Hey Team!
In Part 1, my (make-believe) dinner with my Fab Five: Oprah, MJ, Tracee, Michelle, and Paul was unbelievable. Who did you dine with?
As we see in the New Testament, Paul is quite the talker! So, after dinner, we went to Baskin Robbins for some dessert. Here’s what else he had to say:
6. Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims. (1 Cor. 6:12, MSG)
I remember going to friends’ houses for sleepovers and having to govern myself according to how I was raised. Some of my friends were allowed to do things that I was not allowed to do. Sometimes, I’d politely decline activities and behaviors that were not allowed in my home and other times I’d enjoy temporarily “breaking the rules”. But, just because I knowingly broke the rules doesn’t mean I had fooled myself into thinking the rules had changed at my house. And, if I did, my grandmother would quickly remind me that I had “better wake up.”
This sleepover we’re at (here on Earth) can last over 100 years. And, while we’re away from our Heavenly Father, it’s easy to forget the morals and values of our home if we don’t make studying them a priority. Even though it’s fun to sometimes break the rules, we must remember that when we return home, we have to answer for our actions.
Have you begun living in a way that is legally acceptable, but spiritually inappropriate?
7. Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? Let people see God in and through your body. No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple. And you, remember, are the temple. (1 Cor. 3:16-17, MSG)
Man oh man is this so spot on for me, as I’ve struggled with poor eating habits since the womb. Or at least it feels that way. When we don’t take proper care of our bodies, it’s akin to scribbling graffiti on the walls and bridges of Heaven. Would you do that?
How are you treating your body in a way that you wouldn’t treat Heaven?
8. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions. (1 Cor. 7:29-31, MSG)
Doesn’t this answer so many questions! As an overwhelmed mom, wife & entrepreneur, I’m just like, “God, HOW?!” But, as I begin to start every day with a morning staff meeting (my staff consists of 2 people—me and God), I realize that half of the things I thought were priority are, in fact, not. And, most of the things I never get around to (like quiet time with God, reaching out to a friend who is struggling, and reminding my life group to pray for the requests made earlier in the week) are really the most essential tasks.
These are the things that will pass inspection when Jesus takes a look at what I built for Him while on the Earth (1 Cor. 3-5)
Will the things you put so much effort into matter when you stand before God or are you being distracted?
9. Don’t be so naïve and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. (1 Cor. 10: 11-12, MSG)
Ding! Ding! Ding! A bell just went off in my spirit! My confidence wavers depending on the day or task at hand. But, my confidence in God is always an A plus. You want to grow your confidence? Believe that no matter which way you go, God is going to re-route you. Believe that wherever you fail, God will succeed. Have a chat with God first thing in the morning and ask Him to rule your day. Put your life in God’s hands and you can’t fail.
In what areas have you been relying on yourSELF instead of God?
10. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. (1 Cor. 10:23-24, MSG)
There is an abundance of life coaches today. And, sometimes that frustrates me because I’m one of them. Let me clarify that. It frustrates me when I use self-confidence. But, it’s a very, very beautiful notion when I use my God-confidence. Why? Because when I compare myself to the greats, I wonder what on Earth I can possibly offer? Comparison is the thief of joy. But, when I wake up and say, “God, thank you for the calling to pour into others. Send the people you want me to reach my way. Lord, give me the words to say which will sow a seed deep into their hearts that You will grow into more than their minds could even fathom.” That’s me not relying on myself at all and totally putting God’s work into God’s hands. God-confidence.
Regardless of your occupation, there’s always an opportunity to help others. When we help others we are planting a seed in their garden and in our own that is guaranteed to come back in bigger ways than we could have imagined.
Share your most recent good deed in the comments below!
So, what’s the play call?
If you aren’t offended by Paul getting up-close and personal, his words have the potential to change your life. Often we hold the keys to the chains that are holding us. Don’t allow ignorance and a nonchalant attitude to keep you in a cage any longer. Print these scriptures out and ruminate on one scripture per day. Don’t simply look at it, walk away and forget what you read. Think about how you can apply what you’ve read in order to enhance your life. Now, go do great things for the Kingdom!
