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This is going to be along blog entry and I pray you will wade through it to the end, \u00a0because I feel led by the Holy Spirit to share this, it is weighing heavy on my heart!<\/p>\n
I started to think about it all yesterday and shared with Sherelene this morning what was on my mind and heart, and she shared with me that today’s In Touch Devotional was a perfect fit, so you are getting both in this entry!<\/p>\n
Let me tell you how this started to ferment in my mind. \u00a0Yesterday Jack shared in a text chat about a man he saw in a restaurant wearing a t-shirt with a message on the back that would make a sailor blush, I won’t repeat it here, but trust me it would shock any of you! \u00a0Yesterday I was driving home when I stopped for a red light, when it changed to green the vehicle on the other side turned left in front of me when I was signaling right and had the right of way, It is a good thing I paused to see what he was going to do! \u00a0On a recent flight I was standing in line to board with my group when someone, not in that group stepped to front of the line in front of all of us that had been waiting for 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
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None of these things are federal crimes, but they are a signal as to where our society is heading. \u00a0Many people don’t have any regard for others and think only of \u00a0themselves.<\/p>\n
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While this might frustrate us, how are Christians suppose to respond to a coarser and coarser world. \u00a0The devotional that follows sets the example of how we are to respond, not react. \u00a0We are to be in this world, but not of it! \u00a0Dr. Stanley will say it much better, but the take away for me is to be Christ like and do to others not what they do to us, but treat them how we would want to be treated ourselves. \u00a0It’s hard, but remember we are trying to win over a lost world and acting like them is never a good start to that goal.<\/p>\n
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This as the Devotional this morning on In Touch – Dr. Charles Stanley<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1 John 2:1-17 \u00a0 New Living Translation<\/p>\n 2\u00a0<\/span>My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.<\/span> 2\u00a0<\/sup>He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins\u2014and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.<\/span><\/p>\n 3\u00a0<\/sup>And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.<\/span> 4\u00a0<\/sup>If someone claims, \u201cI know God,\u201d but doesn\u2019t obey God\u2019s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.<\/span> 5\u00a0<\/sup>But those who obey God\u2019s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.<\/span> 6\u00a0<\/sup>Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.<\/span><\/p>\n 7\u00a0<\/sup>Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment\u2014to love one another\u2014is the same message you heard before.<\/span> 8\u00a0<\/sup>Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.<\/span><\/p>\n 9\u00a0<\/sup>If anyone claims, \u201cI am living in the light,\u201d but hates a fellow believer,[a<\/a>]<\/sup> that person is still living in darkness.<\/span>10\u00a0<\/sup>Anyone who loves a fellow believer[b<\/a>]<\/sup> is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.<\/span> 11\u00a0<\/sup>But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.<\/span><\/p>\n 12\u00a0<\/sup>I am writing to you who are God\u2019s children<\/span> 15\u00a0<\/sup>Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.<\/span> 16\u00a0<\/sup>For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.<\/span> 17\u00a0<\/sup>And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.<\/span><\/p>\n R<\/a><\/p>\n Are you seeking to know and understand the Lord? Even though He\u2019s beyond human comprehension in many ways, God has revealed much of Himself in His Word. And as we search for Him in Scripture, we\u2019ll grow in our understanding of His nature. But this isn\u2019t merely an academic pursuit. Knowing God practically impacts every area of life.<\/p>\n For one thing, knowledge of God influences our prayers. Instead of asking for whatever we want, we\u2019ll seek to ask according to His will (1 John 5:14-15<\/a>). And we won\u2019t limit our requests in size or scope because we\u2019ll realize that nothing is impossible with God.<\/p>\n The way we view the Lord also affects how we think, behave, and relate to other people. Knowing Him intimately transforms our natural tendency toward doubt and sin. Then we desire to walk obediently before Him, with a pure heart. Instead of loving the world, we seek to please Him by loving His people unselfishly and resisting sinful lusts.<\/p>\nA New Commandment<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[c<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[d<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.<\/span><\/span>
\nI am writing to you who are young in the faith<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>because you have won your battle with the evil one.<\/span><\/span>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>I have written to you who are God\u2019s children<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>because you know the Father.<\/span><\/span>
\nI have written to you who are mature in the faith<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.<\/span><\/span>
\nI have written to you who are young in the faith<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>because you are strong.<\/span><\/span>
\nGod\u2019s word lives in your hearts,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and you have won your battle with the evil one.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nDo Not Love This World<\/span><\/h3>\n
Dr. Stanley’s Commentary<\/strong><\/h4>\n