"DREAM or DRAM?"
1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
John 8:31-59
Psalm 112:1-10
Proverbs 15:12-14
"Jesus said to them, 'You are truly my disciples if you live as I tell you to, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (John 8:31)
In the last half of John 8, Jesus has a great discourse with the Jewish leaders. I'm sure they didn't see it as being so great. At the end, they were scrambling for stones to do him in. But throughout his discussions with them, Jesus is incredibly equipped because of his knowledge of the Father.
How equipped are we? We know that to Live the DREAM, we must be "Empowered through Biblical Training". We've discussed in the past how that means we must apply discipline to our lives to align ourselves with God's word. We must equip ourselves with truth to truly be free.
I think we'd all agree that that sounds great. We're all for it. The question is, with what intensity do we pursue "E"? How desperate are we to make sure we are Empowered? What value do we put on it?
We may be able to answer those questions by looking at how casually and how easily we can "live without" the "E". I'd venture to guess that the most common response for many is, "Well I read the bible, but not every day. I've got a busy schedule. I can't get up in the morning."
I'm wondering if we realize how dangerous that is. We don't realize that a lack of "E" in our life is a lack of truth. We need to understand that when you lack truth, you are in actuality set in opposition to it. Let's look at this in comparison to some of the other DREAM elements.
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship - We know that the principle is "obedience". So when we don't live the "D", we are living in disobedience.
Relationships Devoted to Unity - The principle is "submission". When we don't live the "R", we are living in rebellion.
Active Ministry Involvement - "Responsibility" with our resources. When we don't live the "A", we squander our time, talent and treasure.
Mission to Reach our World for Christ - "Purpose" Without that we live direction-less self-serving lives.
So what about Empowered through Biblical Training? The principle is "discipline". When we are not living the "E" we are living undisciplined. When you are living undisciplined, who is master? Jesus has the answer for the Jewish leaders.
"Jesus replied, 'You are slaves of sin, every one of you... you are following the advice of your father... for you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a a hater of truth - there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. And so when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe it!" (8:34,38,44-45)
When we don't align ourselves with truth by getting into the Word, we are not only going without feeding the Spirit, we are feeding the flesh. We are giving life to our human nature.
So have you read the Word today? If you haven't, does it worry you? If it doesn't concern you, who are you "feeding"... the flesh or the spirit?
We need to ask ourselves. "Am I Living the DREAM or the DRAM"? Am I living "E" or no "E"? Power up! Live the E! Increase your discipline... Live for Truth!
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
P Greg
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment