This title may seem odd to folks at first glance, but let me elaborate for a moment. I’m constructing it for the purpose of showing how easily deception enters into our mindset. How often have you had a great idea in your mind that became an all consuming, salient, dominant thought? I know I have had many. I also know Satan had one, the idea of independence from God. Satan was not following anyone, nor were the majority of those angels that were deceived. They were following his idea and the promise it held. They wanted to be liberated from a relationship with God and the constraints that came with it. The adversary infected Adam and Eve with the same idea and all of us inherited this disposition.

As believers we can deceive ourselves and believe that because we have accepted Christ, many of our ideas are sanctified somehow and free from the unbridled horse. For the purpose of clarification, idolatry is something we put first in our lives other than God, usually it’s us and our desires. We seek things and approaches that will provide an answer to our most pressing issues, situations or circumstances. In Adam and Eve’s case it was a means to increased status and getting their own way. Satan pointed the way; they accepted. The Lord knew this would be the pattern of things to come from his children. They had openly defied Him opting for another way.

We need to stop being so eager to attribute his approval or indifference to our ideas. We also need to use great caution before we get others involved and exert influence over them. I know about this because I have been both victor from holding on to the right idea and a victim from holding to the wrong one in my personal life. From a leadership perspective, people have followed me and become victims and victors in regards to the ideas that I have implemented and vice versa, me following others and reaping the same. That is the tough part about godly leadership. When in error you must admit that you have been wrong, and not in a flippant way, but a remorseful, truly repentant way. It’s calloused to say, “You agreed to this too!” It’s just as easy to say, “Well I’m not perfect and I make mistakes.” None of these will do. Leadership is a gift (Romans 12:8) and people follow folks who have the gift. Often we take this gift for granted and undervalue the people who have placed their trust in us. If they have given us even a small measure; we have to own our influence and the idolatry of our ideas. We also need to remember these verses.

Isaiah 55: 8-9

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 65: 2

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not good, pursuing their own imaginations–”

These are sobering points about leadership, wisdom and ideas. So often we think the thoughts in our heads are simply our own, but the reality is they could emanate from us, but they could also come from God or our adversary. To think otherwise, reveals a state of  deception.

James 3: 13-18

“13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not  come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that  comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate,  submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in  peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

In review, remember if you are a leader, there are two kingdom’s competing for you and those you influence. Make sure you are in alignment with the right one, make sure my friend. The words or James are important here.

James 3:1

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know
that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

May God bless your ideas and the works of your hands as you receive inspiration from Him.

Proverb 6: 6-11

6Go to the ant, you  sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7It has no  commander, no overseer or ruler, 8yet it stores its  provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9How long will you lie  there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a  little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11and poverty will  come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Winter as a Season

There is always instruction in the word of God that is applicable on a natural and spiritual level. I want to look at this passage in the context of the natural and then the spiritual.  The first obvious point the writer wants to make is the instincts of the ant. The ant does what is best without the need of oversight and prospers during the time of year many other types of insects perish.

The second passage is addressed to the sluggard, those who are asleep and unaware of their environment and the future they are preparing for themselves through inactivity. The obvious omen the ant is preparing for is winter. Their instinctual preparations insulate them from the harshest consequences of the environment. The irony is this, most species sleep throughout the winter and past the season in a state of rest.

Winter as a Crisis
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Here is another point. There are spiritual winters as well. Seasons that come to us without warning, suddenly, and without mercy. The way we have prepared ourselves with our spiritual disciplines will give us the fruit (of the spirit) to feed on, or we will be spiritual impoverished and hungry with nothing to draw from.  Often crises will reveal our state. The questions we must ask ourselves are these:

What am I doing to prepare for harsh unexpected seasons?

Am I  self-directed enough to withstand these seasons or am I depending on others to get me through?

These two questions must be answered, sooner rather than later.  If we remain asleep and are awakened by adversity we will only have this axiom thundering in our ears, “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!” (Proverbs 24:10)

Wake up. Arise. What are you waiting for?

1 Corinthians 14:33

³³For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

And so we stumble upon a timeless truth of scripture that applies to our personal lives. “God is not the author of confusion…” So where does that leave us when we are in this state? The answer is simple, dependent on direction. The issue is where we choose to receive direction from and in whom do we trust for it.

The mission of  Freedom² is simple, and some may say arrogant.

“Believers in free societies have an unprecedented opportunity to maximize their individual potential and their relationship with God.  And with this exponential increase in freedom comes great accountability.  We invite all who visit to join our quest for meaning and ultimate truth.”

Our mission is really a quest. We know our desination is with Him who died for us, but we are also well experienced with the trices, threats and treachery the world throws at American believers to get us off track. Believers in free societies have unprecedented access to a myriad of things. In fact it can be argued that democracies and republics are anomalies in world history. Americans being the greatest, shining example of this the world has ever known. With this freedom and plurality, it is easy to lose the compass that all men should look to, Christ. Jesus in his own words,

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32

The idea that men are drawn is nothing new; something draws us. We are always in pursuit of the latest craze. We live in an age where everything as been redefined and science sits enthroned, while relevation is ridiculed. Higher learning insist that students bow to the new Gods of technology, progress and tolerance. These pursuits trump kingdom ideals and principles. Yeah, folks are confused and fog machines are everywhere. But that does not excuse the saints.

A motion to ban both commercial and private aircraft charter flights arriving and departing from Bob Hope International Airport (BUR) from 10:00 PM to 6:59 AM, begun from continued buy generic cialis view description now noise complaints from locals in Burbank, California. These cialis pfizer achat daveywavey.tv are lodged in our memory banks for all time. One such disorder which was highlighted the most because of sexual dysfunctions such as small penis size, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, low libido etc. cheapest levitra generic A penile cream that contains all of the above ingredients are excellent as herbal treatment for swapnadosh. discount levitra What obscures our vision, purpose and alignment with the kingdom of God? I humbly suggest it is a combination of our pursuits, worldliness, pain, and the Adversary’s deception. We are a people in perpetual conflict within and without. The internal battles between truth and the lies that fuel self-justification are unrelenting. But take heart  we belong to the ageless, transcendant God. He is in possession of an everlasting, expanding kingdom designed for his people and the myriad of angels who maintain a covenant with him. Daniel speaks of a culmination of events one day in the future.

Daniel 7: 9-10

9“As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10A river of fire was
flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

Confusion is often accompanied by anxiety and various forms of fear and frustation. These things cloud our vision. Our objective is to defeat these things with God’s help and as one colleague of mine said, “…not use these things as stalling tactics for disobedience.” To overcome confusion we must keep God in all things and keep our hearts open before him. The words of Paul are very important. They are amplified in Strong’s Concordance. Paul speaks of peace as as an active agent not passive. The greek word phroureho – pronounced froo-reh’-o is used. It is likened to a “watcher in advance” or “to mount guard as sentinel … hem in, protect.”

Phillipians 4:6-7

“⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So what are you confused about and how long do you plan to be in that state? God is near.

Election In Scripture

Epheshians 1: 4-6

4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he^c predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Perseverance

James 1:4

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Election and Perseverance Married

2 Peter 1:10

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election
sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Perhaps one of the greatest debates to ever emerge in churches is the oft framed debate of free will versus election. They have become, over time, diametrically opposed views. This should not be the case.  Election and perseverance of the saints should be emphasized. Specifically what is works and what is grace? From scripture the answer is clear- Gods grace in election trumps man’s works, but man must still work for the glory of God, by the Spirit of God.

I emphasize election in all that I do, but I have seen many spiritually lazy people in my persuasion embrace forms of predestination that are unbiblical. They are content to hope and dream that God will do everything, while they do nothing. I have also seen works oriented folks become spiritual slave drivers who push people to extremes, believing man is soveriegn and salvation can be lost in the blinking of an eye, giving rise to chronic insecurity. Both are extreme views.

Today I want to take a look at election and perseverance – or lack of – in the lives of three men appointed by God.  All chose to be tragic figures. All of their downfalls came about because they yielded to the influences around them. Two yielded to the opposite sex and one, the people he was appointed to lead. They limped toward the finish line of their destiny, in spite of God’s abundant grace. The lesson for us? Trustworthiness in the things of God is what Christ requires of us after we taste his grace! We can fulfill our calling like Daniel or Sampson.

Election of Sampson

Judges 13:3-5

The Birth of Samson

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Sampson’s life ended in a suicide operation that killed both him and his enemies. (See Judges 16.)

Saul’s Election 1 Samuel 9: 15-17

Appointment from Samuel:

15Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel:
16“About this time  tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me.” 17When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is  the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

In spite of a prohetic start and being destined for great things, Saul’s life ended on the battlefield, dying by his own hand. The tragedy continued as enemies desecrated the royal remains, him and sons alike.

1 Chronicles 10: 13-14

13Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did  not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted  a medium for guidance, 14and did not  inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

Solomon’s Election

1 Chronicles 22:6 -10

6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. 8But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,^a and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.

Solomon’s Unfaithfulness 1st Kings 11:4

“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart
was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had
been.”

God may have done some powerful things in your life, or is currently doing them. You may have a godly heritage spanning several generations, or highly spiritual friends. But none of these things can guarantee your faithfulness or trustworthiness with the things of God. Only you can do that. Your calling and election is for you and you alone. This is the one thing in life God will hold you most accountable to.

By Charles Holmes

John 16:12-15

12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³   But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Look how the Holy Spirit leads. There is a vast disconnect between our seared conscience and the truth. To create a bridge He convicts or draws out the truth that is already in us, amplifying it through our conscience. He instructs us that we are lost and desperately need a savior. He brings out the truth that we have transgressed against our Creator and we desperately need His forgiveness. He makes known internally those dormant truths that our buried within us that we have justified and rationalized against throughout our sinful lives. Then the Holy Spirit goes deeper and connects us with our ultimate desire that seems to be written on our spiritual DNA: to be pleasing and at peace with the Most High.

How do we begin to be like Christ in our leadership? Take notes from His approach:
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Matthew 11:28-30

28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Notice that Jesus came to serve. Next, he is humble. If you are serving ask why you want to lead and are you really serving or seeking authority. The desires in you will subject others or liberate them. What are you willing to do or give up to serve and draw out the best from those who follow you?

Excellence gives birth to excellence. Do you want to be excellent in all you do. Well, help others get to that place where they are sufficient in their walk with God.  Influence others through the power of Christ to walk in their unique purpose. Do you want to be an overcomer? It’s likely that those that you lead want the same. More often than not, leaders create overcomers and authoritarians create resentment and dependency.

By Hakim Hazim

“Leadership is internal elicitation. Authority is external imposition.” Hakim Hazim

A Mother’s Request for Authority

Matthew 20: 20-28

20Then the mother of  Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21“What is it you  want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at  your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22“You don’t know  what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you  drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23Jesus said to them,  “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or  left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have  been prepared by my Father.” 24When the ten heard  about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

The Lesson of Servant Leadership
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25Jesus called them  together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles  lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  26Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  27and whoever wants  to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of  Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.”

The brothers wanted authority, the ability to impose their will upon others. This desire for power, spiritual or otherwise, was pointed out immediately in the second portion of scripture by our Lord. Let me state clearly that authority and leadership are neither good nor evil. They can be used for either. However there is a difference- leadership deals with extracting and eliciting responses from within the heart and mind, whereas authority can impose its will by applying force to secure compliance. The key difference is one is primarily aimed at being influential while the other is external and imposing -sometimes-coercive in nature.

Keep in mind it is important to note that a person with authority can be an influential leader, the difference is that a person with authority can resort to coercion if he chooses. The history of man is replete with memorable figures. Some were influential; some coercive and some were both. Christ was influential, never coercive. He modeled this for belivers. The authority He gave to believers was spiritual authority directed at destroying the works of the evil one, that is to say, authority of spiritual forces of wickedness. The command to disciple to shepherd with love were real. There were some occassions when God judged in the New Testament book of Acts, but these were anomalies- far from the norm.

You see leadership is about, serving and drawing out from others the intrinsic motivations, gifts and talents that they have. It is really about serving them until they are fully equipped. It is not about having people follow you at all. It is about getting them to follow their own impetuses, drives and purposes God has put in their heart.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

Man, above all else, is a delusional creature, bound in self deception. We tend to believe things that fuel our self-interests. It is difficult to be balanced and sober without the right people around us. A true friend offers sobering perspectives that can certainly help us. People who want to manipulate us will often tell us what they think we want to hear and support our delusions. As a result we are not honest with ourselves or others and that hinders our ability to be truthful. In fact it scares us and makes us feel vulnerable.

Proverbs: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

Jesus was God incarnate. He is Emmanuel, which is God with us! He had a very interesting statement for the disciples collectively before He was betrayed with a “kiss”:

John 15:15

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s
business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from
my Father I have made known to you.”

We love to qoute this scripture, but to truly be considered an entrusted friend of God, you have to be able to walk in truth and get over your own delusions of how close you are to Him. You have to be able to withstand the sobering and grave news that He gives you about yourself. Let’s look at Peter.

We recall the story of Job and how Satan went before God asking to test and tempt Job.  This pattern was no anomaly and Jesus confirmed it. The difference is Job stood and Peter fell.

Luke 21:31-34

31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you^a as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back,
strengthen your brothers.” 33But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”34Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Differing from the previous two therapies mentioned, the counsellor works at encouraging the couples to use each other generika cialis tadalafil as emotional support. They may get levitra start hitting gym and put down your handset in a charging locker for a small time period. More importantly, seek an expert’s order levitra supplementprofessors.com advice before buying this online. Prosolution Plus men enhancement 5mg cialis price dietary supplement is backed up by science too. Peter must have been stunned! How could he betray the Lord! He was rebuked in the midst of his self-righteousness and bravado. He deluded himself into believing his own hype. No doubt, Peter, like many of us would prefer to have friends around him that would feed his ego, but are they the friends one needs? Christ gave Peter both the good and sobering news with His statements. Jesus was being a friend. Let’s continue to sober one another up. More importantly, cultivate a disposition and attitude that invites the truth. Jesus also modeled transparency and disclosure as hallmarks of friendship. You will be amazed the kind of people you draw to yourself and cause. Folks, I would really challenge all of you to fearlessly look at every relationship in your life that you have chosen to be involved in and ask these two questions:

“How honest can I be with this person?”

“How honest are they with me?”

The degree of honesty and truth, reveals the level of trust  and mutual vulnerability you have developed.

One historical figure amplifies this point.

“For there is no way to guard against flattery but by letting it be seen that you take no offense in hearing the truth.”

Niccollo Machiavelli

Build something lasting and worthwhile in your relationships today. Our destinies are tied to the people we surround ourselves with.

Ephesians 4:31
“All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness.”

Hebrews 12:15

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up
to cause trouble and defile many.”

We have all been warned about anger and bitterness and the danger it can cause, so it is no small wonder that many Christians try to contain anger as much as possible- considering it a sin. The bible has much to say about this, but if we look at ALL that it has to say about it we may be surprised.

For instance Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no place to the devil.” It is very interesting how the scripture states “be angry…” and amplifies “and do not sin…” Often the primal emotions and drives that God has placed in us are difficult to control. At times we may wish we did not have them at all. Given the many negative things associated with anger – there is no small wonder it is one of the most misunderstood attributes of man and God.

Wrath is often viewed as bad and evil. Even God’s wrath is explained away by many modern theologians. I don’t wish to spend a lot of time on theology here, but I do want to make an argument from scripture and make a point as far as the usefulness of the emotion of anger when it is tied to good and why it is important to understand our motives so we can discern if our anger is selfish or rooted in a purpose God has placed in our hearts.

Two examples from scripture of good motives behind anger:

Matthew 21:12-13

12And Jesus entered  the temple^b and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of  the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He  said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house
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Acts 13: 6-11

6They traveled through  the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and  false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of
the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for
Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8But
Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to
turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also
called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,
10“You are a child of  the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of  deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
11Now the hand of the  Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”

What is interesting about these passages is the context in which they occur. In the first situation we have God entering the temple. He demonstrated His displeasure by turning over tables and physically driving merchants out. The merchants were using religion as a means for profit. Often fear mongers drive people to give or else face divine retribution. What Christ revealed in this exchange was the real motives of these folks.

The second took place during a mission trip of Paul’s ministry. Paul was filled with the spirit, and a righteous indignation. What followed was a rebuke and miraculous judgment. Paul did put on a fake smile or a long face. He essentially said, you’ll pay for that and you will be accountable to God.

What can we learn from this? It’s good to turn over tables or that we should expect God to judge our enemies instantaneously? No. What I’m attempting to articulate is that anger is an emotion that often reveals where our true values or heart lies. To be angry for the right reason is what it comes down to. Is our anger immature and selfish or is it seasoned, purposeful and rooted in spiritual maturity. We need self-control, but we also need to know getting angry is not sinful; it’s what we do with it. We certainly should not hold on to anger and become bitter; we should discern the source and go to God for His help. Next we address the issue. Anger can be an ally if it is handled in a godly way. In fact if it is rightly discerned, and the motive is clear, the emotion can bring about a great deal of good.

I have often thought about why people’s hearts seem so open or closed at times. It’s easy to blame them for their rejection of what we say, but more often than not it may be our fault, especially when it comes to other believers. We often believe that our doctrine and interpretations of scripture are superior to others and we ascribe the success of our lives to these tenets, not necessarily God’s grace, giftings, calling and election. The most important message that we can convey to people within the orthodoxy of our faith is how we love them. Love has been redefined in recent ages. It takes on the context of a nurturing, tolerant, grandmotherly approach. It’s not; it is bold and unflinching. It is the most powerful, candid,  life changing stuff known to the universe. In fact the Apostle John stated this, “…perfect love cast out all fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1st John 4:18)  Our mission in life is not to focus so much on doctrine and denominationalism- our mission is to focus on loving one another. With the kind of love Christ had in mind when He said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In modern times we have cast away love and opted for teaching and denominationalism. By accentuating certain tenets we gaurd against deception, believing this will insulate us from cults and sects. We do well to examine doctrine, but we also have to understand that Christ has promised to guide us based on the immutable fact He selected us in the first place and promised a unity amongst His sheep.

John 10:14-16

14“I am the good  shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father  knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16I have other sheep  that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Paul focused on love and the inevitable unity it produces…

Ephesians 4:15

¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Paul addressed arguments and quarrels here…

2nd Timothy 2:23-25

23Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Holidays, The Lord’s day, Sabbaths and Food here…

Romans 14: 4-12
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4Who are you to judge  someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand,  for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5One man considers one
day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one
should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day
as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he
gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks
to God. 7For none of us lives  to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to  the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we
belong to the Lord. 9For this very reason,  Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead  and the living. 10You, then, why do  you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all  stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’”^a 12So then, each of us  will give an account of himself to God.

In the nearly 19 years I’ve walked with the Lord I have had periods of apathy and backslid into things I’m not proud of, and at times acted in very unchristlike ways, but the one thing that has not changed is His love for me. So saints, keep in mind that there are many denominations out there that will attempt to bend your ear to their doctrines, teachings and beliefs. And many of them have helpful truths that feed us milk filtered through the minds of men. But…Christ and love are the greatest truths of scripture. We need Him and we need to be surrounded by people who love us. So let’s major in the majors and minor in the minors.

My advice is to pray about all things and love everyone even when you disagree with them. Take hold of the covenant God has made with you through new birth and “Be fully convinced in your own mind.” in regards to what you are doing or pursuing based on your calling. Peter amplifies this point when he was summing up faith in Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” We will be wise if we follow this advice.

“The paradox of time is this, it is the most valuable thing we have, yet we can render it valueless. In short, time can be both valuable and valueless.”  Hakim

Never before has time been under siege like today. Our most valuable resource has to be balanced and divided among innumerable competitors. Someone will always be left out and feel shorted when we choose to invest ours in something or someone else. How many relationships, business wise and personal, have perished because time was not allocated sufficiently to them? Let’s face it; as time diminishes, we are forced to prioritize what’s important. The constant checking of our watches and the urgency that we attach to our schedules often prohibits us from living in the moment and gleaning the most from it and our relationships. Christians are not much different in this regard. We too live in a global age with many demands and urgent requests.

I think it is very important to remember that waiting on the Lord is not a passive, apathetic thing, but rather a purposeful, active seeking to know His will while we are engaging the world. The story of Lazarus comes to mind here. ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11&version=NIV )

The passage above takes us to a point in Jesus life and journey when an urgent request for His assistance came from Martha and Mary. They reported that their brother was gravely ill. Jesus remained another 2 days where He was at – seeking God. The sisters could not understand when He finally came to see them why He allowed Lazarus to die when He had healed so many previously.

Christ sought to encourage Martha: “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha was dismissive and let Jesus know she understood theology but this outcome was not what she wanted: “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

We all know the rest of the story. Christ performed a powerful miracle.  He modeled faith and patience to produce a miracle. The same principles are in effect today and will produce miracles in our dead, lifeless situations. Martha had sound theology, but lacked a present, in the moment faith. What about us? How do we model it?

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The same is true in our current economic crisis. No doubt many of us have pressing financial issues and deadlines regarding our work and personal lives. From time to time, we do what’s financially expedient not necessarily what’s best or right with our resources. We are staying one step ahead of the demons of debt rather than patiently living within our means.

Crises, urgency and expediency are ever present and carefully construct webs of deceit in our minds. These things drive us and indeed have for some time. The more we move, the more the spiders (devils) are alerted. Let’s sloooooooooow down and figure out what is happening. There is a phrase for what ails us; it’s called “the tryanny of urgency.” We would do well to not submit to it’s yoke. We are called to obedience, not expedience. God bless you and please take time muse differently.

Here is another article worth reading. http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2004/s04120111.htm