Lessons for Living (Audio)

If a couple told you about the great relationship they had but you never saw them speaking to or interacting with each other, you’d wonder if they were telling you the truth, wouldn’t you? And it wouldn’t be a shock to see them drift apart and maybe even separate. It’s the same way with your relationship with God. Pastor Mark will be teaching about your need to be close to God. He’ll be talking about why that close interaction with God is important. He will be telling you how to get closer to God and trying to keep you from having silly thoughts about what devotional time really is.

For whatever reason, celebrities’ lives are on display – constantly, it seems. You hear about their successes and, sometimes, their failures. You’re led to believe that their lifestyle is the kind that everyone should want to live. And yet, there are the failed attempts at sobriety, run-ins with the law, and continual failures in their personal relationships. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the source for true peace and happiness. You’ll learn why honesty is the best policy, and the benefits that aligning your living with God’s ways are. You’ll be finding out how to live life in a way that makes God look good.

Being able to hide your thoughts and intents makes deception possible. If you want to try to fool someone, to make them believe you’re something that you aren’t, it’s pretty easy. God, however, can’t be tricked like that. Pastor Mark will be teaching about God’s ability to show you who you really are – whether you want to know or not. He will be talking about the power of God’s word, and how it can be a catalyst for change in your life. You will learn how reading God’s word can help you navigate the ups and downs of your daily living, giving you wisdom and insight you won’t find anywhere else.

Life is a constant battle to do the right thing, isn’t it? This is something that’s been a struggle for every person – even those who aren’t living a life trying to obey God. Day after day, you get up with a desire to do “the right thing”, but many times that doesn’t make it past breakfast – if even that far. Pastor Mark will be teaching about this struggle you have. He will talk about the solution to this problem. He’ll also be speaking about how the changes you want to make in your life can be made and how you can gain a measure of victory in this area. You’ll discover that the answer is found in God.

Have you ever read the story of Adam and Eve, thinking about what they had – which was perfection – and contrasted that with what you see around you? Depressing, isn’t it? Have you ever thought, “Man, if they only knew what would have happened, they’d never have eaten that fruit!” Pastor Mark will be teaching today about your tendency to disobey God, even after becoming a Christ follower. You’ll hear about mankind’s historical rebellion against God and God’s plans. You will also learn the importance of becoming better acquainted with God, and you’ll find out just how to do that.

Do you have trouble feeling guilty after you confess your sins to God? If so, that’s not unusual. Even though those thoughts are common, that doesn’t make them biblical or okay in God’s view. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the power of forgiveness. He will be reminding you of the price that removing your sin from you cost God – the life of His Son, Jesus – and what the consequences of His cancelling that sin debt are. You will learn about the freedom that’s available to you now, just like the freedom Joseph’s brothers could have had, if they had chosen to believe Joseph.

Many people, if they think about God at all, wonder why God would bother with puny humans. God doesn’t need people, so why have anything meaningful to do with them? In Pastor Mark’s teaching about the story of Christ’s birth, he will tell you why God went through all the trouble He did to try to restore the relationship He always wanted with you. You’ll learn about the barrier between men and God, why you can’t do anything about it, and what God chose to do to bridge the gulf between Himself and you. And then you will find out about the choice you have to make and what the consequences are for you.

Most people think that, although they’ve done things they’re not proud of, they’re not as “bad” as “other” people. Maybe that “other” person is Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer, for instance. And this dubious standard is what they think qualifies them to get into heaven! Pastor Mark’s teaching today will make it clear that God’s standard is quite a bit different and more stringent than that of most people. You’ll hear that you have absolutely no chance to make it into heaven based on your actions. But you will also hear that there’s an alternative way into heaven – one that God Himself set up.

It might seem mean or harsh for God to tell mankind that they’re sinners. Everyone knows what a sinner is, and very few people want to be defined as one. But as God lays out the qualifications for not being a sinner, it becomes pretty apparent that nobody is going to meet that standard. Looking at God’s benchmark and the huge gap between yourself and Him, it might be easy to lose hope. This is why today’s teaching by Pastor Mark is so important. As you listen to him tell you what God did to not only bridge the gap but to delete it, you might begin to better understand the significance of Christ’s birth.

There sure are lots of reasons to worry these days, aren’t there? Rumors of war, political upheaval, and trade conflicts – the list can go on. And everywhere you look, some new ‘guru’ has a book out trying to tell you how to survive these times and live ‘your best life now’. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about listening to and trusting the ultimate authority – God’s word. You’ll hear what Jesus had to say about trusting in God rather than in yourself or another man. You will learn why you should believe the Bible and what God said through its authors, and what He wants to say to you.