)
2: I Am Responsible
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Be accountable for our
actions; own up to what
we have done and said
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Take
stock of who we are and aren’t; don’t allow others to suffer because of our
irresponsibility
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Let
responsibility and not irresponsibility define our character; let it be a
benchmark that people identify us as
“The price of
greatness is responsibility.” (Winston Churchill)
“Brothers and
sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain
in the situation they were in when God called them.” (1 Corinthians 7:24)
3: I Have Worthwhile Goals
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Have
a sure direction in life and aim to achieve them; do not wander about and not
know what to do; Christ has directed that we must make something positive out
(worthwhile) of our individual lives
“I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:14)
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To aim for something worthy
in life is to set our
bar high but still reachable if we put our effort into it; if something is so
easily achievable, there is not much value in it because everyone would be able
to attain it; on the other end, something so worthwhile doing is always going
to demand more from you
“The greatest danger for most of us is
not that our aim is too high and we miss it but that it is too low and we
reach it.” (Michelangelo)
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While
we’re talking about goals, ask yourself if these are materialistic or spiritual
goals; whether these goals are worthy of Christ; do they appeal to
Christ? Do they make you a better Christian as a result of these goals?
4: I Have Discipline
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We
are called to have discipline, to withstand the temptations and distractions
of the world and to make sure we do not lose our attention to God
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Real
discipline comes when you have to call upon your own self to do something and
to get it done without
seeking glory or publicity
“Whenever you are to do a thing, though
it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were
all the world looking at you, and act accordingly.” (Thomas Jefferson)
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Discipline
against provocations and sweating over the small stuff so that we may be good
testimony to God
“It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness
and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives in this present age…” (Titus 2:12)
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Poor discipline gives us an
undesirable reputation
and that reputation is as visible as our shame; it shames God as well
“What kills a skunk is the
publicity it gives itself.” (Abraham Lincoln)
5: I Am Wise
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To be wise is to know to
fear God; to fear God
helps us to maintain the straight and narrow
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom; all who
follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs
eternal praise.” (Psalm 111:10)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
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The
Bible tells us that wisdom and fear are connected even if this is
something the world doesn’t understand, refuses to accept and turns their back
on
“Now all has been heard; here is the
conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for
this is the duty of all mankind.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
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You
can be very driven to achieve something and you may believe you are smart and
intelligent but
if you live your life with no regard or fear for God, you are eventually not going to be successful
because your worldly excesses will consume you
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The
gaining of wisdom comes from our reliance on the Holy Spirit;
His guidance in all our undertakings help us to know right from wrong,
acceptable from unacceptable to God
6: I Cherish Fellowship
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Stay
in fellowship to give and receive spiritual strength, to stay close to the
principles that hold us together as brothers and sisters in Christ
“And let us consider how we may spur one another
on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all
the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)
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Staying
in fellowship means praying for one another, coming together and intercede for
others and be
a comfort to and for
non-believers; to
act as one united in the goal of praising God and spreading the Word
out
“Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence
upon one another and of strength to be derived by unity.” – Vince
Lombardi (famous American footballer, b.1913, d.1970)
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There
are many verses in the Bible that ask us to fortify our fellowship qualities
and values:
From 1 Thessalonians: “Therefore encourage
one another and build each other up, just as in fact
you are doing.” (5:11); “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
(4:18); “Now about your love for one another, we do not need to write to you, for
you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.”
(4:9)
From John: “My command is this: Love
each other as I have loved you.” (15:12); “A new command I give you, love
one another as I have loved you so you must love one another.” (13:34);
“This is my command: Love each other.” (15:17)
From 1 John: “Dear friends, let
us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been
born of God and knows God.” (4:7); “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we
also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God but if we love
one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”
(4:11-12)
From Colossians: “Bear with each other and
forgive
one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as
the Lord forgave you.” (3:13); “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart
and united
in love so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding,
in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ.” (2:2)
From Ephesians: “Be kind and compassionate to one
another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (4:32)
7: I Lead for Christ
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Lead
those around you willingly, honestly, and eagerly; God does not force us against our will to
lead for Him; rather He prefers if you’re willing to serve Him
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is
under your care, watching over them – not because you must but because you are willing
as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain but eager to serve.” (1
Peter 5:2)
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It
is our willingness
to serve Him that is the
character God wishes to see in us
“Leadership is confidence . . . but, far
more important, leadership is character.” (General Norman Schwarzkopf)
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Leadership
for Christ doesn’t always mean being a pastor; leadership takes on many roles of service
to God; your willingness to lead
means your readiness to do something for Him
8: I Can Persevere
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No
matter what, do
not give up on goals that are always worth pursuing; it might be
occasionally difficult but the value of its worth should inspire us to keep going
“Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
(Galatians 6:9)
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Hang
on to your faith in God, persevere and be patient; victory always go to those
who stick to their goals and not be tired of doggedly pursuing them; no matter how
difficult, know that with God, you will prevail; do not grow weary doing good; in due time, you
shall reap a reward if you do not lose heart
“What, then, shall we say in response to
these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
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Always
remind yourself that if you persevere to do good, just rewards await you at the Gates;
the importance here is to always have yourself in the big picture (think of
tomorrow when today is too inconsequential)
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial
because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that
the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)
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Know
that in our trials, we will occasionally fall; it’s not the battles that are important but
instead the war that is for us to win that becomes our chief concern
“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s
whether you get back up.” (Vince Lombardi)
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When
pursuing good things in life for God, always know that the devil will always be
furnishing negative thoughts; prayer does wonders to perseverance
9: I Have Integrity
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Regardless
of what you do, it’s
not the end result that matters but rather the process by which you go about achieving it; with
integrity, we can walk without fear of succumbing to the corruption that leads
to perdition
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely but whoever takes crooked paths will be
found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)
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God wants us to do our
best, to make the effort and to try
to utilise everything that He has equipped us with
“It is man that makes truth great, not truth that makes man great.” (Confucius)
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God
is not interested in the result for He already knows; He wants to know if we
have the integrity to do the things we are asked to perform; in our
imperfection (our sinful nature), the results are never going to be as important as the
courage we use to define our effort
“Without courage, all other virtues lose their
meanings.” (Winston Churchill)
10: I Am Christ’s Witness to Others
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There
is a call for all of us to be a witness to others for God
“But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8)
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We are asked to set an
example to encourage
others to want to know and believe God
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Many
today do not know Christ as their personal Saviour because there has been no
one to tell them; bearing witness for God means we are the one to tell them; it is the
commission that is in and for all Christians
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Our greatest joy as
Christians is to savour the pleasure of bringing someone to Christ; it is the joy of revealing the Gospel
that fulfils our lives as Christians ; Be the one whom God will want to use
“‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and
I will send you out to fish for people.’” (Matthew 4:19)
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How are people to know who
God is if we are not
witnesses of Christ to them?
“How then can they call on the One they
have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of
whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
(Romans 10: 13-14)
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Being
in the position to share the Gospel is also a privilege and not a burden; it is an honour
to serve Christ and that honour should never be taken lightly
11: I am Firm on God’s Word
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False prophets and
prophecies are everywhere
and they threaten to derail our belief and to distract us from God and what He
says in the Bible; whether it is global warming or Islamisation that ends up
worrying us, the Word of God is more important
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Heresies are today spoken
against the Lord,
contemptuousness for Christ and the denunciation of everything to do with
Christianity are all upon us but these should gall us to stand firm for God
“Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand
firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work
of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1
Corinthians 15:58)
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Enemies of Christ are also
everywhere but if we
think that our very worst loiter in the world, they do not for the worst kinds are found within the
church and who call themselves Christians; Christ taught us lessons
when He exposed the Pharisees for who they were despite their authority within
the temples; Archbishop
Desmond Tutu recently say he will not follow an intolerant God, in
which the matter was about same-sex marriages
“But there were also false prophets among the
people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will
secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who
bought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved
conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed,
these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has
long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (2
Peter 2:1-3)
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Because we’re innately
weak, we need to draw strength from God by standing firm; our belief must be invested fully unto
the Lord and His omniscient authority; our fight isn’t with man but with evil
that lurks in every corner and that takes on many forms in the world
“Finally be strong in the Lord and
in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take
your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
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Learn to examine everything
not by our experiences but by the Word of God; depend more on God and less on
ourselves; as we diminish, may Christ be increased in us
“Consult God’s instruction
and the testimony of warning.
If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.”
(Isaiah 8:20)
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Just rewards come in the
form of victory for
those who stand firm in the Word and who honour God in their fullest
“Therefore my
dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that
your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58; same as above)
12: I Am Separated from the World
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We are not of this world, which
is why we struggle in
this world that we do not belong to
“My prayer is not that you take them out
of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of it.” (John 17:15-16)
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20)
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Not
to be yoked with unbelievers does not mean we do not make friends with them but
more important that their habits or lifestyles or beliefs do not wash on to us;
remember that we are to be fishers of men, meaning we are to seek unbelievers and share the
Gospel with them; however we are not to adopt their pagan beliefs or related
lifestyles
“Do not be yoked together with
unbelievers. For
what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or
what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there
between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.”
(2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
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Darkness can and often
comes from many different ways
but they all come straight from the devil who desires to take us away from God
and become one with the flesh of the world
“For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
(Ephesians 6:12)
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To be separated from the
world does not mean we have to live like hermits or we treat unbelievers with disdain; it
means we must never adopt their ways while we remain tolerant of them as we
live amongst them
“…while you are pulling the weeds, you
may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.
At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them
in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into My
barn.” (Matthew 13:29-30)
13: I Can Forgive
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To forgive someone is like
pulling the dagger out of our own wounded hearts; in other words, to not forgive hurts us
more than the other person; to not forgive is to burden ourselves with dark
hatred that only wants us to be hateful and angry and contemptuous; to not
forgive is to focus on negative thoughts that block us from God
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and
anger, brawling and sander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
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All
of us have been hurt by somebody in our lives, some to a large and some to a
smaller degree;
but we have also offended a Holy God where our sins led to Christ
needing to die to atone for us and yet our Father God forgave us
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew
5:7)
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When we learn to forgive,
we lift ourselves away from our burden
and discover the lightness of being that only comes to those who know how to
give our problems away to Christ
“Who is a God like You, who
pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His
inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will
again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl
all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)
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Tell
the story of Matthew
18:23-25 NIV
14: I Will Not Be Tempted
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Finding
the straight and narrow in a world of fast and big lanes is often difficult but remember
that God does not put us through tests that He does not believe you cannot
overcome
“No temptation*
has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not
let you be tempted* beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will
also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians
10:13)
*
testing (temptation) or tested (tempted)
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Temptation
is not something God puts into our lives – He may allow it but He is not the
One who does it
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is
tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone.”
(James 1:13)
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Temptation can come in so
many ways and forms; it
can be from what we read or see, what we hear or listen to, the people we make
friends with or work with, or the experiences we find ourselves involved in
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Temptation can be subtle; the message of the flesh can be indirect
and appear harmless; if we have no ability to discern, we lay ourselves
vulnerable and open
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To avoid temptation, be in regular commune with God in prayer
and equip yourself with the Word of God; reading the Bible and knowing what God
asks of each of us gives us a more in-depth perspective of what it takes to
repel temptation; be sure that you know – the Bible already said that THEY
will come and so we must be ready to walk in step with God
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with
the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company
of mockers.” (Psalm 1:1)
15: I Pray Daily
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Praying always make you
feel better; praying
lifts our burden and surrenders our pain to Christ; praying daily equips us to
face the rigours of every day; praying daily reminds us of God in our lives;
praying daily offers
us opportunities to give thanks and be grateful for our lives
“Always giving thanks to
God the Father for everything,
in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)
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Praying
daily offers
us the chance to commune with God in anything and everything that
runs through our lives; praying daily gives us the ability to get close to God and seek His
forgiveness when we commit sins
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John
1:9)
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Pray for the needs of
others, remembering that
it is our prayer life that keeps us spiritually strong and ever-growing
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Do not recite prayers; do not be ritualistic or formulaic; talk to God
straight from your heart and in your own personal words with respect
and humility
“‘You will seek
Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’
declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.’” (Jeremiah
29:13-14)
16: I Read and Study the Bible
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The
Bible offers us the only way to know and understand God; it is the pathfinder that
lights the way for us to live our lives
“Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a
light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
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The
Bible is the means by which we can spiritually grow, without which we will be
completely lost; when reading the Bible, pay attention to the promises of God;
meditate on these and make them the food that sustains our souls
“Like newborn babies, crave pure
spiritual milk so that by it, you may grow up in your salvation.” (1 Peter
2:2)
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The Bible is unchanging but till today, is more relevant than
anything else we read; it is the only effective weapon in our spiritual
warfare against temptation, recklessness and disobedience
“Take the helmet of salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
(Ephesians 6:17)
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Reading
the Bible transforms our simple faith into one that makes more sense to us
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Reading
the Bible
opens our eyes to how our lives can be at one with God
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Whether
you commit to church-run Bible Study or do it on your own, studying the Bible
will reveal
the truths of life and draw you closer to God
17: I Love God with All My Heart
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The
centre of a Christian life is to love God and to do so wholesomely
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Of
all the Christian values, loving God is the foundation or cornerstone
from which we then learn to love others; learn to love God with everything you’ve got;
express your love for God in the most emotionally possible way; dig deep
and pull out all stops and declare your love to God openly
“Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength. The second is this, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There
is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30)
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Remember that God loved us
first, which
was how humans came into being; He loved the idea of us and He created us
“We love because He first loved us.”
(1 John 4:19)
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He
loved us and yet we disobeyed and betrayed Him and still He kept on loving us till today
despite the way the world has turned against His Son
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For
His unfailing love for us, it is time we declare openly our love for Christ and
to do so unremittingly
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Pray fervently that God
will amplify the gift of love in us
so that we may share our love with more people
“May the Lord make your love increase and
overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for
you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
Note: This article is in its original note form and was the basis for a sermon that was given on September 15 2013 at Hosanna EFC.
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