Outline for personal relationships
Key Verses: 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 16, 23,
I remember as a kid playing with someone and having them divide up the toys so we could play together. It really bugged me when the division did not seem fair, especially when they got more than I did. I didn’t like their way of measuring, of judging, if you will. But I remember times when I was not fair either.
Jesus has a way of making some things so obvious. It makes no sense to try to remove a speck from someone else’s eye when you have a huge support beam sticking out of yours. Can you picture this in cartoon form? We must get our act together before we demand others get theirs together.
Not everyone will accept Jesus’ message of hope. So we must be careful to make sure someone is ready to hear the message before we present it to them. We must be sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. He will give us perfect timing.
There are those who won’t make it to heaven. Narrow is the entrance. Limited are the residents. This is not a message heard very often in our politically correct culture. With these words I am branded “intolerant.” But by labeling me intolerant, they have become intolerant of my position. But their intolerance does not change the facts: only a few make it to heaven.
There are those whose purpose in life is to deceive us. This should be no news in our world of scammers and investment schemes. But even more dangerous are those who want to deceive us spiritually. Scientology has been in the news lately. We have a Mormon running for President. We are at war with those who practice Islam faithfully. Our world is filled with deceivers and those who have been deceived. The Gospel is needed now more than ever.
The Gospel is about having a relationship with the Living God, not about doing certain things. Our relationship with Christ creates the only solid foundation for life and eternity. Everyone builds a life. Lives can be filled with good looking actions, but if the foundation is weak or defective, the house is destroyed. In life, some people will seem to have it all together, never seemingly facing any storms. But eternity will show the essence of their foundation, whether they were in relationship to Jesus or not. Other people seem to live on the edge of destruction, but they have a solid foundation. Our lives do not consist of the possessions we take as carry on luggage.
The Arnold Journey 