Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Gossip betrays people’s trust as information that should have been held confidential leaks out. It possibly ruins their reputation and harms relationships. In previous posts we considered how gossip can destroy the effectiveness of prayer chains. Due to the destructive nature of gossip, perhaps we should pray similar to the psalmist when he asked God, “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Ps. 141:3).

General Principles About Our Communication To Apply to Our Temptation to Gossip

Since “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21), we need a biblical handle on the seriousness of gossip. Beginning with broad guidance about our communication will help us understand all the more the destructive nature of gossip.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph. 4:29)

Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Eph. 4:24-25)

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. (2 Tim. 2:16)

When tempted to gossip, let’s go back to these verses and ask if what we’re about to share is pleasing in God’s sight, helpful for building others up, righteous and holy. Or, does it fit under the category of unwholesome talk, falsehood, or godless chatter?

A Biblical View of the Destructive Nature of Gossip

Now look at how God gets specific about the destructive nature of gossip:

• Gossip is a cancerous condition, eating away at us from the inside out. “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” (Prov. 18:8)

• Gossip is a break in integrity. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” (Prov. 11:13)

• Gossip is a symptom of a depraved mind out of fellowship with God (Rom. 1:28-32). When we gossip, we are giving in to the old sin nature.

• Gossip is a divisive activity. “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Prov. 16:28) — However, “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down” (Prov. 26:20). Let’s not fuel the fire but rather “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

• Gossip is a violation of love. When we gossip it’s like we’re secretly slandering a person. This is not the loving thing to do for “love does no harm to its neighbor” (Rom. 13:10).

• Gossip is a tool in the devil’s hand. Gossip follows after the ways of Satan who is called an “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). The word “devil” means prone to slander, slanderous. Remember the warning in Ephesians 4:27, “Do not give the devil a foothold.”

May these truths challenge us all to pray, “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Ps. 141:3)

After God created the heavens and earth and all that was in it, He put the people He made in a garden that contained all they needed (Gen. 1-2). It was also a place God walked among them (Gen. 3:8) so they enjoyed blessed fellowship with Him.

God wanted people to choose to stay in fellowship with Him because He also wanted a love relationship with them. Without being given a choice of whether to obey Him or not, the relationship would be nothing more than robotic servitude. So, God told them they could eat from any of the trees except one. And, He made it clear that a choice not to obey this one command would come with consequences.

God Made People Capable of Choosing

Being made in the image of God, humans had a will that enabled them to make choices. Would they choose to surrender to this one command of God or do what they wanted? He would not force obedience. They needed to decide if all they had with Him was enough.

Implications: Since God Himself doesn’t force people into a relationship with Himself, let’s be careful not to use tactics to coerce or manipulate people. We must faithfully speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) but in the end, people are responsible for their own choices. We cannot make them believe or obey. Let’s be careful we don’t turn people into hypocrites by externally conforming in order to look the part.

People Won’t Always Make the Right Choice

Being omniscient, God knew what Adam and Eve would choose to do. But, He gave them the ability to choose anyway because He wanted people to want to be in a relationship with Him and to willingly participate in His plans and purposes.

God went to extremes to show people how much He loved them and wanted to be in a relationship with Him, but many still rejected Him, choosing their own way. Ultimately He sent Jesus who would die on the cross in their place. — “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (Jn. 1:11-13)

Implications: Let’s be real. Not everyone we share the Gospel with will put their trust in Jesus. Not everyone we teach will take what they learn and apply it to their lives. Not everyone we give benevolently to will be grateful and pass it forward. People won’t always make the right choices. But, let’s not get discouraged. God made people with a will to choose. We are responsible to faithfully minister to others. They are responsible for how they respond.

Choices Come with Consequences

Yes, in the end, each person is responsible for themselves. And, each person will reap the consequences of their choices. Adam and Eve chose to do the one thing God warned them about. They suffered immediate consequences, being expelled from the garden and losing that face to face intimacy with God (Gen. 3). And, their choice brought on long term consequences, with people being born thereafter with a sin nature. Sin has marred lives ever since.

Implications: Let’s not candy coat the issue. We reap what we sow. We can’t make people believe or trust God but we can help them make informed choices.

God deserves our all — all of who we are in all of what we do. The question we must ask is if we’re giving Him our all from the depths of our being.

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. (Rev. 4:11)

How We Give Back to God What He Deserves

If we’re going to give a deserving God our all, then in whatever we do, …

we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:17)
we do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

Whatever it might be, in each and every aspect of what we do, we live like He deserves our all.

And, we do it with the right heart attitude … “giving thanks to God the Father through Him ” (Col. 3:17). We look at the big picture and don’t just live for the moment. That means we sometimes lay aside our freedoms, our rights, for the good of the whole (1 Cor. 10:31-33; Gal. 5:13). We do what we do as unto Him from the heart (Col. 3:23) not out of duty.

Since we’re self-centered by nature, this can be difficult. We can easily become distracted by everything that clamors for our attention. We can get so consumed by the circumstances of this life, both the good and the bad, that we sometimes forget the One who gave us life.

So, how do we keep the focus on Him? How do we give Him our all as He deserves? It won’t happen by our own striving but rather by His grace and the strength He provides for us in any and all situations.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Cor. 15:10)

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:13)

Giving God Our All from a Life Fully Devoted to Him

It’s going to take a life fully devoted to the Lord, one that loves and trusts Him with all of who we are, to do all we do in His name and for His glory.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mk. 12:30)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Therein comes the motivation and confidence needed. We love Him from the depths of our being because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19) and consequently “want to” align with Him in every area of our lives. We commit all our ways to Him because of His incomparably great wisdom and strength (Ps. 145:3; Isa. 40:28; Eph. 1:19-20). This is a God who deserves our all!

Throughout the years people have been convinced that Jesus would return at any moment. Back in the early 1970s Hal Lindsey’s best-selling book, ‘The Late Great Planet Earth‘, and the movie, ‘A Thief in the Night‘, got people thinking Christ would return any day. But, the 70s and 80s went by and still no Jesus. Then there was a lot of talk about the world coming to an end at the turn of the millennium. Remember all the Y2K alarmists? Decades later Jesus hasn’t come!

— Yet, we still are exhorted to be ready for the second coming of the Lord. — “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33)

The Importance of Being Ready for the Second Coming of the Lord

Jesus stressed the importance of being ready in a parable, saying “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” (Matt. 25:1). Five virgins had extra oil with them whereas the other five only had their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t come right away so when it was time to trim their lamps, the ones who weren’t prepared had to leave to purchase more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came and it was too late for them to gain entrance into the wedding banquet. The parable concludes, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matt. 25:13)

The five who weren’t ready missed out on a significant, life-changing event. So it will be at the second coming of our Lord. As history has proven, we can’t predict Jesus’ coming. If we aren’t ready, we, or others we love, may miss out.

How Choices We Make Now Will Impact Then

What we do or don’t do now will impact eternity. Here are just a few ways:

• If we keep putting off making sure our hearts are right with God, if we don’t truly know Him, we’ll miss out on eternal life with Him in glory. Or, if we do know Him, this life won’t have as much meaning because we won’t be living in the fullness of life He came to give us (Jn. 10:10). So, let’s start by asking if we truly know Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Are we resting solely on the all-sufficiency of the work that Jesus did on the cross for our salvation? If, as believers, we’ve allowed other things to block fellowship with Him, let’s confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9) and walk in the newness of life He came to give us (Col. 3:1-17). We may only have today to make these decisions.

• If we keep shying away from sharing the Gospel with those who don’t know Him, they might miss out on eternal life with Him in glory for “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Are we making the most of the openings we have (Col. 4:5)? We may not have another opportunity.

• If we keep busy with things that only matter in this life and fail to invest our time and resources into that which counts for eternity, we’ll miss out on rewards when we stand before Christ. What we have done in this life “will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light” and we’ll either be rewarded or “suffer loss” (1 Cor. 3:13-15). The Judgment Seat of Christ is for those whose destiny in heaven with Jesus is already determined so the loss isn’t salvation but undoubtedly rewards as it says that person “will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:15). We won’t have the joy of casting our crowns (rewards) at Jesus’ feet in worship (Rev. 4:10-11). Imagine seeing the Lord of lords and King of kings in all His glory and majesty with nothing to lay at His feet. That’s a true loss.

When Jesus comes, it will be too late to do the things we put off doing. — “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mk. 13:33)

What do we really believe about God, His Word, His Church, etc.? Very simply put, if we don’t believe certain truths, to the core of our being, we won’t tend to act on them. As a result, we won’t experience life in Christ in the fullness of what He intends to do in and through us. What we believe does matter!

Examples Showing How What We Really Believe Matters

To keep this post reasonable in length, we’ll only look at four areas which will give at least a sample of the difference our core beliefs make.

1) About the Bible

If we don’t hold firmly to the Truth of God’s Word, acknowledging it as inspired by Him and useful as our Standard for living (2 Tim. 3:16-17), it will affect how we approach reading and teaching it. For starters, we probably won’t invest what we should into Bible study or lesson preparation. And, when we aren’t Bible-based, we won’t see changed lives because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

• If the Bible is God’s Word, Then What?
• What You Believe About the Bible Has Implications
• Teachers’ View of the Bible Matters
• Resources for Bible Study: Journaling, Memorizing, Reading, Studying

2) About the Holy Spirit

If we don’t truly believe the Holy Spirit is real and vital for today, then we won’t rely on Him for help (Gal. 5:14-26). Without His help, we won’t tend to navigate ministry, even life in general, as we should. As a result, we will bring on more problems than necessary or miss out on all God wants to do in and through us.

• God’s Power: The Holy Spirit
• Our Critical Need of the Holy Spirit in Ministry
• Ways the Holy Spirit Helps Us in Ministry
• Resources about the Holy Spirit

3) About Grace

If we don’t really acknowledge that the grace of God that saved us (Eph. 2:8-9) is what also enables us to live upright and godly lives (Col. 2:6; Titus 2:11-12), then we won’t rely on Him to work through us in all we do. As a result, we will never get to the point where we give God our best because self-effort will never get us there. We’ll tend take a more legalistic approach to living the Christian life or give up trying since we can’t be good enough.

• God’s Power: The Grace of God
• Giving God Your Best Isn’t ...
• Christian Life: Law vs. Grace
• Spiritual Growth Resources (look under the ‘Traits’ tab)

4) About the Church

If we don’t think that God’s design for the Church works today, then we won’t place importance on functioning as a Body (1 Cor. 12). When that happens, we have little to fall back on when we disagree because Body life, God’s way, can not only help us resolve conflict but also prevent it. We won’t have people to hold us accountable and spur us on (Heb. 10:24).

• Body Life: God’s Design for the Church
• Body Life Can Prevent Conflict
• Body Life Can Resolve Conflict
• Resources on Body Life

If you struggle with any of the above, take time to at least read the posts under that area. You’ll also find a link for each to additional resources.

The beginning of a new year tends to be a time when people resolve to eat better and exercise more in the upcoming year. Often these plans begin well but dwindle in the months ahead. We lose our motivation for healthy living. Perhaps what’s missing is the scriptural foundation for wanting to be healthy. When our goal is to align with God’s desires for us, we’ll tend to maintain a more consistent motivation for healthy living. And, we’ll also tend to be more prone to pull on His power to get there rather than rely on a self-help plan based on a weight goal or number of steps on a tracker.

Scriptural Principles that Should Motivate Us Toward Healthy Living

These principles can guide us as individuals and help with motivation toward healthy living. They can also provide some insight into how we as a Church can help others pursue healthier living.

1. God wants us to be good stewards of our bodies, treating them as “temples of the Holy Spirit” remembering that the whole of who we are belongs to Him, not just our spirits. Even the way we treat our bodies is a means of bringing glory to God. — Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

As His Church, let’s encourage one another and provide training on how to be good stewards in all areas of our lives. We’ll tend to occasionally teach and/or preach on financial stewardship, maybe even time management, but what about taking care of our physical fitness?

For more: Biblical Stewardship Resources

2. God looks for a holistic response toward Him in accordance with how He made us with a body, mind, soul, and spirit. The greatest command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk. 12:30).

And so, as His Church, let’s minister to the whole person, integrating physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, and social health and wellness. Let’s be understanding and sensitive to the needs of one another, not just the spiritual, knowing that when one aspect of our lives is hurting or unhealthy, it can affect other areas.

3. Jesus came to this earth and died in our place so we can “have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10). Certainly that includes the whole of our lives here and now, not merely in our spirit or future heavenly abode. In the beginning of that verse, Jesus also said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;”. When we don’t take care of ourselves, we can become our own enemy, robbing ourselves of the energy and drive to fully enjoy all He has for us.

As His Church, we can disciple people in how to experience that abundant life spiritually but also physically as is possible on this side of eternity. Let’s help people learn to prevent problems that could affect the rest of their being. Let’s mean it when we say we want people to become “fully” devoted followers of Jesus.