God

Don't procrastinate

Don’t settle for less, #06: Don’t procrastinate

Settling for less

Don’t procrastinate. Maybe you’re still asking, why not procrastinate?  Even if we never do the thing God’s asking us to do, won’t He have a Plan B?  Won’t He have someone else do it instead?  But that’s missing the point.  It was a task we were created to do.  For the One who created us. 

Let me create a picture for you, then explain it.  Remember the image at the top of the page?  It was a burned out light bulb, trying to get someone’s attention.  Trying to say it needs to be replaced.

Now, let’s say that light bulb represents the Holy Spirit in us.  Fortunately, the Holy Spirit will be trying to get our attention before it goes out.  But if it does go out, we’re in trouble.  If it goes out, if the Holy Spirit is no longer in us, then we’ve done what Jesus warned us about in the following passage from Luke’s gospel.

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This then is how you should not pray...

This then is how you should not pray…

The Lord's Prayer

This then is how you should pray.
That’s the passage before The Lord’s Prayer.  Short.  A mere 4 verses.  But what is Jesus really saying? 
In the first part of the passage, Jesus talks about this then is how you should not pray.

But is it like, I wish you wouldn’t pray like the hypocrites?  Or maybe it’s, I’d like it if you could avoid praying like them.  Or is it more like, you really need to ask for My help and try very, very hard to not pray like them?  Or do you think it’s just a suggestion, as in it’d be nice to not be like them but don’t worry if you can’t help it?

Wait ’til you find out what they meant.  It’s shocking if you’ve never noticed before.

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Blessed are the pure in heart

Blessed are the pure in heart

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the pure in heart.  What does that even mean?  In this day and age, do we even know what the word “pure” means?  And what’s meant by the word heart?  We hopefully know it’s not about someone with a healthy heart pumping pure blood without infections, foreign matter, or other impurities.  But what is it? 

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Don't wait until you're ready

Don’t settle for less, #05: Don’t wait until you’re ready

Settling for less

Don’t wait until you’re ready

If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting your entire life.  OK, I’ll go along with that part.  Even with: be as prepared as you can, but then dive in headfirst. 

That’s all good stuff for the secular world.  But we’re taking this to look at what it takes to be a successful Christian.  Hopefully this part’s obvious, but we really ought to wait until God’s ready.  

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don't dwell on your haters

Don’t settle for less, #04: Don’t dwell on your haters

Settling for less

Don’t dwell on your haters – but do spend time with them

Huh?  Spend time with them?  Even in the secular world, there a saying that some people go by.  Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.  But that’s to protect yourself from them.  As a Christian, there’s a different reason for spending time with our enemies.  Remember the kinds of things Jesus did in that regard?

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don't start the day without a plan

Don’t settle for less, #02: don’t start the day without a plan

Settling for less

Don’t start the day without a plan.  It’s the second in a series of traits for successful people in the secular world that we’re going to look at.  However, we’re going to see how these same traits can be applied to becoming a “successful” Christian.  Someone who not only has an idea what Christianity is really about, but who also lives it.  Finally, who also does the Great Commission and not what Dallas Willard calls the Great Omission.

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don't speak negatively of yourself

Don’t settle for less, #01: don’t speak negatively of yourself

Settling for less

Don’t speak negatively of yourself

OK.  To some extent, that’s also true from a Christian point of view.  To some extent.  However, some changes are needed.  It maybe seems weird, but there are two totally opposite ways that some (many?) Christians perceive themselves.  As with most extremes, I think both are, well, for lack of a better word – extreme – and therefore not right.  As usual, someplace in the middle is where we should be.

That may sound odd to most Christians.  After all, Jesus told us something about being the least.  You may remember it.

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Important: is the Bible relevant today?

Is the Bible relevant today?

Settling for less

Is the Bible relevant today?  Of course, I say yes – absolutely.  The Bible is relevant today!  But then there’s the question of why?  Why should anyone believe the Bible is relevant today?   

To that end, I’m going to do a series on something written for secular people.  23 Things Successful People Never Do, from bestlifeonline.com.  It’s an interesting approach.  I was surprised how much the general thoughts line up with things Christians should do.  The only real differences were in the actual examples, not in the concepts.  In a way, maybe not all that surprising.  

Jesus came to earth to die for us, and one of the results of that is that His followers can have “life to the full”.  Let’s examine that passage.  After that, we can better understand why a Christian might want to look at a secular list of things to not do.

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