Second Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Then armed with that knowledge, we must examine our heart and testĪnother key to walking with God is the Holy Spirit. Our job to plumb the depths of every book, every chapter, and every verse of Important commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, withĪll your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Jesus gave us a starting point when He said the most Studying the Bible is one of the best ways to know what isĮxpected of us as Christians. The requirements of the Christian life are simple to understand but hard Time surrounded by Christians without knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Sing like a Christian, and not to be a Christian. To look like a Christian, to act like a Christian, to talk like a Christian, to Sometimes substituted for the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. We live in a world where outward conformity to religion is The Habit of Ignorance: Acting like a Christian is not enough. Once you’ve been washed clean by Jesus, replace your sinful habits with virtuous habits. First John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Is there unconfessed sin in your life? Take it to the Lord. Temptation exists all around us, so we must make a habit of searching our heart for sin and turning from it. Once we accept His forgiveness, it becomes our job to go and live a life that honors the One who has given us so much. He examines our heart and gauges our sincerity before our actions have time to catch up with our words. First Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Only God can evaluate repentance. Please do not miss the importance of this lesson: Jesus did not tolerate her sin He forgave her because she was repentant. ThatĬhange of heart prompted Jesus’ response, “Neither do I condemn you go and sin Woman’s heart that caused her to understand to Whom she was speaking. Spirit.” So before this conversation, something had to have happened in the That might not seem important, but 1 Corinthians 12:3 says that no one can call Story, the men had called Jesus “Teacher,” but this woman called Him “Lord.” One, Lord.” Now there’s a detail here we need to understand. Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No When the religious leaders had left, Jesus asked her, “Woman, Realizing their trap had failed, the men left one Him to judge the woman, Jesus stated that whoever was “without sin” should be Put Jesus at odds with the laws of Rome or the Law of God. They tried to create a no-win situation that would either In John 8:2-12, a woman who had been caught in the act ofĪdultery was brought before Jesus by a group of religious leaders who were The Habit of Habits: Responding to Christ’s forgiveness means giving up our old ways. Meanwhile, his “wicked and lazy” assessment of the third employee was based on a lack of effort-the employee didn’t even deposit his money in a bank to earn interest.Ģ. His two “good and faithful” employees received substantially different amounts of money, yet he commended them equally for their gains. The employer’s only concern was how well each person managed what he had been given. Even the unprofitable employee was entrusted with an awful lot of money while his boss was gone. It might be tempting to focus on the different amounts given to the different employees, but that is not the point of this parable. “wicked and lazy” and turned the money over to one of his other employees He didn’t take any money for himself, and he gave an honestĪccounting when his employer returned. The joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21, 23). The same praise from the boss, “Well done, good and faithful servant you wereįaithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Two of the employees doubled their money, and each received Trip, he settled accounts with each employee. Received roughly $2.5 million another man received about $1 million, andĪnother man received approximately $500,000. Of money assigned to each employee was determined by his capabilities. Three employees with managing vast sums of money while he was away. Jesus told a story about a wealthy businessman who entrusted The Habit of Laziness: Failing to do what’s right is just as bad as doing what’s wrong.

Take time out forjesus