KEY PRINCIPLES FROM THIS MESSAGE:
God has designed His creation to follow simple truths, such as ‘trees bear fruit after their own kind’. We shouldn’t expect anything different. These are ancient primitives that we can use as fundamental underpinnings to our understanding of God.
God has designed His creation to follow simple truths, such as ‘trees bear fruit after their own kind’. We shouldn’t expect anything different. These are ancient primitives that we can use as fundamental underpinnings to our understanding of God.
LOVE is not a vapid emotion that “feels” its way to righteousness. Love isn’t love if it lacks action. True love cannot help but express itself.
It’s simply not enough (anti-Biblical, even) to establish/maintain commitments to ourselves (as virtual islands). We are called to a community (aka “a congregation”), for the purpose of “obedience of faith” (ref: Ro 1, 16).
Commitment, responsibility, and accountability are all disciplines in the local church.
We are called/commanded to BE a community of brothers/sisters/mothers/fathers in the faith. And like ANY command, this requires OBEDIENCE.
GOD MUST BE the center of ALL our Universes so that we can all meet at a single place for fellowship!
It’s not a question of whether or not “commitment, responsibility, and accountability” exists IN our local assembly (that could easily exist without YOU being a part of it) – it’s whether or not YOU are rightly motivated towards the local assembly.
Own It – blog 9/29/23
What I’ve written so far may seem like I’m waxing philosophical, but I’m not. A lot of people don’t own who they are, and the symptoms are obvious. It’s not too difficult to sniff out a fake when you run into one. They’re the ones with the phony smile and the disingenuous laugh. I’d argue it’s even easier to identify a person who does own who they are because they are distinctly different. They are comfortable in their own skin and it’s refreshing.
I read a quote recently that really got me thinking…
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
– Oscar Wilde
The meaning of this quote is that a person will be more likely to make statements they truly believe when anonymity protects them from repercussions. Now what could possibly be a worse prison sentence than having to hide behind a mask just to speak your own truth? The bigger question is, what might this reveal about a person’s sick heart?
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
– Matthew 12:34b
The happiest people I’ve ever known are those who are truly comfortable in their own skin. They are the ones who “own it” at every level. If they’re in a good mood, they own it and refuse to apologize for being happy. If they get up on the wrong side of the bed and happen to be in a bad mood, they own that, too! I love it because honesty with oneself is a nonnegotiable, reciprocating aspect of true friendship. Without honesty between two people, can a healthy relationship even exist?
Commitment to the local church means that, as a member, you are committing to God’s will for your church. Of principle value to this commitment is your obedience in the church (e.g., to the Word and to God’s delegated authority).
Commitment – Women’s blog 12/28/20 (Monica)
Like anything you are committed to in this life, the strength of it is revealed when that commitment is put to the test. Our commitment to the Lord is put to the test continually, each and every day, in both big and small ways; so, our commitment is revealed to both God and other people by how we respond to these challenges.
Do you submit to the authorities in your life when they are being unfair or you are in disagreement with their policies? Do you gossip and malign the co-worker who happens to drive the entire staff insane? Do you dedicate time every day to reading your Bible and praying or do you skip it and turn on the TV instead? Do you entertain the stray, evil thoughts that enter your mind or do you squash them with the Word?
We are given hundreds, maybe thousands, of opportunities every day to either uphold or break our commitment to the One who saved us. As James, the brother of Jesus wrote, we must be doers of His Word, not merely hearers.