Facts of the Matter

– "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matt. 5:9)

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (Rom. 5:1; Jn. 14:27) (See Num. 6:26; Psa. 29:11; Isa. 55:12; Jn. 16:33; Eph. 2:14-17; Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15)

"Godreconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:18b, 19) (See Eph. 2:14,15; Col. 1:20)

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." (Rom. 14:1) (See verses 2-7)

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all menFor the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." (Rom. 12:18; 14:17-19) (See Psa. 34:14; Rom. 14:19; Eph. 4:3; 1 Thess. 5:13; 2 Tim. 2:22; Jms. 3:16-18; 1 Pet. 3:11)

"If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?" (1 Cor. 6:1) (See 1 Ki. 3:16-28; Pro. 17:14; 25:7b-10; Matt. 5:25,26, 40; 18:15-18; 1 Cor. 6:1-11)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness." (Gal. 5:22) (See Gal. 5:16)

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Col. 3:13) (See Matt. 5:44; 18:21-34; Lk. 6:35-37)

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Heb. 12:14) (See Gen. 13; Rom. 12:18)

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." (Jms. 1:19b) (Pro. 8:32-35; 10:19; 13:3; 16:32)

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask GodThe wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving." (Jms. 1:5a; 3:17b) (See Jms. 3:16-18)

For security, "success", social status, etc? Or for such eternal values as:

A Passion for God

+

"…As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you…"

(Psa. 42:1,2; 63:1a)

Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (Jn. 4:34,35)

"…We proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about Him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ Jesus. This is what I am working at all the time, with all the strength that God gives me…Ask the Lord of the harvest…to send out workers into his harvest field."

(Col. 1:28,29 – Phillips; Matt. 9:38)

"…You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth…Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…"

(Act.1:8; Matt.28:19a)

One of these days a nurse will enter your intensive care unit, observe the flat signal on the electronic heart monitor, unplug the life-support system, and quietly walk out of the room.

At that moment, you will find yourself in eternity face-to-face with God. One question He plans to ask you is whether you shared the passions of His heart, or whether you followed your own. How you answer that question will determine the quality of your existence for all eternity.*

: Given the focus of your present passions, is that a pleasant thought?

+Adapted from U. S. Staff Communiqu, Alan Andrews, The Navigators, November 19, 1997

* See 2Cor. 5:9-11; I Cor. 3:11-15; 4:5; Gal. 6:7-10; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:24, 25; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12

to my spiritual struggles that if discovered will catapult me into instant spiritual bliss. In a world of instant coffee and fast foods, why not instant spiritual maturity? Instant victory?

from the spiritual blahs, defeatism, and drynessif we buy their particular brand of spiritual snake oil. The Scriptures warn us against these slippery characters, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (2 Cor.11:13,14) (See Acts 15:24; 20:30; Rom. 16:18; Gal. 1:7; Eph. 4:14; 1 Jn. 4:1)

. Perseverance. Focus. Priorities. Obedience. Discipline. Study. Endurance. Because salvation is by grace, it is all to easy for us to assume we can sloth our way through the Christian life by maintaining a barely passable, respectable minimum.

, "Spiritual achievement costs much, through never so much as it is worth. It means at the very least the painful development and persevering, steady exercise of a faculty that most of us have allowed to get slack."

(Heb. 6:12; 1 Tim. 4:7) (See Mk. 1:35; Hos. 12:6; Matt.10:22; Rom. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:1,2,58; Gal. 6:9; Eph 6:13; Col. 1:22,23; Heb. 3:14; Jms. 1:4,12,25; 2 Pet 1:10; Rev 2:10,11)

" (I Cor. 9:24b-27)

, where both are engaged in the daily process of transforming you into Christlikeness:

"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purposeBut whatever I am now it is all because God poured out such kindness and grace upon me–and not without results: for I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet actually I wasn’t doing it, but God working in me, to bless me."

(Phil. 2:12b,13; I Cor. 15:10 Living) (See Eph. 3:7)

: For a "joint-venture" to succeed, both parties need to uphold their end of the agreement. How do you think Christ feels about your contribution to this arrangement?

, commenting, "Well, another Christian leader has fallen" Because she was sworn to secrecy, I have no idea of whom she is speaking.

lists a clinical description of the seductress personality (histrionic personality disorder):

1. Is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention.

2. Interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior.

3. Displays rapidly shifting and shallow expressions of emotions.

4. Constantly uses physical appearance to draw attention to self.

5. Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail.

6. Shows self-dramatization, theatricality, exaggerated expression of emotion.

7. Is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others and circumstances

8. Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are."+

(Pro. 7:10-21)

If we are to remain pure, it behooves us to recognize the temptress type and respond accordingly,

(Pro. 22:3)

According to Scripture, here is what awaits for us if we fail, "Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death." (Pro. 7:26, 27)

+Louis McBurney in Leadership Magazine, Fall 1998, page 102