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Searching for "colossians" in the Quiet Time Archive
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2008-03-04 - Power of Gratitude - It is so Hard and but I Love it
Marriage - hardest year of a good marriage is the first one and the hardest year of a bad marriage is the last one

God brings opposites together - rigid and let it go types
Because God is trying to work off the rough edges

If we are to grow through trials, we must learn to view them correctly
First comes hurt, then can come anger or try to ignore it
Other turn to "grin and bear it" or "this too must past" - blocks us from growth

Garden of Gethsemance - Jesus expressed and dealt with emotional pain with prayer - Hebrews 5:7-10
If Jesus had to suffer, how much will we need to be perfected - Colossians 1:24
Trial both mature us and attract others at the same time
Rejoice in the sufferings - 1 Peter 4:13

Must have heaven's perspective in every situation
Even when can not figure out what God is doing - requires a child-like response

Why me? > Why not me?

2008-03-05 - Power of Gratitude - Is your Job Sacred or Secular?
A large percentage of our waking hours on the job
God expects even a slave to be happy with their lot in life - Colossians 3:22
Whatever you do, do it in the Lord's name - Colossians 3:17
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices - Romans 12:1

Full-time ministry
We are full-time if we are disciples
Others have gifts not in "up-front" roles
No child of the King of Kings should feel like a second-class citizen

  • Hospital worker = God's minister to the medical professionals
  • Factory worker = sweating it out for the Lord
  • Programming = designing and mental stress for the Lord


2008-03-17 - Be Still My Soul - Deciding What to Study

How do we decide what to study?

  • How do I need to grow?
  • What is my greatest spiritual need right now?

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Do I need to see Jesus? - Gospels
  • Do I need to be more spiritual? - Sermon of the Mount
  • Do I need more faith?
  • Do I need to learn to others more? - Jesus, John, Peter, Paul examples
  • Do I need to be more grateful? - Psalms/Topical study
  • Do I need to become more evangelistic?
  • Do I need to know God better? - Abraham or Moses
  • Do I need greater assurance of salvation? Grace topical study
  • Do I need to learn how to lead? - Moses, Joshua, Nehemiah, David, Timothy/Paul, and Titus
  • Do I need to renew and revived as an older disciple? Hebrews
  • Do I need to a greater conviction of sin? - David's sins account, acts of the sinful nature, the cross
  • Do I need to repent of sin? Godly and worldly repentance, Paul's repentance, David's repentance
  • Do I need a deeper prayer life? Jesus, Moses, Ahraham, Nehemiah, and Daniel
  • Do I need help as a husband, wife, or parent? Ephesians 5:21-6:4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:1-7
  • Do I need help in dealing with suffering or persecution? Early church's persecution in Acts
  • Do I need inspiration or encouragement?  Joshua, Joseph, Peter, Elijah, Elisha, and Daniel

Commit passages of scripture to memory



2008-03-29 - Be Still My Soul - Praise
Thanksgiving is praise made practical
  • We always thank God - Colossians 1:3
  • Overflowing with thankfulness - Colossians 2:6-7
  • And be thankful - Colossians 3:15
  • Being watchful and thankful - Colossians 4:2
What should we be grateful for?
  • Answered prayer
  • Blessings of family and friends
  • Health
  • Material blessings
  • Church
Our appreciation grows, our anxiety decreases, and our joy abounds
Never known a person who habitually expressive of gratitude to be afflicted with continual discouragement and depression
Good idea to start and keep a gratitude list

2008-04-09 - Falling in Love with God - Jesus: Anointed One
Jesus is the Christ, Messiah - meaning the "Anointed One"

The book of Acts - Christ was lifted high
  • The good news that Jesus is the Christ - Acts 5:42
  • Proclaimed the Christ there - Acts 8:5
  • Jesus is the Christ - Acts 9:22
  • "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ" - Acts 17:3
  • Testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ - Acts 18:1-5
God's Christ was not confined to mere 33 years
By him all things were created - 1 Colossians 1:16-20

Sometimes we forgot - The Christ still lives today


Romans 8:28
  • Who can be against us? No one
  • Who will bring any charge against us? No one
  • Who is he that condemns? No One
Christ is "begging God for us" Hebrews 7:25 (Dios Habla Hoy Bible)

2008-05-01 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Forgiveness, part 1

Jesus calls for unlimited forgiveness - disciples plea to increase their faith

If on-goning relationship difficulties - maybe one or both are too concerned about who sinned the most rather than focusing on reconciliation

With a willingness to forgive, we cannot be forgiven by God - Matthew 6:14; Matthew 18:23-35

We must forgive in the way that God forgives - Colossians 3:13
He forgives quickly, completely, and repeatedly - and then forgets the sin - Hebrews 8:12



2008-05-08 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Ambition: from God or Satan
Depending on the motive:

There is positive ambitions - Romans 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:11
There is negative ambitions - Galatians 5:20

There is pure spiritual ambitions with bad motives:
Matthew 20:20-28 - wanted their shot at the left and right seats of Jesus

We often want the right things for the wrong reasons

  • Too focused on positional goals in the church
  • Excel at work or school - not working for the Lord but working for self - Colossians 3:23
  • Too much pressure for a child to succeed - Train a child in the way he should go - Proverbs 22:6
  • Allowing secondary motivation become the primary motivation
Examples of primary and secondary motivations:

Subject Primary Secondary
Job Glorify God Make money; Career
Following God Love God with everything we have Learning Bible facts, being disciplined, spiritual goals


2008-05-10 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Money - Root of All Evil?, part 2
There are spiritual challenges for both those who have money and those who don't

God promises to give us what we need, but not what we may want

1 Timothy - need for contentment with the basic of life

Examine:
  • How much have we accumulated?
  • Why have we accumulated it?
  • How much are we using?
  • How are we using it?
  • How attached are we to it?
Colossians 3:23 - work for the Lord
Seeking advancement or seeking to please God?

How content are you with what you have? - Philippians 4:12

1 Timothy 6:9-12 - not just avoid but flee from the love of money
 - Some use people, and love money
 - God uses money and loves people

Who is master in your life? God OR Money - Luke 16:13

Avoid the extremes of loving it and envying those who have more than you

Use money to the fullest extend to serve him and bless others

2008-05-14 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - I was Born this Way
Son will not share the guilt of the father - Ezekiel 18:20

Environment or heredity - most likely both
Must be slow to judge situations we do not completely understand otherwise may bless us with an understanding in a way we do not want

Other extreme - develop a victim mentality regarding ourselves or others
Can lead to being angry, use drugs, being immoral, or just about anything else
We have difficulty applying this to a murder

Answer: despite it being more difficult and having different backgrounds, the standard is still the same
He does not ask us to do anything he will not enable us to do
Identify the sin > repent of it > start relying on God grace > formulate a plan to overcome sin
Psychology can find root causes but it is powerless to find a cure

Hezekiah and Josiah were righteous amount a line of kings that were evil

The promises of God are far greater than our past and present challenges

Pray that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way - Colossians 1:10-12

2008-06-11 - Purpose Driven Life - Experiencing Life Together
Life is meant to be shared
 
Fellowship - now refers to casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun
Jesus knew that 12 was the maximum size for a group for everyone to participate
 
In real fellowship people experience...
 
... Authenticity
  • Honest with who you are - otherwise we are just fooling ourselves - 1 John 1:7-8
  • Requires courage and humility
  • We only grow by taking risks - being honest is a major risk
 
... Mutuality (Romans 1:12)
  • Depending on each other
  • Sharing responsibility
  • Mutual accountability
 
... Sympathy
  • Sharing pain of others (Colossians 3:12)
  • Meet needs of being understood and the validation of our feelings
  • Self-Pity dries up sympathy for others
  • Times of crisis, grief, doubt when we need each other the most
 
... Mercy
  • Can't have fellowship without forgiveness
  • Bitterness and resentment always destroys fellowship
  • Never be asked to forgive someone more than God has forgiven you
  • Energy for retaliation or resolution?
  • Forgiveness immediate; Trust takes time


2008-07-02 - Purpose Driven Life - Real Servants (part 2)

Real servants do every task with equal dedication

Whatever you do, do it with all your heart - Colossians 3:23
You are never too [fill in the blank] to be a servant
Jesus specialized in menial tasks:

  • washing feet
  • helping children
  • fixing breakfast
  • servng lepers

Small taks often show a big heart
Little things determine big things
Race to be a leaders is crowded but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants

Real servants are faithful to their ministry

Servants finish tasks, fullfill their responsibilities, and complete their commitments
Can you be counted on by others?
We want to God to say, "Well gone, good and faithful servant" - Matthew 25:23

Real Servants maintain a low profile

Put on the apron of humility, to serve one another - 1 Peter 5:5
Not about show  - If we are trying to please men (including ourselves) we can not be a servant of Christ - Galatians 1:10

Servants are content with quietly serving in the shadows
Wouldn't find many true servants in any Halls of Fame or Who's who books

Be confident that nothing you do for God is a waste of time or effort - 1 Corinthians 15:58



2008-07-16 - Purpose Driven Life - Becoming a World-Class Christian (part 2)
Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking

Stop thinking like children (thinking like only of self), and like like mature people (grown ups) - 1 Corinthians 14:20
Most advertising encourages selfish thinking

To make the paradigm switch to mature thinking - need to dependence of God
God has given us his Spirit so we don't think like the world thinks - 1 Corinthians 2:12


Shift from local thinking to global thinking

God so loved the world... - John 3:16
God made all the nations and where they would be, so we would look for him - Acts 17:26-27

The world already thinks globally: business, competition, and news
If you ask me, I will give you the nations - Psalms 2:8

What should we pray for?
  1. Opportunities to witness - Colossians 4:3
  2. Courage to speak up - Ephesians 6:19
  3. Rapid spread of the gospel - John 17:20
  4. More workers - 2 Thessalonians 3:1


2008-08-13 - 30 Days at the Cross - Lasting Impact
We learn that we should pursue: fame, fortune, and material possessions from the world

Jesus refutes all that we have learned - service, sacrifice, and spiritual power
  • Connection to the highest places - John 1:11
  • His ability to move the masses was unparalleled - Matthew 7:28
  • His understanding of what it takes to succeed was clear and unwavering - John 12:23-24
  • He stayed on task until it was done - John 19:30

Many of us spend more time at work than any other single place
If we aren't living the cross here, how can we be living it at all

Honest is required - may mean less money or advancement

Time commitment - it is easy to get caught up at work
Every disciple needs to work hard - but what is the reason?
  • Working for a promotion
  • Earn more money
  • Gain material possessions
  • Working for the Lord - Colossians 3:23
Is it to please your boos, yourself, or God? - Rich young ruler - Matthew 19:16-30

How could a temporary ob on earth be more important than Jesus and his work?
If we compromise at work, how will we ever overcome the world?

2008-09-06 - Teach Us To Pray - Praise and Thanksgiving
God's plan is a blessing and not a burden - 1 John 5:3
Once we lose our gratitude, we have lost everything

Growing in Gratitude
  1. Realize God has chosen you - Choose you for the purpose of telling the world about him - 1 Peter 2:9
  2. See God in everything - Train your mind to look at God and not self - Colossians 1:11-12
  3. Express and verbalize your gratitude - Psalms 39:4-5
Challenge: Pray for 30 minutes just thanking God for specific details in our your life

2008-09-21 - Teach Us To Pray - Friends and Loved Ones
To intercede or pray on someone else's behalf is a privilege
Our prayers are sacrifices which are pleasing to him - Hebrews 13:15

Paul: I want you to know how much I am struggling for you - Colossians 2:1
Who do you struggle for? How about people you have never meet?

Far be it that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray to you - Samuel to King Saul - 1 Samuel 12:23

Jesus intercedes for us - Romans 8:34
Like a good friend, he adds or subtracts from what you are missing or need
Jesus makes us complete in God's sight

2008-10-31 - Man of Prayer - Forgiveness
Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors - Matthew 6:12
Debt = opheilema = owning money to another

Colossians 2:13-14 - written charge was canceled
charge or code = cheirographon = charges drawn up against a convicted criminal

Roman business world - debt had been paid - "tetelsthai" was written across the note - meaning "paid in full"
Some word was used to when the punishment was executed on a list of chrages

Every failure on our part to do God's will is a charge against us - a long document for most

Jesus cried - it is finished (John 19:30) was actually the word "tetelsthai" = PAID IN FULL

2009-09-25 - One Another - Making it Clear
1 Corinthians 1-3 2 Corinthians 1
The world's wisdom The world's wisdom
God's grace God's grace

Relationships that are conducted according to the world's wisdom - have some element of self in mind

Relationships in God's grace have in mind: God's grace to us and our need to pass grace on to others

World teaches to be independent / We belong to one another -  Romans 12:5
  • One on who be independent choose not to / he emptied himself and became a slave - Philippians 2
  • We are do be devoted to one another - philostorgos = like family - Romans 12:10
When we see the grace of God, we see one:
  • who brings into his circle of friends - John 15:13-15
  • who adopts us into his family - Hebrews 2:11
  • who vows he will never leave or forsake us - Hebrews 13:5
We are to admonish one another and speak the truth in love - Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 4:15

If living with worldly wisdom  then we will:
  1. Ignore the problem
  2. Gossip about it to other
  3. Blast a person with the truth
None of these actions show grace

2009-10-04 - One Another - Teaching One Another
With all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another - Colossians 3:16

Teaching translated from the word "didasko" = to give instruction, to impart information or wisdom

In Christianity to applies to spiritual development
  • How to study the Bible
  • How to pray
  • How to be more effective with sharing our faith
  • Principles for overcoming temptation
  • How to conduct godly relationships
Prerequisite - first let the word of Christ richly dwell in you
  • Not just or opinion - but from the Word
  • Not just our experience - must be based on the teachings of Christ
Jesus' last word in Matthew = we are to teach everything he commanded

2009-10-05 - One Another - Admonishing One Another
"noutheteo" meaning to or counsel, translated admonish:
  1. To caution, advise or counsel against something
  2. To reprove or scold in a goodwilled manner
  3. To urge to a duty
  4. Not to rebuke
Noutheteo is used frequently involving one another
  • I did not cease to admonish each one with tears - Acts 20:31
  • We proclaim Him, admonishing every man - Colossians 1:28
  • Admonish one another - not just something for leaders - Romans 15:14
  • Admonish the unruly - 1 Thessalonians 5:14
More often admonish is the word couch
Not uncommon to pay to have a life couch
We should have a # of relationships with people who know us and can help
We must also realize that we can give others couching as well

2009-11-09 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 2)
Laziness is the greatest enemy to a girded mind.
Need to wrestle in prayer – only after I’m certain that I’ve prepared my mind for action, do I conclude my time with God
God only delays the coming Day of the Lord in order for more people to come to repentance

Mind of Flesh
Old self with a mind of flesh requires more and more sensation, wanting to “feel” alive, to overcome its callousness
  • flirtation to a pure friendship
  • gossip to a righteous conversation
  • alcohol to a friendly gathering
  • pornography to a web search
  • shoplifting to a normal shopping trip
Not about setting rules – do not do this or that (Colossians 2:20-23 – has no value)
  • Must set mind on things above
  • Not - Just read and pray more
  • Not - Accountability partners
  • Not - making it a habit


2010-01-01 - First the Kingdom - Guarding Against Heart Disease
Blessed are the pure in hear, for they will see God - Matthew 5:8
What does it mean to keep our hearts pure?
To have undivided devotion?

Set our hearts are things above - Colossians 3:1
Must learn to battle Satan's attacks on our heart

Recent years - we have aware about physical heart conditions
We should lower our bad cholesterol and exercise more

Since we desire a healthy heart for a longer life we: diet and exercise
The heart is the "want to" muscle

When we really want something, we go after it with all of our heart

2010-01-03 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with God
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will called sons of God - Matthew 5:9

World knows little peace - God wages peace
The heart of God is to be at peace with man

In order to have peace with God, we must resolve war(s) in our heart
Peace is not conflict avoidance, it is resolution after a spiritual war

Only those who know God can make peace that endures
Once alienated from God and enemies - Colossians 1:21
After humbling our hearts and mourning over our sin - we become his children, part of the family

Keep peace is an on-going process
Our lives must be continually cleansed from sin

What is your level of peace?
Have worries rob you of your trust in God?

2010-01-27 - Kingdom First - Personal Responsibility (part 1)
Things have not changed much since the begging of time
The woman you put here gave me some fruit - Genesis 3:12

We crave a scape goat:
  • Children blame parents
  • Spouses blame each other
  • Employees blame employers
  • Society blame political administration
  • Present political administration blame previous one
Jesus calls us to personal responsibility - Matthew 7:1-5
Must confront the planks in our own lives

Instead should admonish one another - Colossians 1:28-29
Build each other up through contructive challenges - Ephesians 4:29


2010-02-22 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 2)

Biblical Principles of Reconcilation:

  1. Realize the urgency and importance of being reconciled - Matthew 5:23-24
    • God would rather you patch up things with your brother than worship him
    • Have you called someone on a Saturday night to talk so you can worship God acceptably  the next day?
  2. Accept the obligation and possibility of reconciliation
  3. Know that we cannot always have our way
    • Reconciliation does not mean that everone will agree; power of the gospel is diversity working together in harmony
  4. Make every effort to work things out - Ephesians 4:3
  5. Forgive as the Lord forgave you - Colossians 3:13
  6. Pray for your enemies (against human nature - Matthew 5:44


2010-03-01 - One Another - One Another In Groups (part 3)
Work out differences; maintain unity - Ephesians 4:1-7

Do not be surprised when there are differences
See differences as:
  • Opportunity for the spirit to work
  • Opportunity for iron to sharpen iron
  • Opportunity for us to go to the cross and practice humility
Be sensitive to outsiders; seek to bring them in - Colossians 4:2-6

Need to make the most of every opportunity
Avoid lingo and behavior that make the visitor truly feel like an outsider

Stay at the foot of the cross


What makes a Christian group different from others is the cross
Where is your group in regard to the cross?
Are we dying and living a baptized life?

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