25 Woods Lake Road, Building 8, Greenville, SC
If you’ve just finished your favorite meal and dessert and you’re completely full, the last thing on your mind is to go out looking for another meal. There’s no need to because you’re already satisfied. One reason we so often choose to sin is because we’re actually trying to fill an emptiness inside of us; an emptiness we believe will be filled by that sin. But there is only one way for us to ever be fully satisfied, and once you discover that, your life will never be the same!
Imagine if God announced to you and to the world that His presence was going to come down from heaven and take up permanent residence in your house. How would that news impact your life? If you’re saved, God is already living in a place far more personal than your house. He’s living in you! This is an amazing truth that should fill us with awe and transform our entire future! Can others see that you are the temple of God and that He lives inside you?
All of us will leave a legacy behind that will continue to live on after we are gone, and that legacy will either glorify God or it will glorify Satan. The choices we’re making today — our plans, our pursuits and our passions — are already shaping that legacy. Are we living each day with the big picture in mind to ensure that God will be honored through our life, and that He will continue to be honored even after we die?
Have you ever met someone for the first time and then discovered later that you had unfairly misjudged them based solely on what you saw? We tend to judge people by what we see on the outside, but God warns us that this is wrong. What matters most to God is on the inside, because who we really are flows out of the condition of our heart. So, are we more concerned with how we look on the outside than how we look on the inside?
King Saul had it all. He was tall, handsome, popular and powerful. But while he may have looked like the perfect king on the outside, everyone soon discovered that he had no substance on the inside. His pride and lack of self-discipline caused him to ignore God’s commands and follow his own desires. Sadly, this became his downfall and led him to a life of rebellion and destruction. He should serve as a warning to all of us about the danger of disregarding God’s Word and going our own way.
How would God rate our service to Him right now? Is it a sincere, fully-devoted service, or are we still holding onto things that displease Him? Living a life of faithfulness to God will not happen by accident. It will only happen if we choose to put Him first every single day of our lives, and put to death every “idol” that is taking His place. Is there anything God has told you to get rid of that you are still allowing to reside in your heart?
No one likes to be called a fool. Sometimes that word is used in a hurtful sense to simply belittle another person, but there are five kinds of people that God actually does identify as fools. In the world’s eyes, these people may be successful, powerful, admired and influential; but in God’s eyes they are fools. Do you know what thoughts, attitudes and actions qualify a person as a fool, so that you can make sure you are not listed in that category?
If you were given the choice of living a mediocre life versus living an excellent life, you would most likely choose excellence. None of us want to live a mediocre life, but do we feel the same about our spiritual life? The Bible gives us some simple things we can begin doing that will lead us toward spiritual maturity and excellence, and you can start building them into your life today!
Out of all the commands God gives in the Bible, there is one in particular that people have a hard time hearing. Sermons about love, grace and mercy are welcomed, but any talk about money in the church is often met with resistance. God’s instructions about giving are not designed to constrain us. They will actually bring us freedom and joy! Are we willing to hear what God wants to teach us?
When God sent His people into the Promised Land, the first thing they had to do was to locate and completely destroy every place of idol worship. God knows that any temptation we leave intact in our life will entice us away from pure worship to Him. Are there any “idols” that you have set up in your heart that are disrupting your true worship of God?
How would you react if you went in for major surgery and the doctor came into the operating room with filthy hands and rusty instruments? Just the thought of it is unsettling! While cleanliness is important in the physical realm, it is far more important in the spiritual realm. Even though we are already completely righteous through Christ, sin still hinders our daily walk, and it breaks our fellowship with God. Thankfully He has provided a way for us to be cleansed and to restore our communion with Him. Are you using this simple tool He has given us to constantly maintain your fellowship with God?
We were created to glorify God with every thought, every word and every action. But our sin has caused us to glorify other things more than we glorify God. As a result, we have lost peace with God, which robs us of peace within, which destroys our peace with others. That baby in the manger came to restore this broken peace with God so that we could once again have peace within and peace with others. and to give us a new heart that would desire to glorify Him above everything else. (Audio difficulties on this recording)
