Dan Gould

Tag: How He loves by John Mark McMillan

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 18

    “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  v.3-4 (NLT)

    We all want to be great! This is why little boys where will tie a blanket around their neck so they can morph into a great super hero.  This is why adults do a lot of good works so they can feel good about themselves and others can be inspired by them. While these things are fun and good things to do, they in return, do not make us great! Jesus says the key to greatness is found in the innocence  of a child.

    As we go through life we collect baggage from words said, actions done, places visited, and people lost. This baggage shapes who we are and forms our beliefs. This baggage can push away from God, our cause us to see our great need for God.  To become like a child means to drop all those things and learn how to live again. It means to look at life in a new perspective. A child sees the good, trust much, and are moldable. Do these three words describe you?

    Sin will keep us from being great, and it will keep us from Christ. It’s part of our human nature! Until we deal with our own sin, by confessing it to God and asking for forgiveness through Christ, we will continue in the pursuit of greatness never to achieve what we were looking for!

    Today, How will Jesus word impact you? Do you have the humble, innocent heart of a child, or has the baggage you’ve collected through the years kept you from the freedom found in Child like Faith?

  • Bible Challenge – James 2

    “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that faith save anyone?” James 2:14

    Don’t talk about IT, BE about IT! This has been a phrase that has been piercing my heart all summer.  Let’s face it, it’s easy to say that we are Christians, but it a whole different thing when we try to live out the things we say we believe.

    Growing up as a kid, I was taught this phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” If we were to pause for a moment and think about what our actions are saying, it might scare us. Many times, good or bad, we are labeled by our actions. When our words and actions align these labels tend to be positive. However, if our words and our actions conflict, these labels tend to be negative.

    I’m wrestling with this thought but I think there is a lot of truth to it, many times our words reveal the intentions of our heart, but our actions reveal the meditation of our heart! It’s a powerful thing when our words and our actions actions align with our Faith in Christ Jesus. Don’t be fooled, people are watching! They are comparing the things we say with the way we live and they are more likely to listen to us when they see our words and actions don’t conflict.

    So here is the challenge for today, let’s put our faith in action.  Let’s show the people around us what it means to have a relationship with Christ not just by the things we say, but by things we do. Don’t just talk about IT, BE about IT!

    Father today, help us to live out the things we say we believe. When the temptation comes to do something that is in opposition of what we believe, empower us to resist that temptation. Let our actions speak louder than our words so that you can receive all the glory and others can see the difference you are making in our lives.

    “Preach the gospel always, If necessary use words.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi.