A True Disciple
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:4
When my hair began to turn gray, and it was evident I'd been around a long time, people began asking me, "How are Christians today different from Christians when you came to Christ?" My answer is always the same: Today's Christians are far better trained to serve the Lord. There are conferences, seminars, and workshops available today that were unheard of in my early years. There's also one thing lacking: the intense hunger for holiness that was in the lives of Christians a few decades ago.
Paul told the Romans, "I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:19, KJV). The word translated simple also is translated guileless and innocent! The word doesn't come from the field of religion but from the study of metal. There are pure metals--gold, iron--and there are mixed metals--steel, bronze. And that's the word Paul uses to mean unmixed regarding evil.
To the Greeks in Corinth, he spelled it out by asking them five questions recorded in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16: What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and [Satan]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
It's clear, isn't it? You can't mix light with darkness, or Christ with Satan. And to make this point, Paul never hesitated to go head-on against the culture in which these new converts were living. He warned them that God had called them to holiness in a culture where chastity was an absolutely unknown virtue. Christian, take your stand. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.
Prayer
"Lord, create in me a hunger for holiness in my life. Amen."
Is the light of Christ in you so bright that it's like a beacon in this dark world?
When my hair began to turn gray, and it was evident I'd been around a long time, people began asking me, "How are Christians today different from Christians when you came to Christ?" My answer is always the same: Today's Christians are far better trained to serve the Lord. There are conferences, seminars, and workshops available today that were unheard of in my early years. There's also one thing lacking: the intense hunger for holiness that was in the lives of Christians a few decades ago.
Paul told the Romans, "I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:19, KJV). The word translated simple also is translated guileless and innocent! The word doesn't come from the field of religion but from the study of metal. There are pure metals--gold, iron--and there are mixed metals--steel, bronze. And that's the word Paul uses to mean unmixed regarding evil.
To the Greeks in Corinth, he spelled it out by asking them five questions recorded in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16: What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and [Satan]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
It's clear, isn't it? You can't mix light with darkness, or Christ with Satan. And to make this point, Paul never hesitated to go head-on against the culture in which these new converts were living. He warned them that God had called them to holiness in a culture where chastity was an absolutely unknown virtue. Christian, take your stand. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.
Prayer
"Lord, create in me a hunger for holiness in my life. Amen."
Is the light of Christ in you so bright that it's like a beacon in this dark world?
Shackled by a heavy burden
Neath a load of guilt and shame
Then the hand of Jesus touched me
And now I am no longer the same
He touched me, oh he touched me
And oh the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole
Since I met this blessed savior
Since he cleansed and made me whole
I will never cease to praise him
Ill shout it while eternity rolls
He touched me oh he touched me
And oh the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole
Daily Smile:
Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. 'Why do you do that, mommy?' he asked.
'To make myself beautiful,' said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue.
'What's the matter?' asked Little Johnny. 'Giving up?'
In The News:
HHS Mandate Lawsuit Count Reaches 40
The number of lawsuits against the Obama administration over a rule forcing employers to provide insurance covering contraceptives and possible abortifacient drugs reached 40 this week, when a medical supply company in Minnesota filed a complaint on Nov. 5, WORLD News Service reports. Stuart Lind, who owns Annex Medical, Inc., is a Catholic dedicated to "conducting business in a way that is pleasing to God and is faithful to biblical principles and values," according to court documents, and he says the mandate is forcing him to violate his religious beliefs. The Obama administration gave secular businesses until this past August to comply with the mandate, but faith-based organizations, including Catholic hospitals, universities and ministries, have a so-called "safe harbor" extension that gives them until August 2013 to find a way to comply. Annex Medical refuses to adhere to the mandate and will drop its insurance plan altogether by Jan. 31 unless courts provide relief, the law firm stated.
'Nones' Say 2012 Election Proves They are a Political Force
Nationwide exit polls show that "nones," those who say they have no religious affiliation or do not believe in God, made up 12 percent of all voters -- more than the combined number of voters who are Jewish, Muslim or members of other minority religions (9 percent) and only slightly smaller than the combined number of Hispanic Catholics and black Protestants (14 percent), the Religion News Service reports. The nones skewed heavily Democratic, 70 to 26 percent, and atheistic and secular groups are celebrating the election results. Many see their muscle behind state victories for same-sex marriage -- a pillar of their agenda -- and the defeat of Florida's Amendment 8, which would have channeled taxpayer money to religious schools. "The numbers don't lie," said Lauren Anderson Youngblood of the Secular Coalition for America. "They are an indicator of our untapped potential..." According to an October study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, "nones" are now the fastest-growing faith group in America, at 20 percent of the population, or 26 million adults. "It may take another election or two before we are truly able to make our political mark," said Matthew Bulger of the American Humanist Association, "but have no doubt that day is coming."
San Francisco to Offer Free Sex Changes for Uninsured
San Francisco is set to become the first U.S. city to offer free sex-change operations for uninsured transgender residents, CBN News reports. Transgender advocates want mastectomies, genital reconstruction and other surgeries covered under San Francisco's universal health care program, and the city's Health Commission voted Tuesday to create a program to treat people experiencing "mental distress" due to gender-identity issues. Health department officials say the program will take effect late next year after studying the cost and how many people it would serve.
Montana Approves Parental-Consent Law
Voters in Montana overwhelmingly approved a law Tuesday requiring parental notification before any girl under age 16 can receive an abortion, WORLD News Service reports. Seventy percent of citizens voted for Ref. 120, compared to only 30 percent opposed to it. "Montana voters have wisely passed this common-sense law to ensure that parents can protect their daughters from abortionists who prey on upon vulnerable young girls," said Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Steven H. Aden. "The voice of an abortionist should not be allowed more weight than the voice of parents when their daughter is pregnant." Those who violate the law can receive fines of $500 and/or six months in prison, while those who coerce a minor into getting an abortion could receive a $1,000 fine, a year-long prison sentence, or both. To date, 38 states have passed laws requiring parental notification or consent before teen girls can have abortions, according to the Americans United for Life.
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