Quote from Forum Archives on August 31, 2004, 10:15 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Tue, 31 Aug 2004: Spiritual Audit, Part Two
Dear friends,

Today's devotional message comes from Larry Davies, the pastor of Timberlake
UMC and the founder of the Sowing Seeds of Faith devotional and prayer online
ministry. I work with Larry as the editor of the Sowing Seeds of Faith prayer
letter that we send out three times a week.

In this message, Larry Davies writes about a familiar passage of scripture and
asks us to carefully evaluate ourselves against this measurement. Evangelical
Christians often talk about being "Saved" or being "Born Again". Some talk
about holiness and various other things. Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt
that we have a home reserved for us in Heaven to be with Christ forever is an
important matter, and it is not one to be taken lightly. At the same time, we
ought to examine ourselves. Those of us who have been genuinely saved ought to
long for a deep, intimate, personal relationship with our Lord and Savior - and
also to be obedient to the things that He says in His Word. If these are not
things we are willing to do, perhaps we ought to ask ourselves why we sought
after a "salvation" experience in the first place?

Being born again, saved, rescued from a life of sin that leads to eternal
death is something that is the foundation of our faith. Since we believe in
such things, let us put off the former ways, as the apostle Paul exhorts the
early church - and put on the ways of Jesus Christ.

Larry offers us a number of helpful checkpoints that can give us a few things
we can examine in our lives.

Dear Lord, I know how desperately I need You every single moment of every day.
I know that I need Your Presence and Your Spirit to fill me and renew me. I
know that when I distance myself from You for even short periods of time, my
body wears down, my mind erodes, my spirit becomes dry and lifeless, and before
long, I realize that I have walked away from your Precious Presence. Forgive
me of those things that lead me to depart from You, cleanse me from my hidden
faults, and draw me ever closer to You. There is nothing anywhere that I
desire more than to be near to You at all times. Help me to surrender and
remove those things that conflict with Your Spirit that I may enjoy constant
fellowship with You, for nothing is better.

Yours in Christ,

Brian

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Name: Alfred Brown, Address: Bangor, ME, Email: mailto:bangoral777@aol.com
Comments: Please keep Jeff Milloy in your prayers - This is a spiritual battle.
Jeff fell of the roof and broke his neck. Doctors say he will never walk. God
is able! Jeff can't breath with out the help of a machine - pray god will heal
his lungs and give him the grace to breath freely on his own - Jeff is 25; set
to marry on Sept 4th. THIS IS A BATTLE-HELP!

Name: Ken Godfrey,
Email: mailto:Hey-Doc@webtv.net
My two oldest daughters Cheryl and Theresa were in a very bad car accident
recently just after 5 AM on their way to work. They totaled the car. Cheryl is
very hurt and Theresa broke her back. One vertebra is badly fractured and
another had 10% loss of height due to being crushed. Thankfully she isn't
paralyzed. She is in a back brace from the waist up along with a neck brace for
at least the next 6 weeks. She is still in danger of paralysis with a wrong
move etc. Having 2 little boys and a 2 month old daughter makes things all the
harder.

-------------------

"'Born Again' and Conducting An Audit?" Part 2
Larry Davies

"Larry, last week you emphasized the significance of regularly conducting a
spiritual audit to see how we are doing as followers of God. Then you explained
what it means to be 'born again.' But many who are already Christians have been
there and done that so why explain it again? Is there another lesson to this
encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus and what does it all have to do with
audits?"

The message revolves around Nicodemus himself, the religious leader, told by
Jesus, "unless you are born again, you can never see the kingdom of God?" The
only time Jesus mentions the term, "born again," is when talking to a person
who would already be considered a faithful follower of God. Why?

"Yes, but Nicodemus was probably struggling with his faith and needed a
spiritual change. He needed a relationship with Jesus Christ to take the place
of simply being a good church person."

Exactly! He needed a change which is why becoming 'born again' is more than a
one-time experience.

"Are you saying that even those of us who are 'born again' may need to be
(gulp) 'born again,' again?"

Suppose you were the owner of a business and given a quota of making one
million dollars profit before the month ended. That kind of goal seems tough...
maybe impossible! But suppose you reach your quota by the fifth day of the
month. Wow! What an achievement. Great news! Let's celebrate! Now suppose you
set the same goal for the next month and reach it by day four and you set the
same quota for the next month and reach it again by day five? What would you
think then?

"Well it sounds like either I will do a lot celebrating or more likely; learn
to set my goals higher."

That's right. You also set your goals too low when satisfied with an initial
'born again' experience and then don't continue developing and strengthening
your relationship with Christ. After all Jesus did not deliberately die on the
cross for you once a long time ago. Christ continues to die for you today
offering you the amazing gift of grace. All Jesus expects in return is an
ongoing relationship with you.

Let me put it another way, suppose you get married, come back from a wonderful
honeymoon then after returning... you go to your house and your spouse goes to
his/her house and then both of you go back to the way you were before the
wedding? What kind of relationship would that be? Pretty rotten!

"Ouch! That would be a pretty awful marriage. So, in other words, becoming
'born again' is meant to be more than simply a birth but the beginning of a
growing sacred relationship with Jesus Christ?"

Exactly! This is why the terms, "spiritual audit" and "born again" apply to
everyone, even those who claim a "born again" experience. Maybe it's time to
look at our audit again but now more seriously:

1. Are you actively pursuing and fulfilling God's purpose for your life? God
has a special purpose especially designed for your unique gifts and talents.
What are you doing about it?

2. How are you managing the money God entrusted to your care? If God were to
examine your checkbook would you be excited or nervous? Does God participate in
your financial decisions?

3. Where are you utilizing your time and energy? What are your priorities? If
God were to examine your schedule would your time be proportionally distributed
between work, family and God?

4. How is your Christian witness with family and friends? Do you set a good
example? Do you regularly pray with and for your family and friends? Do you
seek opportunities to talk about God?

5. What is your influence at work? Are you respected and known as a man or
woman of conviction? If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be
enough evidence to convict you?

6. How is your personal relationship with Christ? Can you honestly say you are
growing in faith? Are you with a small group designed to encourage and hold
each other accountable before God?

Jesus then said to Nicodemus and continues to say to us: "For God so loved the
world he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not
perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn it, but to save it. (John 3:16-17) Are you ready to be "born again?"

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Jesus said: "You are the light of the world-like a city on a mountain, glowing
in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put
it on a stand and let it shine for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)

"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following Gods Recipe for a Better Life"
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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