Be a Light

(1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 My brothers and sisters, it will be different for you. You do not dwell in the darkness, so that day will not surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light. You are sons and daughters of the day. We are not created of night, nor are we owned by darkness. So then let’s not give in to sleep or wander around in a stupor as some do, but let’s stay awake and in control. You see, sleepers sleep through the night, and drunkards drink the night away; but since we belong to the day, we should stay sober and in control, covered with a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  

Did you ever have one of THOSE days?  

When you felt like you had missed it?  Even if you didn't know what IT was, you just knew somehow that you had passed by and not noticed IT laying in your path?  Maybe there was so much darkness surrounding you from the world you didn't feel like your light was bright enough to see it?  God sees things from a different perspective than we do!  Imagine sitting in a completely dark room. One so dark your eyes hurt straining to try and see something, you've probably done this a a kid?  Now imagine seeing a tiny speck of light in the distance.  What happened to the darkness around you?  

Even the smallest light is able to push back the darkness and stand out!  That's what God wants us to do.......stand out!  Everywhere we turn lately, darkness is staring back at us.

Isn't it about time we stood out as Christians?  For far too long Christians have taken a back seat to the things of the world, to the darkness.  We have been silent and covered our light so we won't offend others, but isn't it time to become the Children of the Light. 

Sometimes, it is hard to shine!  The good news is that we are not called to make our own light but simply to REFLECT the light of Jesus.  

SHINE for JESUS.

#Perceptions--Seeing the world through God's eyes: Integrity

#Perceptions--Seeing the world through God's eyes: Integrity:     Integrity Integrity - The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being ...

Love

What's Love got to do with it?

 

 1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I ganin nothing 1Cor 13: 1-3

 

What are three ways you show someone you love them?

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What would it be like if people don't walk in God's perfect Love?

1. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy. 3. heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good. 4.treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5. having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.  2Tim 3:1-5

  

How do you get real Love?

       Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world.  18 there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fewar.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  19 We love because he first loved us.  20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has been cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1John 4:16-20

 

 

What are some examples of false love?

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What kind of power comes with "real" love? 

17 And these signs will accomplany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons:  they will speak in new tongures; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16: 17-18

Integrity

 

 

Integrity

Integrity- The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being whole and undivided.

Can we say of this world today that integrity is easily found? Where can we show integrity in our own lives? What are the consequences of not walking in integrity? These questions may come to mind when we consider the meaning of the word integrity but would we be able to demonstrate this quality if we faced a real trial.

Daniel and his friends were able through their faith in God to be men of integrity in a world completely removed from the one they had been raised. They were completely removed from their homeland and family and taken into an alien place where no one ate the same foods or had the same orals or worshipped the same God. Yet they had the integrity to stand up and ask to be allowed to do things the right way. Not the popular way, not the easy way and not even the expected way but the right way. Through your reading of Daniel chapter 1 take time to ask God for a deeper insight into the places inside your heart where integrity is ingrained or where you lack the needed integrity to withstand the worldly things encountered daily. If you find anything that would separate you from serving God with integrity ask Him to help you to be an over comer in that area. Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart in such a way that you know, that you know, what is the correct and perfect way to walk in integrity.

Read Daniel Chapter 1

What would you do?

Psalms 25:21
Psalms 26:1-5
Matthew 5:41
Choose the more excellent way.

Beginnings

 

     It seems insurmountable!  How can we possibly make this happen? What in the world was I thinking?  

    Thoughts are sometimes the greatest obstacles we face, when  God asks us to step out and do a new thing.  Since God planted the vision to start this class in January, we have had quite a few stumbling blocks.  

    First of all, social media is not the way I interact with others.  I had never blogged, tweeted or posted  anything in my life.  I prefer to talk and interact with real people.  It was big day when I was able to text my first reply where everything was spelled correctly.  Buffy, on the other hand is much more accepting of new things and as a result has a much better grasp on social media.  Being a female she is a born multi-tasker and able to respond electronically and verbally with ease.

    It seemed at first that we were simply going to do a bible study class with young men and women who had graduated from Youth group and were not yet evolved in some form of ministry in the church.  God, however sees things from a much greater angle of vision. The class grew from just a study of Daniel and Ruth to a life study of Integrity and Committment.  It was no longer a weekly class held in the church building but now a group with unlimited members who would be able to interact via social media and only meet once a month as a physical group.  Perceptions was born!  What God intended was what He always calls us to do--See the world through His eyes!