This phyiscal will help examine your Christian experience and depth of your character. It helps you look at your experience of loving and serving others who might be different than you; sharing the Gospel with the folks you know; suffering; family; and developing your character.
Having guilt, shame, or embarrassment in your life feels like an albatross hanging around your neck. The longer it hangs the heavier it gets.
Maybe that is why 93% of women who have had abortions regret it years later. Or why some folks live in the past, replaying in their minds the should of, could of, and would of's, while missing out on the present.
Jesus says, "Come to me all those who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 ESV) Going to Jesus is the key. He is the only one who can permanently remove that guilt, shame, embarrassment, and pain. He is the one who can clear our conscience.
Conflicts happen. Disagreements are a part of life. Anger, disappointment, unmet expectations, being let down and miscommunication are all things that happen as sure as the sun rises in the east.
If you are alive and breathing, these things are an inescapable part of life. We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people so imperfect things will happen. If we run from these things, they will follow us and haunt us.
I have met many people who have run away from dating relationships without reconciling a disagreement or conflict. They just leave with hard feelings. Without fail, they take their hard feelings and open wounds into the next relationship and that new relationship rarely has a chance of succeeding because of all the baggage brought into it.
About 10 years ago, my wife and I had dinner with a friend of mine. She was going through some transitions in her life and was taking some classes. One of the men in her class got to know her fairly well and he told her that it was his mission to convince her to trust Christ before the end of the semester.
Throughout the semester he kept continually presenting the Gospel in different ways and pressing her for a decision. Well, many of you can imagine the result of that relationship.
When the topic of what the future held for us came up and I told my friend that I was going into vocational ministry, she told me not to try to convince her about Christ and then launched into the above story.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton
Is God sensitive toward the powerless? Is he concerned about the well-being of those who are underneath your authority?
You bet he is. God knows that power can lead to abuse and often does. Yet, he has designed our social systems – church, government, work, welfare, and family – with order and authority. He knows without it, there would be chaos. Because he knows this tension, he has set down clear standards on how those in authority ought to live their lives. Below are a few examples.
What would it look like if you had peace with God, yourself, and everyone you know? How would that impact your life; your attitude; your mental health? I don’t want to paint a rosy picture that your life would be void of tension and conflict, because those things will always be a part of your life. {bible}James 1:2{/bible}
So, is it possible to have peace in the midst of all the things that life throws at us? I believe so. Challenging … yes. Impossible … no.
Suppose that you have a teenager and you have one of those classic verbal battles with
Examine Your Experience
What would it look like if you had peace with God, yourself, and everyone you know? How would that impact your life; your attitude; your mental health? I don’t want to paint a rosy picture that your life would be void of tension and conflict, because those things will always be a part of your life. {bible}James 1:2{/bible}