God's Culture
Published by Theresee on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 10:42am
By: Darren Handy
John 15:12-14
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
Today’s culture is identified with individualism, self-gratification, and moral relativism - “Having my needs met is more important than meeting the needs of others.”
This is not the way that God calls us to live. He calls us to live a life of community, humility, and living as he commands.
I challenged myself to live responsibly within my community, to humble myself, to lift others up and to love others in the world around me. Laying down my life is not the end of my life, just as when Jesus laid down his own life, it was not an end in itself. I lay down my life to love and not be bound by my flesh, the world or the devil. Jesus freed us through his gift of self so that he could show us a greater love. To establish his church, Jesus Christ gave up his own life.
Because of my obedience to the call to faithfully give financially to CIC, I have gained an abundance of peace, joy and the fulfillment of my desires.
Instead of seeking our own fulfillment, I challenge all of us to live as God calls us culturally by putting the needs and desires of others above our own and living under God’s commands.
TAKE THE CHALLENGE: Do I try to live in the culture of today or do I live within God’s commandments? How can I surrender more to his way of living?