Friday, 30 August 2013

2 Dating Truths for God’s Man





A recent study reports one-third of new marriages start with online dating; obviously making the computer the latest, greatest cupid’s arrow. I can see where online dating websites can play a role in connecting two people, but they don’t replace two of God’s timely dating truths:
1. Where to Begin?
You can do relationships your way or God’s way.So many adults take a vacation from God in the dating and sex arena only to wind up paying a steep emotional and relational price that will harm them for the rest of their lives. You may relate to thinking either you know better than God (pride) or that you will “miss out” (fear) if you honour him. Both impatience and arrogance breed horrible dating decisions.
God knows more. God loves you. God has your best interest in mind. That’s the mentality I wish more people approached dating with, and looked to God for how to do it right. God’s way in dating involves trusting in Him, His plan for your life, and trusting Him for your future partner—before you even start dating.
In Psalm 37:4-5, the Bible says “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this”. How does this play out in the dating arena? Invest your time and energy in knowing God, delighting in the process, and committing to honor Him with your actions. If you trust and obey His plan, He will match you with the ideal mate when you are ready.
A healthy relationship requires two healthy individuals who are both seeking God and His plan for their lives. A relationship with God is the ultimate common trait men (and women) should seek in a future mate. Without that common bond, there are too many weaknesses -- or targets—for the enemy to shoot at.
2. The Dating Litmus Test
The quality of your dating relationship will directly reflect the quality of your character. Men are prone to believing a culture that throws relationships to the wind, preferring to ‘score’ with chicks, get in-and-out of the sack without any harm, and racking up babes while protecting their hearts and avoiding commitment. But God’s ultimate dating litmus test is this: The quality of your relationships directly reflects the quality of your character.
God’s plan is a character-development plan, working on your true nature, and developing you for a future of adversity and abundance. If your character needs work, then your relationships are going to fail and be filled with hurt and pain. But as God prepares your character, you will be prepared for a relationship that honors God, your mate, your family and future.
Consider what the Bible says in Matthew 12:35, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.”
If you are committed to dating God’s way, then you will be patient with the process of knowing God and allow for character development so that when God puts your mate in your path, you are ready and able to carry out God’s plan.
Please add a comment on the bottom of this article to let us know what your biggest challenges with dating are.
If you would like to be ready for God’s mate for you, find Godly men to hang out with, focus on Jesus and your character development. Additional resources available HERE.
Kenny Luck, founder of Every Man Ministries and Men’s Pastor at Saddleback Church, provides biblically-oriented teaching and leadership for men and pastors seeking relevant, timely material that battle cultural, worldly concepts threatening men and God’s men. Follow Kenny and Every Man Ministries now on FacebookTwitter (@everyMM) and YouTube.


Words for the Wise, Discipleship


2 Timothy 1

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

15 You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; 17 but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— 18 the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.

2 Timothy 1

V 1–2: BELOVED Although writing with apostolic authority, Paul salutes Timothy with his usual, heartfelt greeting, calling him ‘a beloved son’. Paul takes a fatherly interest in Timothy, notwithstanding his existing spiritual maturity and leadership ability.

 V 3–7: BACKGROUND He prays daily for Timothy, greatly desiring to see him. He is joyful in recalling the godly example of Timothy’s mother and grandmother that brought him to faith in Christ. Paul’s spiritual fatherhood role encourages him through discipleship to maturing leadership. He urges him to serve by stirring up God’s gift in service with a fearless, powerful and loving mind from God.

V 8–12: BEATEN! Jesus Christ has beaten death, and through the gospel has brought ‘life and immortality to light’. Paul is neither ashamed of the gospel nor of his Saviour, who will keep him through life and eternity, despite his own imprisonment in Rome. He urges Timothy not to be ashamed of him either, but to share in his sufferings.

V 13–14: BASIS Timothy must hold the pattern of sound teaching given him by Paul through faith and love in Christ. Timothy’s gift of ministry and service, and his commission to serve Christ, is to be kept through the Holy Spirit who dwells in them both.

V 15: BEREFT Paul relates to Timothy that all those in Asia turned away from him, including Phygellus and Hermogenes. Sometimes it is a lonely task to be a Christian leader and gospel preacher.

 V 16–18: BOLSTERED But Paul has been bolstered by the refreshment gained from the household of Onesiphorus, who ‘zealously’ sought Paul out in Rome to minister to him as he had done at Ephesus. Paul commends to God his unashamed, supportive and faithful co-worker in the gospel.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary

III. He exhorts him to hold fast the form of sound words, 2 Tim. 1:13. 1. “Have a form of sound words” (so it may be read), “a short form, a catechism, an abstract of the first principles of religion, according to the scriptures, a scheme of sound words, a brief summary of the Christian faith, in a proper method, drawn out by thyself from the holy scriptures for thy own use;” or, rather, by the form of sound words I understand the holy scriptures themselves. 2. “Having it, hold it fast, remember it, retain it, adhere to it. Adhere to it in opposition to all heresies and false doctrine, which corrupt the Christian faith. Hold that fast which thou hast heard of me.” Paul was divinely inspired. It is good to adhere to those forms of sound words which we have in the scriptures; for these, we are sure, were divinely inspired. That is sound speech, which cannot be condemned, Titus 2:8. But how must it be held fast? In faith and love; that is, we must assent to it as a faithful saying, and bid it welcome as worthy of all acceptation. Hold it fast in a good heart, this is the ark of the covenant, in which the tables both of law and gospel are most safely and profitably deposited,

 Ps. 119:11. Faith and love must go together; it is not enough to believe the sound words, and to give an assent to them, but we must love them, believe their truth and love their goodness, and we must propagate the form of sound words in love; speaking the truth in love, Eph. 4:15. Faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; it must be Christian faith and love, faith and love fastening upon Jesus Christ, in and by whom God speaks to us and we to him. Timothy, as a minister, must hold fast the form of sound words, for the benefit of others. Of healing words, so it may read; there is healing virtue in the word of God; he sent his word, and healed them. To the same purport is that (2 Tim. 1:14),

 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in us. That good thing was the form of sound words, the Christian doctrine, which was committed to Timothy in his baptism and education as he was a Christian, and in his ordination as he was a minister. Observe, (1.) The Christian doctrine is a trust committed to us. It is committed to Christians in general, but to ministers in particular. It is a good thing, of unspeakable value in itself, and which will be of unspeakable advantage to us; it is a good thing indeed, it is an inestimable jewel, for it discovers to us the unsearchable riches of Christ, Eph. 3:8. It is committed to us to be preserved pure and entire, and to be transmitted to those who shall come after us, and we must keep it, and not contribute any thing to the corrupting of its purity, the weakening of its power, or the diminishing of its perfection: Keep it by the Holy Ghost that dwelleth in us. Observe,

 Even those who are ever so well taught cannot keep what they have learned, any more than they could at first learn it, without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. We must not think to keep it by our own strength, but keep it by the Holy Ghost. (2.) The Holy Ghost dwells in all good ministers and Christians; they are his temples, and he enables them to keep the gospel pure and uncorrupt; and yet they must use their best endeavours to keep this good thing, for the assistance and indwelling of the Holy Ghost do not exclude men’s endeavours, but they very well consist together.

Yours by His Grace

Blair Humphreys

Southport, Merseyside

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Britons tell Cameron NO to war: Only EIGHT per cent want urgent strikes on Syria

Britons tell Cameron NO to war: Only EIGHT per cent want urgent strikes on Syria

The poll results, which come as MPs begin their historic Commons debate on military action, show 80 per cent of people are against David Cameron launching an immediate attack, while 12 per cent are undecided.

A significant 41 per cent of people are against action by Britain in any circumstances, while 39 per cent would only agree with a launch if the UN confirms chemical weapons have been used by the Syrian regime and then sanctions a strike.

The results are a blow to David Cameron who has been arguing for intervention amid a growing chorus of MPs urging caution following the lessons of the Iraq war 10 years ago.

The Prime Minister believes the use of chemical weapons in Damascus last week, which the UK and US argue was ordered by Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, represents a breach of international law.

Top 10 reasons to visit Cornwall

Top 10 reasons to visit Cornwall

Top 10 reasons to visit Cornwall

IT’S got beautiful beaches and great coastal walks. Cornwall is also the setting for the new time-travelling romantic comedy, About Time, due to hit our screens in September. Here are 10 reasons to go now…


Columnist: New Guides’ oath is ‘secular totalitarianism’

Columnist: New Guides’ oath is ‘secular totalitarianism’

Changing the Girl Guide promise to remove reference to God is “nothing other than secular totalitarianism”, a columnist has said.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Melanie Phillips said the oath which replaces “love my God” with a pledge to “be true to myself” is now “actively discriminatory” against Christians.
In June this year Girl Guiding UK adopted a secular promise for the first time since the movement began in 1910.

Is the Emergent Church as Dangerous to Christianity as Islam?

Is the Emergent Church as Dangerous to Christianity as Islam?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1435_Flight_RAF

Today's post

Jesus Christ, The Same Yesterday, Today and Forever

I had the privilege to be raised in a Christian Home and had the input of my parents and grandparents into my life, they were ...