tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25723085.post-1144594677415564872006-04-02T23:49:00.000+01:002006-04-09T15:57:57.416+01:00<p align="center"><em>O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!<br /></em><em>You have set your glory above the heavens.<br /></em><strong>Psalm 8:1</strong></p><p align="left">How great is your God? How awesome is He? What view do you have of him? Does He stand over all of your life or is He a bit like Aladdin's genie... you just bring Him out when you're in a fix or you need a quick miracle?</p><p align="left">Our view of God will be reflected in how we treat Him and how we live for Him from day to day. The Bible teaches us, <em>'Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable … if anything is excellent or praise worthy … think about such things.'</em> <strong>Philemon 4:8</strong></p><p align="left">Some Christians think that they can walk out of church and it won't matter if they live like the world around them. They think it doesn't matter if they get drunk, swear, commit adultery, watch huge doses of soft porn dished up as Desperate Housewives on their TVs.</p><p align="left">The problem with many churches and many who call themselves Christians today is that they have got so spiritually watered down they have no more taste! No wonder our nation is in the state it is. Just look at this week's Citizen local Newspaper - teenage drugs, burglaries, drive by abductions and that's just in Gloucester! The reason why the nation is in a desperate state is because the church is in such a state of spiritual decline.</p><p>We've turned the Good News of God's saving grace into a watered down version of altruistic self-helpism that robs the Cross of its power. We smugly think that God is lucky to have us on His side. The church has raised a generation of 'consumer-Christians' who are out to get before they give, who would spend a fortune on themselves whilst allowing the mission of the church limp along, who would rather see a performance at church than get on their knees and join the church in prayer.</p><p>Friends, our God is Holy...</p><ul><li><strong>True </strong>- He longs for transparency and truth in our lives.</li><li><strong>Noble</strong> - He'd rather see more Christlike character in us.</li><li><strong>Pure</strong> - He wants us to guard our minds and the minds of our children from the raw sewage of filth that can filter into our front rooms week by week via the TV.</li><li><strong>Lovely</strong> - He wants to see our lives that are just lovely and pure.</li><li><strong>Admirable</strong> - He wants men and women who will be honoured for their honesty, courage and integrity not because they just sunk a load of cash into the government.</li><li><strong>Excellent</strong> - Everything he has created from the mountains to the tiniest insect is 100% fantastic. That is what He wants to see in our service for Him, He's sick of mediocrity and excuses - we need to start taking our cue from His character and His Word. The biggest problem for Christians today is they are forever aiming (aiming to pray, aiming to serve, aiming to give - for this worlds sake stop aiming and fire!!)</li><li><strong>Praiseworthy</strong> - Focus on that which is positive and praiseworthy, avoid negativism or a critical spirit or being filled with cynicism or bitterness. If you have friends like that and they drag you down show them the door, or they'll infect your witness. We need to be a people who cause others to praise our God. We need to be a people who reflect God's righteousness and not our own into our society. God's word says these are the things we need to dwell and to think on.</li></ul><p align="left">Can I encourage you to get hold of God and let God get a hold of you? It was said of Daniel, a man who refused to compromise in placing God first in his life, that the Lord raised him up and made him Prime Minister of his day.</p><p align="left"><em>'Now Daniel soon proved himself more capable that all the (administrative leaders) of his day, and because of his exceptional qualities the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom'<br /></em><strong>Daniel 6:3</strong></p><p align="left">Determine today by God's grace to rise above 'Just Average'</p>John Lewis - Gorsley Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00657989495797534537noreply@blogger.com