Lessons for Living (Audio)

We see it all around us – people that are really mad about someone else’s shortcomings, but oblivious to the exact same problem in their own lives. Jesus told us that we need to take the 2x4 out of our own eye before we try to get the splinter out of our friends’ eye. Pastor Mark is teaching on the necessity of forgiveness in the life of the Christ follower. Our example of extending grace to our brother will help demonstrate to the unsaved world what God’s love really is all about. Without seeing the radical transforming power of God in our lives, the lost will remain lost.

We see it all around us – people that are really mad about someone else’s shortcomings, but oblivious to the exact same problem in their own lives. Jesus told us that we need to take the 2x4 out of our own eye before we try to get the splinter out of our friends’ eye. Pastor Mark is teaching on the necessity of forgiveness in the life of the Christ follower. Our example of extending grace to our brother will help demonstrate to the unsaved world what God’s love really is all about. Without seeing the radical transforming power of God in our lives, the lost will remain lost.

Many people don’t want to hear that kind of statement. They are convinced that there’s got to be another way. There’s GOT to be a way that I can do enough to satisfy God and convince Him I’m a good person. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there’s only one way to get to Heaven – by submitting to God and receiving the solution He offers. As Pastor Mark will be teaching in this lesson, when we really embrace the idea of God’s only solution, we realize the danger every unsaved person is in. If they die without receiving Christ, they will spend eternity separated from God.

Many people don’t want to hear that kind of statement. They are convinced that there’s got to be another way. There’s GOT to be a way that I can do enough to satisfy God and convince Him I’m a good person. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there’s only one way to get to Heaven – by submitting to God and receiving the solution He offers. As Pastor Mark will be teaching in this lesson, when we really embrace the idea of God’s only solution, we realize the danger every unsaved person is in. If they die without receiving Christ, they will spend eternity separated from God.

You know, life is hard. Being a believer in Christ doesn’t provide a magic bullet against hardships. Jesus Himself told us that we’d have difficulties. He also said, right after telling us about having troubles, that we should be of good cheer because He’s overcome the world. Pastor Mark’s teaching will be about becoming the people that God can use to show others the way that they, too, can have the peace in trials that we display to them. We’ll be reminded that our main job on earth is to make God look good. We can’t do that in our own strength; we need God’s strength to do that.

You know, life is hard. Being a believer in Christ doesn’t provide a magic bullet against hardships. Jesus Himself told us that we’d have difficulties. He also said, right after telling us about having troubles, that we should be of good cheer because He’s overcome the world. Pastor Mark’s teaching will be about becoming the people that God can use to show others the way that they, too, can have the peace in trials that we display to them. We’ll be reminded that our main job on earth is to make God look good. We can’t do that in our own strength; we need God’s strength to do that.

So are you a glass half empty or glass half full person? Jesus certainly seemed to be in the first group. For many of us, life experiences may have caused us to tend to think the way of the second group. Pastor Mark is teaching that as followers of Christ we need to align our thinking to Jesus’. Even though we may have had terrible happenings or personalities that cause us to resist a “sunshine and lollipops” outlook on life, the truth is that Jesus has come to give us abundant life! We need to embrace that truth and ask the Holy Spirit to remake us to be more like Christ.

So are you a glass half empty or glass half full person? Jesus certainly seemed to be in the first group. For many of us, life experiences may have caused us to tend to think the way of the second group. Pastor Mark is teaching that as followers of Christ we need to align our thinking to Jesus’. Even though we may have had terrible happenings or personalities that cause us to resist a “sunshine and lollipops” outlook on life, the truth is that Jesus has come to give us abundant life! We need to embrace that truth and ask the Holy Spirit to remake us to be more like Christ.

Nobody wants to be treated wrongly – nobody. No matter how much God has worked on us, our natural tendency is to strike back. Fortunately, as we spend more time reading and absorbing God’s word and spending time in prayer, the urge to retaliate does diminish. As Pastor Mark has taught, our primary role on earth is to make Jesus look good. Going through trials with grace and dependence on God, not hitting back when we are hit – these are the things that gets the world to notice the difference God has made in our lives, difficult though the lessons may be.

Nobody wants to be treated wrongly – nobody. No matter how much God has worked on us, our natural tendency is to strike back. Fortunately, as we spend more time reading and absorbing God’s word and spending time in prayer, the urge to retaliate does diminish. As Pastor Mark has taught, our primary role on earth is to make Jesus look good. Going through trials with grace and dependence on God, not hitting back when we are hit – these are the things that gets the world to notice the difference God has made in our lives, difficult though the lessons may be.