Examine Your Motives - A Physical for the Christian Soul
Our motives reside in our hearts. They help compel us to act. As we examine our walk with Jesus, we can not ignore this side of us.
Our minds know what to do, yet many times our hearts are too weak to act in accordance because we desire to do something else.
The answers in the poll questions and the explanation of those questions hopefully gauge your motives accurately in the areas of your relationships, worship, discipleship, and spiritual disciplines.
“For him who confesses, shams are over and realities have begun; he has exteriorized his rottenness…he longer smears it over with hypocritical show of virtue – he lives at least on the basis of veracity (truth).”
William James
Confession is good the for soul…it takes a heavy burden off your shoulders by cleansing you and is the first step in dealing with life on life’s terms. The Bible tells us that those who conceal their sins will not prosper, but those who confess and forsake those sins will find mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)
Peter Beck, Assistant Professor of Religion at Charleston Southern University has an outstanding post ontime management here. Here is a portion of it. The verse Beck is referring to is Ephesians 5:16.
Of this verse Jonathan Edwards once preached,
And hence it is that time is a thing so exceeding precious, because 'tis by that that we have opportunity of escaping everlasting misery and of obtaining eternal blessedness and glory. 'Tis upon the improvement of time that there depends an escape from an infinite evil and an obtaining an infinite good. And this puts an infinite value upon time.
I would encourage you to read the entire post and think deeply how you are spending your time. It has convicted me of areas of my week that I need to reduce while encouraging me to increase the amount of time in other areas of my life. Maybe it will do the same for you.
Rumors playing Comments in the making Really…what are you saying? Gossip, Gossip, Gossip
-Anonymous
The destructiveness of gossip should come as no surprise. The Bible tells us that man can tame wild beasts, but can’t tame the tongue. It is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. (James 3:7-8) No doubt, our tongues are used to bless, uplift, and encourage, but they are also used to curse, run down, and discourage.
Gossip entices us because our hearts want to know the “dirt” as it pleases our innermost being. (Proverbs 18:8)
Nothing good comes from gossip. It betrays friendships and if done enough will prevent new friendships. (Proverbs 20:19) It damages the reputation of the person and makes you look foolish.
Books are a primary way of understanding a subject. Math, English, Science, Medicine, Theology, and Economics all start with a book introducing the concepts, theories, principles, and laws that pertain to that subject.
So how do we learn about God? Is it any different than any other subject? How do we really get to know God?
There are two primary ways God reveals himself to us: through his creation and through his word – the Bible.
Like anyone who you want to get to know, you have to spend time with him. God is no different. In order to know who he is, what he has done, is doing, and will do you have to spend time with him by reading his autobiography – the Bible.
He reveals the exact nature of his character, his promises, and his plan for the world and for you. When you make reading the Bible as a part of your lifestyle, you will get to know God as well as your best friend. As your relationship with him develops, he will pour more and more of himself into your heart and mind.
I love to be outdoors. Everywhere that I have lived or visited, I have found God’s beauty in his creation.
There is a rugged beauty to the Phoenix area. The jagged, multicolored granite mountains that surround the city are magnificent to gaze upon, but better to climb. There is amazing detail of how these mountains formed; the lizards, snakes, and birds that occupy them; and the plants and trees that grow on these mountains amaze me.
Likewise, I have found beauty in the forest preserves outside of Chicago, in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and in the glistening and swaying wheat fields of Kansas. The Rocky Mountains, the Swiss Alps, the black forest of Germany, the lush green landscape of Ireland, the white sands of Cancun flood my imagination with his beauty…created by the Beautiful One.
Examine Your Motives
