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Touching lives with the truth of God's Word.

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Location: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Saturday, November 25, 2006

A Body Needs To Know

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Many people say they have the right and freedom to do whatever they want with their own body. This is a lie from the pit of hell and smells like smoke. People who think they are free to do as they please, are in fact enslaved by their own lust.
May I say child of God, Christ's death freed us from sin. The Holy Spirit seals, fills, and lives in us; therefore our body belongs to God. If we truly love God we will not violate His standards for living, and when we do, we will repent and seek His forgiveness, which He has promised to give. (1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness). May God richly bless you.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

IN NONESSENTIALS! "LIBERTY"

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. ROMANS 14:1
We learn from this verse that, we are to receive the weaker brother in a cordial and gracious way, not with a spirit of critical analysis or an attitude of superiority. Paul says we are not to quarrel about issues that are matters of opinion. Differences in nonessentials should not be feared or avoided, but accepted and handled with love.
May I say, there are many questionable areas in the Christian life (gray areas) where there is no specific command from God's Word to guide us. For example; A believer may choose to be a vegetarian because he or she is of the opinion that red meat could harm the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Another believer may not share this view, believing the protein from red meat, within moderation, is necessary to maintain sound physical health, which would also glorify God. Again one believer might abstain from drinking alcohol, and another see nothing wrong with drinking in moderation. Who's right? Grace says there is liberty to do either!
Child of God, if you were to ask six believers to list 10 things they deem to be unacceptable Christian conduct, not directly addressed in God's Word, I believe you will find each list would differ dramatically. What one believer would find acceptable another would find unacceptable, which is fine, as long as they don't impose their convictions on another brother or sister in Christ. The text teaches; we are to respect one another's convictions even though they may not be the same as our own.
Sadly, many believers establish unspoken rules to measure whether or not others are spiritual. But spirituality is not trying to conform to someone's list of do's and don'ts. This is nothing more than a form of legalism! The spiritually-minded person is a person who desires for his or her life to be conformed to the image of Christ by the inward working of the Holy Spirit. When we are walking in the fullness of the Spirit our attitudes and responses will always be in line with the Word of God. We will consistently esteem others better than ourselves. We will value our freedom in Christ, yet be very careful never to misuse it. You think about that.