What Others Think

Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
John 12:42-43 NLT

How often are we controlled by what others think or what we think they will think? Probably more often than we realize. Consider this. How about the post we don't put on social media because of what someone might think? Are we motivated by concern that it might offend that particular someone, so we don't do it, or is it about what a certain person might think of us, if we do? 

When you think about it, the whole social media venue is designed to get others' opinions. I'm not saying that's bad necessarily, but we DO need to think about our level of involvement - the value we put on it. We might want to check ourselves. How often do we look to see who liked, how many liked, or wonder why nobody liked  a post? 

I am not saying social media is evil. I'm thankful for it because it allows me interaction with family and dear friends across the nation and the world, occasionally in real-time. It lets me see (and share) the cutest pictures of the kids and grandkids. It allows me to share my walk with Christ with whoever will read it online and wherever they are in the world. Places I can only dream about. Social media may seem innoxious, probably even well-intentioned, but we cannot let it take the place of face-to-face relationships, nor should we place more value on human praise than the praise of God. 

We are here to change the world, not to be changed by what others think. What does God think? That's what we need to know.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the Holy Spirit that guides us into all Truth. Help us to evaluate ourselves and our actions by the standard of Your Word - adhering to Your values, seeking Your approval in all we attempt. We know You planned things for us to do and accomplish long before we drew our first breath. By Your Power and Your Grace, cause us to be world-changers. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Truth about Imaging

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV

We live in extraordinary times. Now more than ever, it's all about the visual appeal. Marketing campaigns,computer technology, the world of medicine - all excel and rely on their imaging capabilities. Such incredible strides just in medicine alone! Ultrasounds projecting images - detecting everything now from blood clots to cancer to kids!

Websites, social medias of all kinds rely heavily on photos and images. Just think Instagram! A few statistics according to AdWeek*,

"On Twitter, tweets with images receive 18 percent more clicks, 89 percent more favorites, and 150 percent more retweets. According to Socialbakers, Facebook brand page posts with photos account for 87 percent of total Facebook page interactions worldwide."

And selfies! Oh.My.Word! People and their selfies!! Photo booths and photo ops are at every event! We are absolutely infatuated! Why shouldn't we be?


Psalm 139:14 declares, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." 

The Truth is we ARE fearfully and wonderfully made because we are made in the image of God, according to HIS likeness. But instead of the staged photos, how about we mirror His love? His compassion! His kindness! His mercy and grace! His faithfulness! Just to name a few... God created us with purpose for His purpose. He created us in His own image so we could accomplish all that He has planned for our lives. That's the Truth about imaging. Picture that!

Prayer:

Father,
            Rip the star-struck scales from our eyes so that we can see Your Truth and properly portray Your likeness to the lost and dying generations, without the photo ops and props of this world. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

*https://www.adweek.com/digital/the-3-things-that-make-a-visual-marketing-campaign-actually-work/

Struggle vs. Battle

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 
Galatians 5:16 NLT

There is more to be said about self-control than being listed as a fruit of the Spirit. Much more. We have the mindset that self-control (or the lack thereof) consists of struggles we go through on a daily basis. Somehow, we believe it's okay to let ourselves off the hook with that kind of thinking. I believe it's meant to be more in the line of doing battle. 

In Matthew 16:24, Christ tells us plainly that if we want to be His disciple - to follow Him in His way, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. What does it mean to take up our cross? In this day and age, we tend to think of it only as a burden we must carry, but in the time when Christ walked the earth, it was about being killed. Putting the body to death.

Think about your time-stealers. What are they? Surfing the Internet? Facebook - scrolling or games? TV? We can get very complacent about the time we spend on these activities. I can't tell you the number of times people have admitted that the next thing they knew, it was three hours later. When was the last time we prayed for three hours straight without looking at the clock? Just asking.

Proverbs 25:28 the Message, A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out. Do we want to live in a house with its doors and windows knocked out?

1st Corinthians 9:27 in the NIV reads this way, No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. Self-control means taking it by force. That's not just a struggle, that's a battle. One we need to win.

Prayer:

Father,
          Forgive us, O God, for not denying ourselves! Open our eyes to see where we have laid down the cross and stood quietly by. Your Word says You give us strength, that self-control IS a fruit of the Spirit. Help us to walk in it, according to Your purpose and plan. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen