Sunday, January 30, 2011

Our Need for Holy Living

I grew up in a holiness church. There was an awareness of God's holy nature and it was preached and taught. I have noticed a switch in what most churches emphasize today. We dwell on God's love and grace and rarely challenge one another to holy living. While I know God's love and grace, I also need to know his holiness. Holiness keeps me aware of my sinfulness and need for Christ to be my Savior and Lord. When we dwell exclusively on God's grace, we lose respect for his holiness.
There is no greater need in the church today than a proper respect for the holiness of God. Without it, we no longer fear God or respect him as our judge. There is no motivation left to submit and obey Him. There is no sense of our need to keep on growing into godliness.
The church is only as strong as her witness to God's holiness. It is the meat and bones of our faith. Nothing much is going to happen as far as reaching people for Christ until we regain our need for holy living.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Road to Success is Work.

I hate to admit it, but I must. There is no way that I am ever going to exhuast the contacts that can be made on the net. The more I reach out with the message of my book, the more I discover just how big the world we live in is. There are an endless amount of opportunities available for people to connect to the world. There is a seemingly endless supply of information floating around, some helpful and some not. Working the net is one of the most economical and efficiennt ways of making yourself known. But there is a catch.
In order to be successful on the net, you must make a commitment to work. No matter what you do in life, the road to success is called work. The reward of hard work is the satisfaction that you have done your best. It is far better to have tried and failed than it is to fail to try. The world is full of people who fail to try because they are afraid of the work. No matter how many times you try and fail, if you persist and keep on working, you will succeed in your endeavors.
The drive to work is built on the foundation of belief in what you are doing. If you are not sold on the the worth of what you are doing, you will never stay the course until the task is done.
The same truths apply to our walk with God. Maintaining a viable relationship with God takes a lot of work. Successful Christian living only comes to those willing to pay the price of commitment, self-sacrifice, and work. Great is the reward of those willing to work out their salvation.