Post by pitbull on Sept 13, 2008 9:30:07 GMT -5
DAILY WISDOM
“He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: [but] he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” [Proverbs 13:3]
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
ARE YOU A BABY CHRISTIAN?
1 Corinthians 3:1
The Bible commands that we be perfect. [Matthew 5:48; Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:12]
“Perfect” means “mature”. You cannot be a baby spiritually and be spiritually mature at the same time.
Consider the following six basic descriptions of a baby:
1. Babies cry a lot. [Philippians 2:14]
• Do others think of you as a “wet blanket”?
• Do you have a habit of complaining about things?
• Do you often fight others?
• Do you clam up and sulk when things aren’t going your way?
• Are you like the Israelites in the wilderness – you complain no matter how much God blesses you?
2. Babies depend upon others to feed them. [Hebrews 5:12-13; Ephesians 4:14]
• Are you shallow in your Bible knowledge?
• Are you easily deceived?
• Are you spiritually dependent upon others?
• Are you “wishy-washy” on your doctrine?
3. Babies cannot handle solid food. [Hebrews 5:12-13]
• Do you understand why soul winning is more Biblical than “lifestyle evangelism”?
• Do you understand the difference between Biblical separation and being ecumenical?
• Do you understand how Biblical standards helps you to life a holy, separated life?
• Do you know what you believe AND why you believe it?
4. Babies make a mess for someone else to clean up.
• Are you like Lot, always getting into trouble only to have Abraham bail him out?
• Are you constantly getting pulled into sin and having other Christians try to straighten out the situation?
• Do you have lots of trouble staying out of sin?
5. Babies cannot walk or even crawl.
• Do you have a problem walking by faith?
• Do you ever say, “I’ll believe it when I see it?”
6. Babies are selfish.
• Do you enjoy being the center of attention?
• Do you tend to be self-centered?
• Do you become jealous of the success of others?
• Are you easily offended?
• Do you ever throw a “tantrum” or fit and then justify it?
If you have one or more of these in your life, you are a baby Christian. You need to grow up and become mature.
RELIGIOUS AWARENESS
Deism
Deism is a religious philosophy and movement that derives the existence and nature of God from reason and personal experience, in contrast to theism (with religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam) which relies on revelation in sacred scriptures or the testimony of other people. Deism became prominent in Great Britain, France, and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries and continues to this day in the form of Classical Deism and Modern Deism.
Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God does not interfere with human life and the laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelation and holy books, most Deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources.