Wrong Ideas
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
- 1 Timothy 4:16
In America today, we have something that could be described as a new spirituality. It's a revival of sorts-not in the biblical sense of people turning to God, but a revival of all kinds of ancient and weird spiritual concepts and beliefs.
People are spiritually hungry. They are searching for truth. And the problem is, some of this strange theology is finding its way into the church.
We must be very careful to keep our guard up. Don't forget that when the devil misled Eve in the Garden, he did it with partial truth. He did not question God's Word altogether. Rather, he questioned if Eve properly understood it.
We must be careful of the deviant teachings that are out there today. So often, when a new teaching comes along, we will get excited: a new revelation!
I hope this won't disappoint you, but there aren't any new revelations. Everything you need to know about God is already written in His Book. As it has been said, if it's true, it isn't new. And if it's new, it isn't true.
So don't go looking for new revelations. Spend your time instead in learning God's Word, and He will bring fresh understanding of it.
Years ago, the great thinker C. S. Lewis warned us, "If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones." I think this is especially important today.
We need to know what Jesus said. We need to know what the truth is. We need to pay attention to doctrine.
[ Pastor Greg Laurie ]
Exercise
For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness-in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
- Hebrews 12:11
Human beings were made to exercise. Our body is fit together with joints because God expected we would move a lot. Admittedly, we don't hear much in the Bible about Noah's workout routine or Moses' Pilates session. Does that mean the people back then didn't get much exercise? Quite the opposite! Everything they did in life involved exercise. Before vehicles, electricity, and machines, everything in the world ran by human power or animal power. If you wanted to get somewhere, you walked.
If you needed to bring something with you, you carried it. You did laundry by hand, chopped your own firewood, and milled your own grain. This physically active lifestyle may have been one of the reasons for the incredible longevity of these biblical characters. The best walker of all may be Jesus. He routinely walked from His home in Galilee to Jerusalem-a distance of about 120 miles! Over the course of His ministry, He must have walked thousands of miles.
In Jesus' day, people thought little of walking ten miles. And because they did it all their lives, they had the well-developed bodies to accomplish such long walks with ease. Yes, regular exercise will help you lose weight and look your best, but there are so many health benefits from regular exercise that go beyond the value of looks. Just a few of the conditions you can help prevent through exercise are heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, asthma, depression, and gastrointestinal ills. You'll get fewer colds, feel less stress, and you'll look great, too.
[ Joyce Meyer Ministries ]
Overlook Offense
Today's Verse:
"Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense" (Proverbs 19:11, AMP).
Today's Word:
Not long ago, a lady came and told me, "Joel, the reason I quit coming to church, the reason I hadn't been here in two months is because everybody was talking about me. Everybody was against me." I didn't say it, but I thought to myself, "Ma'am, everybody doesn't know you. If you sit on one side of the building, the people on the other side probably have never even seen you." What happened? She was carrying offense and got distracted trying to fight a battle that wasn't worth fighting. Someone offended her or said something she didn't like, and instead of letting it go, she fell into a trap. "Well, I'm not going to come to church. I'll just show them." She got distracted trying to prove her point and the only person she ended up hurting was herself. That's what happens when we carry offenses. Things get blown out of proportion--"Everybody is against me. Everybody is talking about me."
We shouldn't allow offenses to distract us and get us off course. Instead, we need to stay focused on what God's called us to do and overlook offense. Choose your battles wisely so you can fulfill the destiny God has prepared for you!
Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, search my heart today. Remove any offense or any wrong attitude that would stand in the way of Your best for my life. I love You and bless You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
(Today's Word is dated 06.11.09)
[ Joel Osteen Ministries ]
