April 2007 - Posts
Check out Matthew 22:35-39. How is "Love your neighbor as yourself" like the first and greatest commandment? It's signigicant that when asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus didn't stop at just one commandment but brought another and forever intertwined the two. You can't have one without the other, no matter what you think or claim. If you love God, let me see your love for people. If you are someone who loves people, let me see your love for God! You can't truly love one without loving the other. To break the hold of selfishness in your life, you have got to love your neighbor.
Jesus went on to say that all the Law hang on these two commandments. To love like this is a tall order, but with Jesus in your heart and a spirti filled with God's power to help us along, we can do it.
Ever wonder what the Christian life is all about? You wanna know? Check out the above verses sometime. What God commands us to do is simple really, love God all out! And love others like Jesus love others. Why do you think this is the greatest commandment? Everything in us should be pointed at God and intent on pleasing, serving, and loving Him.
If you think about it, this isn't a lot to ask. God handcrafted each one of us, breathed life into us, and planned our futures for us. God stand ready to speak to you and guide us at all times. So, when you think about it that way it doesn't seem to much to ask that we live to please Him. Besides, even if He did nothing for us, didn't guide us or wasn't present in our lives; He still deserves our worship and our living to please Him. We should live to please Him simply because He's God and He inherently deserves our full devotion. To break the hold of selfishness in our lives, we must love the Lord our God with everything that is in us.
Remember the old acronym "J.O.Y."? It equals Jesus, Others, and You. I think a lot of us have forgotten that. In our culture there seems to be no limits to selfishness and insensitivity to others. New lows in both categories are achieved daily. As Christians we're not to ride the selfish express. We've been called to counteract it with selfLESSness, love, kindness, and giving.
When you read the verses above you can see that selfishness is a part of each bad act mentioned in the list. Selfishness is a big deal in our country, but that's nothing new. By ourselves we're all selfish and self-consumed.
Fortunetly, as Christians we're given a new nature, one that's like God's! We have unlimited resources available to us in that nature to become truly loving, selfless, caring, giving, and kind. But this change requires some radical steps that need to be taken in order to acheive it. You've got set aggresive goals for serving and expressing selfless love to others.
Think of some ways you could be selfless with everyone you come in contact with on a regular basis. You see, it's in there, you have the ability to be selfless. Think about how much your relationships would be different if you acted this way all the time! It would seriously change you.
As we do these right actions more and more, we'll notice right attitudes being born, attitudes that tremendously stoked by serving and giving to others. So...the payoff is well worth it. To break the hold of being selfish in your life, you've got to quit being stuck on yourself.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.- Romans 12:2
After events like yesterday's shooting, It seems that things are getting darker and darker and going from bad to worse, it seems to me the only way to live these days is as a completely sold out Christian. Not as a fence sitter trying to blend in, but saying I want to walk with God.
Paul said that his purpose in life was to know Christ ( Philippians 3:10-14). What is your purpose in life? When you get up in the morning, what do you live for? What are your goals? What are your priorities?
If you don't have a goal, you are in serious trouble because, as it has been said, "If you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it." Can you say with Paul, "My purpose in life is to know Him"? I hope so.
Think of the way that God used Paul. He had led countless people to faith. He had established churches. He had actually written epistles that we regard today as the very inspired Word of God. Yet Paul realized he had so much to learn and so far to go.
It's hard for us to think that someone like Paul would face the struggles and temptations we all face. But indeed he did. How much more should we be saying that we need to change radically in this coming year? There are so many things that need to take place in our lives. We need to become more like Christ.
It is my personal opinion that in this world there is no better way for men to reflect the love and servant heart of Jesus Christ than to practice the art of being a gentleman. We live in a world where men are bombarded through TV, the internet, music, movies, video games, and every kind of media you can imagine. They are encouraged to be rude, crude, and to disrespect and degrade women. We must teach our young men that if we aren’t different from the world, we will never make an impact for Christ, after all, God told us to be in the world, but not to conform to it (Romans 12:2). So, exactly what is a gentleman? I’m glad you asked. God’s word tells us that we will become great when we become as a servant (Mark10:43). A gentleman is a servant-leader. I have come up with a definition that is also a Gentleman’s Creed, his motto if you will; the true essence of a gentleman. All gentlemen inducted into the Official League of Practicing Gentlemen (OLPG) are required to learn this creed, they receive a laminated copy and they are to display it on their refrigerator, on their wall in their room, or in their locker at school to remind them that being a gentleman isn’t a list of things to do, but a lifestyle to live as a servant of Jesus Christ. It is as follows…
"The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from his personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a sincere desire to serve others. A true gentleman is self-controlled; does not make anyone aware of inferiority or deformity; who is humble and if need be, will humble another; who does not show off wealth; has a teachable spirit; and does not brag about his own possessions or achievements; who speaks frankly but is always sincere and sympathetic; who does what he says he will do; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and can get along with anyone; he is a man whose honor is sacred and virtue safe."
Being a gentleman is not rocket science, however, it is not just a list of good things to do; it is a lifestyle. It is a great way you can relate to people, and when you relate well to people, they will in turn relate well to the Jesus Christ inside you as you reflect Him. Matthew 5:16 is the basis for being a gentleman. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Understanding this allows you to understand that being a gentleman is not something you can do to make you feel good; you do it to honor God. It goes back to “those four little words we all love” (Bro. Hollie). “It’s all about Him.” It’s about honoring God by honoring others with your actions.
In understanding why it is important to be a gentleman, we must also understand why our ladies are so very important. God created our ladies in a special way and for a special reason, and as gentlemen we need to understand that. When God was done creating everything, he looked over it all and found one thing missing, ole boy was by himself and didn’t have any help. This wasn’t good (Genesis 2:18). So God created woman as a helpmate to man, and that she is (Genesis 2:22-23). Whenever I look at my wife I must remind myself that she is according to scriptures (2 Corinthians 6:18) a daughter of the King of Kings, that makes her a princess; and she deserves to be treated as such. This includes cherishing what God has given us. However, this does not mean just our wives, fiancés, girlfriends, or female friends. This also includes our mother, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, and cousins, any female that we have a relationship with or come in contact with.
Last time I checked, we’re all here because of our mommas. She carried you for nine months and gave birth to you, for that reason alone she deserves your respect. I don’t care how mean she is or what she has or has not done for you in your life, she is your mother and you should give her your utmost respect. Why, you ask? For one reason and one reason only, she decided to keep feeding you once you got here. Now you’re here, right where God wants you, and He has a special plan for your life
(Jeremiah 29:11) and your mom played a huge part in that. That’s why we should respect our mothers.
Sisters are another important female relationship that is crucial. Why sisters? I’m glad you asked. Sisters, when choosing her husband and your brother-in-law will look to two relationships in her life that will help her make that decision. First, how her father treated and loved her, and second, how her brother treated and loved her. These two relationships are the ones she looks to the most, and believe me, she will. She will be a wife and a mother herself, help her make the Christ-like decision.
Grandmothers, aunts, your mom’s friends, are all female relationships in your life that play a very important role. They help your mom and dad in your overall development as a person, as a Christian, and as a leader. They back up and support you and your parents in your raising, because trust me, they can’t do it all on their own, they need some help.
All these ladies play an important part of who you are and what you will become. For this reason they deserve your respect. They show you the love of Christ; therefore we need to show them the same.
If you want to teach our young men to be gentleman, you(men) must commit to be one yourself. This is one of those things you actually have to live out yourself because it’s something they can all see. They can’t see your quiet time, what you watch at home, or look at on the internet; but they can see this. Practice makes perfect.
For older men who want to get married so badly, and don’t understand why any girls will date them, try this for a while and see if things don’t change. By the way, have you called your mother lately and told her how much you love her and appreciate her. What about a sister you have neglected a relationship with. You’ll never learn to appreciate a gift from God that we call a wife until you learn to appreciate the other women in your life.
Being a gentleman is hard work, but the concept is simple. It’s all about being a servant leader and reflecting the love of Christ. You do that through relationships, and that will be a lot easier to do that when you learn The Lost Art of Being a Gentleman.
Why would God allow bad things to happen to innocent people? Wrong question. How can a God who knows what I thought about yesterday allow me to wake up this morning and take another breath? Ask yourself that question. We will never know why God allows things to happen. If we could figure that out, then we could know the very nature of the createor of the universe, we would then know what God was all about. If we all could figure that out, He wouldn't be much of a God. There are things that we will never know on this side of eternity/life. God is sovereign. That means that He is the supreme lawmaking authority, subject to no other. Knowing that doesn't mean you have to understand it. It does mean that as believers we have a hope, a hope of eternal life, that we will live forever with God and His only Son in heaven one day. Having a hard time with that one too? Okay, I understand what you must be going through. It's hard to believe in something you can't see or touch. Let me ask you a question, do you have a brain? Well yea, what kind of stupid question is that? How do you know you have a brain? Have you ever seen it, or touched it? No, but the doctor told you that you have one, and you are walking and talking and reading this post right? Evidence that you have a brain. It's the same with a loving God, I can't see Him, but I can feel him and I can see Him work in my life and the life of other people. Look, I couldn't pass up this opportunity today to tell you, as readers of Steeple Media about the greatest choice you could ever make in your life. Jesus Christ was God's son, He came to earth to take the punishment for your sins, so...they're forgiven and forgotten. He offers you a free gift, all you have to do is take it. It's living forever in heaven with Him. The only thing He asks in return is that you tell other people about their free gift once you've got yours. If you would like to know more about your free gift, please e-mail me at
jholden@equipmentlocatorservices.com. I'd love to tell you how and when I got mine. In the mean time, have an awesome day. -Uncle Jesse
A Gentleman is a man of honor and virtue- A gentleman is a righteous man. He is black and white, there are no grey areas in the way a gentleman views the world. If a man is honorable, he must do whatever it takes to hold on to that. He must strive to be virtuous. (John 12:26) "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."
A Gentleman appears well in company- Simply put a gentleman can get along with anybody. He is aware that we are all different and can get along with all different kinds of people. He doesn't judge a person based on outward apperance or even a first impression, but will take the time to get to know the person before making assumptions. When you make an effort to get along with everyone, you will have a bigger impact on people. Most of them know that you know that they are different than you, but when a person looks beyond that, he will have created a relationship in which you can have a major impact on that persons life.
A Gentleman think of the right and feelings of others, rather than his own- Simply put, a gentleman is completely selfless, he always thinks and does for others rather than himself. He is a servant. The first thing a gentleman should ask himsefl when he wakes up in the morning is..."How can I be a blessing to someone today?"
A true Gentleman says what he means- A Gentleman will always say what he means to say. He won't try to make it sound better or worse than something really is, or exeagerate for that matter. His yes will be yes and his no will be no.
A true Gentleman is real, sympathetic, and frank- A true Gentleman is real about who he is and what he does. He is real in his actions and attitudes. He is himself. A Gentleman doesn't beat around the bush about anything. He is politely direct and gets to the point not wasting peoples time trying to sound good. Besides, people can always tell when you're real, and when you're not. He hurts when others hurt, so that they won't have to go it alone. He is truly concerned.
| A true Gentleman does not boast or brag about their money, position, possessions or achievements- This one is pretty simple, if you have a lot of money, nice things, or have accomplished great things, please don't brag about it. No one wants to hear that. God has obviously blessed you, so give Him the credit, not you. As a matter of fact, a true gentlman will go out of his way to brag about someone elses accomplishments and compliment them in order to take the focus off of themselves. Again, a gentleman is humble, but confident. Your actions and character should speak loud, not your stuff. |
A Gentleman is Humble, and if need be, will humble another- A true Gentleman is humble in everything he does. This means he never, never does anything for show. He will let his actions speak for him, not him speaking for him. The Bible says if you do something to seek the praise of man, that's your reward. A Gentleman will also humble another, which means if someone else is bragging on themselves and making a show, it's a gentleman's responsibility to put him in check. In a kind way, go to his brother or sister and let him know he is being showy and cocky. A gentleman is humble but confident. This means humble does NOT equal weak.