Please Like Me!

Question of Liking

Girls ask themselves this question. Guys ask the same thing too. Movie stars ask this question. First grade teachers ask it as well. This question greatly troubles some individuals, while others don’t struggle with it too much. Yet, the question is there. There are people who make this the objective of their life. It does not matter what they have to do, they will do it to bring about the desired result. Many parents worry about this with their children. They do so to their own detriment. Politicians typically don’t care about this as long as they get votes. Someone looking for a lifelong relationship deeply contemplates this question, because it will affect who they marry.

does having people like you drive your actions

Does Having People Like You Drive Your Actions?

The actress Sally Field received an Oscar for her role in Places in the Heart. During her acceptance speech in a reference to another role she played, she stated “The first time I didn’t feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!” Therein is the question at the heart of the matter. “Do they really like me?” How can a person be sure? Is there a test? Most people would like to know the answer to this question before they put their trust in someone else. Of course, in some situations such as a banker and their customers, the relationship must not always rely on liking for there to be trust. Still, a great number of people will not do their banking in certain places unless this attribute exists.

StumbleUpon, Facebook, Youtube, and other social networks utilize “liking”. Do they really like me? Sorry, but if the “likes” counter doesn’t go crazy, many folks feel they aren’t liked. How many “friends” does an individual have on their messenger type program or their email list? Is this how they should measure their worth or contribution to society? It is conceded the answer is no, but still… people want to be liked. They want to have some type of measure to determine it is real – not just a “click through”. Of course, social media has enabled the “review” or “comment” field. This is great! However, is summarizing an article or pointing out its positive characteristics a direct reflection regarding how one individual feels toward another? It should be hoped not or a great number of authors may be jumping off bridges when they receive their editor’s comments and revision points.

It has been said, “To have a friend, you must be a friend.” The concept behind this is if you want to be liked, be likeable. “All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them” were the words Jesus spoke. This seems to confirm the logic of being a friend to have a friend. Jesus spoke many words of social harmony including “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Certainly, acting in an opposite fashion will not gather people who really like you. They may pretend for other reasons, but they won’t like the person you are. However, being likeable doesn’t always guarantee a great number of true friends either.

Being liked should not be an end in itself. There are politicians who have taken the politically correct, please the world view, so nice things will be said about them, while at the same time pointing their countries down economic and moral ruin. The desire to be liked should not point actions in an opposite direction to moral absolutes. How many people contradict themselves from one day to the next just to get “likes” from those who won’t be happy if they speak the truth? What will be found in a review of history is those who spoke truth were most greatly liked and hated by the world around them. They didn’t let poll numbers sway their conviction from doing what was right. Everyone does not have to be a friend in order for an individual to be liked.

While there is not a fool proof test to determine whether or not someone likes you, there are some indicators from a person’s life that give strong indications.

1) Is the individual’s behavior toward you drastically different from the way they treat others? If this is the case, beware! For a person to act completely out of character toward you, is very possibly a sign they “like” you so they can get something out of it. Popularity? Money? Power?

2) Is the individual known as a kind, honest person? The quality of a person and their track record of interaction with others is something which has a high correlation. If they say they like you, they most likely do.

3) Does this individual ask and think about your welfare or are they just concerned about themselves? It is sad how many relationships go on for years when it is realized the relationship was one sided from the beginning. Liking someone means being concerned about their feelings and needs, not just that of self. Many marriages fail for lack of this understanding this concept.

4) Will this person tell you when you are wrong and try to help you do what is right? “Yes men” are not concerned about the well being of others. A person who really likes you will kindly disagree and try to enable you to make better decisions. They won’t desert you when opinions clash.

The question of being liked is pondered by folks the whole world over. For the individual who desires to be liked, their job is to be the type of person someone would want to have as a friend. They should not compromise values or truth to be liked. When pondering if one’s associates are truly friends, the character of the persons being considered must be examined. At that point you determine what you are going to do, trust or not trust? End the friendship or try to strengthen it. If it feels like humankind can no longer be trusted, maybe consider buying a dog. Then you can be liked and licked.

Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loveth at all times; And a brother is born for adversity.

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It’s Cold!

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

This morning’s weather broadcast showed the deep trough of cold air that has descended from  the north, just as is described in Job 37:9, upon the United States; confirming what we already  knew, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” But this too shall pass (2 Corinthians 4:17 – 18), for as Lord said  after Noah emerged from the ark, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,  winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

woooo it's cold outside

Woooo! It’s Cold Outside!

Sadly, mankind (as well as many Christians) is just as vacillating as the changing of the seasons.  I certainly understand the frustration that resonates from the words of Elijah of he addresses the  people of God by asking, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God,  follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). Indeed, a “double minded man is unstable  in all his ways” (James 1:8).

The cold can have a devastating effect on a man both physically and spiritually. This morning  we were told that in less than 30 minutes outside one would become susceptible to frostbite. In  John 18:18 we read that the servants and officers “made a fire of coals; for it was cold : and they  warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.” Peter allows the cold  reality of the situation he finds himself in, as well as the company and weather, to affect the  condition of his spiritual fortitude. He denies the Lord. Jesus tells us that because of sin the  “love of many shall wax  cold ” (Matthew 24:12).

The Lord wants us our internal, spiritual, temperature to always be on fire. And it would do all  of us well to gauge our condition regularly. The prophet Jeremiah once conveyed that he no  longer wished to “make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name,” but concluded that  “his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones , and I was weary of holding  it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9).

Allow me to challenge us to consider our internal spiritual temperature and then to consider this:  If one is cold and spiritually frostbit in this life he will most likely be on fire in the next. Spring  is only a few short months away but eternity is much closer and lasts much longer.

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A God of Truth

What If God Had Lied?

One of the most remarkable aspects of the nature of the Almighty God is one thing which He cannot do! Think of His power to speak the world into existence and it immediately happened. Think of that same power when His voice will roar from heaven and the entire universe will cease to be. Yet there is one thing He cannot do—He cannot lie.

share the truth of god

Share the Truth of God.

Imagine trying to serve a lying God—one whose words just cannot be trusted. We seek to deal with sin, but how do we know He was not lying when He revealed the plan of salvation? We seek to honor Him by worshiping every week with the five avenues of worship He gave to us, yet how do we know if He was lying when He gave us these things? Imagine trying to honor a lying God who speaks of sin, salvation, prayer, purity, holiness, kindness, peace and providence. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and that changes every relationship we have with Him. Our God is a God of truth!

The truthful God has given us the words of truth. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, He spoke of the Father and truth. While He had been with those apostles for over three years, He had given them part of God’s truth. He said, “I have given to them the words which you have given Me” (John 17:8), but there was more truth which they had to learn. He told those apostles that when He went to the Father, the Father would send the Spirit of truth to the apostles (John 14:16). The Spirit which dwelt in them was to guide these men into all truth (John 16:12-13). The result of that is the Bible. Jesus summed it up best when He said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The truthful God has given us the words of truth and they are eternal. David said, “The truth of the Lord endures forever” (Psa. 117:2). The word of the Lord is forever fixed in the heavens (Psa. 119:89) and every single precept of God endures forever (Psa. 119:160). God cannot lie; He has given us His words of truth and not one syllable of any word has been lost.

The truthful God wants to write His truth on our souls.  Knowing truth is not just memorizing it. His plan is to take the eternal truth and make it part of our nature. Moses said, after he had given the law, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart” (Deut. 6:6). Most Jews felt that if they  know every detail of the law (and even some that were not there), God was pleased with them. There is a vast difference in knowing the law and knowing the Lawgiver. There is a difference in knowing about the Lord and knowing the Lord.

God help us to take His eternal truth from the One who cannot lie and love the truth, hide it in our heart and walk in His truth.

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Curse of the Law?

What is the Curse of the Law?

The curse of the Law is that one must keep the whole law in order to be justified by it and that once one has sinned under the law, there is no way to put away one’s guilt. The law made no provision for the forgiveness of sin. In James 2:10, we are taught that under a system of law, if one tries to keep the whole law yet offends in even one point, he is guilty of all. The curse of the law, according to Paul in Romans 7, is that it exposed sin in his life, yet it did nothing to take away his guilt.

what is the curse of the law

What is the Curse of the Law?

The Law of Moses only allowed for forgiveness in prospect, that is, it only covered the sins of men until Christ came to take away those sins. Now that Christ has come, the law has been taken away. It was nailed to the cross along with Him. So now, we are free from the curse of the Law of Moses. Does this mean that there is no longer a law that we must follow? Is there a requirement for Christians to obey, in the New Testament?

Christ demands our obedience. Matthew 7:21 teaches that we must do the will of the Father in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The will of God is our law. The will of God has been revealed in its completeness in the pages of the New Testament. It is the word of Christ that will judge us in the last day. Those who reject Christ and His word are rejecting the very law that will judge them. We are now under the Law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 gives us the imperative command to bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfill the law of Christ.

We are under the law of Christ which is a law of Liberty. The fact that Christ’s law is a law of liberty does not mean that we are free to disobey it. James teaches in chapter 1:22-25, that we must be a doer of the word of God and not a hearer only. One who is a doer of the law of liberty will be blessed. He also teaches in chapter 2:12 that we will be judged by that law of liberty.

Since one could not keep all of the commandments of the Law of Moses, as we saw in James 2:10, one was guilty of all the Law. There was no way under the old law for ones sins to be taken away. The punishment for sin is death. Therefore, violation of any point of the Law of Moses brought one under the “curse” of the law, which was the death sentence. Only by the grace of God was a way made for man to rid himself of the “curse” of law. The grace of God freed man from the curse of the law. Does this mean that grace and law are mutually exclusive?

Grace brought about a system of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. We are justified by our obedient faith in Christ, not by works of law. But, that does not void law. Romans 3:31 teaches that law is established through faith. Faith establishes or confirms law. If we have faith in Jesus and are obedient to His will, then we must recognize His will as law, or else we would not be faithful to it. Our obedience to Christ’s law confirms that His law is in effect.

In Galatians 2:16-21, the word “law” is referring any system whereby one is saved according to works of merit. Whether it is by the Law of Moses, which made no provision for forgiveness;or whether it was by the Law of the Jews, which was apart from the Law of Moses, and had developed into a system of works based salvation. The Jews believed that they could earn their way to heaven by keeping the traditions of their forefathers. Therefore, we are not justified by law keeping in and of itself, but we are justified by the law of faith in Christ Jesus.

 

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Jesus & Evangelism

The Perfect Example of Evangelism

Jesus not only preached to masses of people throughout His ministry here on earth, but He also knew the importance of teaching the individual. In seeing Him as the perfect example of evangelism, notice several lessons from Him in His contact with a Samaritan woman and other Samaritans from Sychar in John 4. First, Jesus showed compassion. In leaving Judea for Galilee, the text reads that “he must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:4).

will you follow jesus example in evangelism

Will you follow Jesus Example in Evangelism?

Since many of the Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee circumvented Samaria on the eastern road through Jericho, Christ’s need to travel through Samaria was spiritual and not geographical. When Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman after sending His disciples for food, she was perplexed that He would have dealings with her because of her race and gender. Christ’s contact with a hated race was enough to impress her with His compassion. If I am to follow His example of evangelism (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1), then I must be compassionate to others.

Second, Jesus introduced the gospel with the gift and the giver (John 4:10, 14). We are living in a world of sin. People do not need a “watered-down” gospel. Rather, the world needs to hear about the gift and the giver (Rom. 6:23). The gospel we are commanded to teach should involve both, and any other gospel is accursed (Gal. 1:8). Thus, if I am to follow the example of Jesus in evangelism, then I must introduce the gospel with both the gift (salvation) and the giver (Jesus).

Third, Jesus was interested in all souls, and He looked for more opportunities to share the gospel. After she inquired about receiving everlasting life, Jesus asked her to call her husband. Certainly, He already had in mind the opportunity to prove His deity, but He was not only interested in her soul, but the souls of her family as well. Later, the Samaritan woman brought many from Sychar to see Jesus, who then believed in Him (John 4:39). We should open our eyes and look for opportunities to spread the gospel to as many as we can. We must be interested in all souls!

Fourth, Jesus taught her properly the truth. He corrected her concept of worship (John 4:19-24), not giving her any idea that she was worshipping properly. He did not commend her sincerity. To be more precise, he said, “Ye worship ye know not what” (John 4:22) and then taught her the proper method of worship according to both spirit and truth (John 4:24). Sometimes, teaching the gospel in an evangelistic manner requires some tearing down before building (cf. Jer. 1:10). We cannot overlook the need to deal with false doctrines; we must teach people properly the truth, for only it can save (cf. John 8:32).

Fifth, Jesus continually realized the importance of soul winning (John 4:35). Although the disciples questioned His involvement with this woman and tried to urge Him to eat, He was interested in the harvesting of souls. What more of a purpose statement do we need as Christians? Evangelism ought to be as much a part of our lives as breathing air! To follow the example of our Lord in evangelism, we ought never to let down in looking for opportunities, realizing its great importance.

Sixth, Jesus understood the concept of preparation in soul winning. Many of the Samaritans believed in Him from this account (John 4:39-42). A short time later, Philip would come to Samaria and baptize many of them (Acts 8:12). Possibly, some of the Samaritans that heard Philip remembered the day they heard Jesus. Many times, we get discouraged in soul winning because we cannot see the immediate fruits of our labor. However, just because we do not see immediate success does not mean that we have not been successful in preparing the soil for another to reap the harvest. For us to follow the example of Christ in evangelism, we ought to rejoice when others can build upon the work we have done in teaching the gospel. We ought to be patient when we do not see an immediate harvest. We ought to be selfless, occupied in our task and willing to rejoice when others reap the harvest.

Seventh, Jesus knew the correct way to teach was exclusively from the word of God (John 4:42). When we teach the world, not with creeds or doctrines, but from the holy word of God, then God will add many saved souls to His kingdom.

Therefore, let us all apply these wonderful principles of evangelism from the example of the greatest soul-winner, and thereby gain more success in our endeavors!

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