10
Nov '18
Discrepancy Thinking
10
Nov '18
Written by: Mark Culp
If you ask most Christians if they deserve hell, most would answer “yes”. It has kind of become a standard answer you give to your fellow believing friends. In fact, most believers could not even imagine answering any other way. It’s the belief we must come to, to be truly saved. That being said, here is the question. If we truly believe that we are deserving of hell, why do we believe at the same time, and get all bent out of shape, and cry and whine, and demand justice when we don’t get treated fairly (or maybe someone disrespects us).
I’m trying to point out a discrepancy in our thinking.
Saying I am deserving of hell and then getting so angry when I’m not being treated right reveals a disconnect. I need to daily remind myself of the infinite mercy and grace that was bestowed upon me at the cross. Doing that puts everything else in the proper perspective. I have to remember that whatever wrong I perceive may have happened to me, it was nothing, and I mean nothing compared to what I did to a perfect Holy God.
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Mark
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I’m currently 51 years old and live in Saline with my wife Melinda. We each have 2 children, and together we have 12 grandchildren (including 2 still in the “oven”). I have walked through various hardships in life and it’s my prayer and desire to share some of the things I’ve learned walking through these hardships. I pray that God uses something in what I share to spark in you a thought that may have needed to be lit. I don’t presume to have it all worked out, and much of what you will read is currently being worked out in my own life. I would like to thank my precious Lord for this “voice” and pray that what I say will bring honor to Him. – Mark
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10
Nov '18
The Right Crowd
10
Nov '18
May I ask – how intentional are you with choosing the people (or friends) in your life?? I’ve heard this question asked in various forms many times in life. Pretty deep question if you think about it.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. – Jim Rohn
“Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.” – Mexican Proverb
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26
I’ve thought back to the friends I’ve spent my life with over the years, and if I’m being
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03
Nov '18
Winds of Change
03
Nov '18
I’ve experienced it many times. Change. This change usually occurs when God wants to close a door – so what does He do? He closes the door. Have you been in this situation before? Where God just closes a door (and most likely it was a door you thought you wanted to walk through)? We all know how it feels to continue going through life comfortable. Or even if we’re not entirely “comfortable”, we will stay somewhere just because we’re not fond of change. We’ll settle for mediocrity, when God didn’t intend for us to “settle” for that. So, when that door closes, and a “shake-up” happens, we don’t know what to do. We sometimes become scared and upset and wonder why this is happening to us. Or – we thought we were relying on God during seasons of our lives, but looking back – we see that we just wanted to be in “control”. I fully believe that God intended hardships in my life to bring me closer to Him. I’m thankful that God may actually use my hardships
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03
Nov '18
God Will Never Give You More than You can Handle (??)
03
Nov '18
Written by: Mark Culp
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”
I have heard people voice various platitudes concerning various topics most of my life. Some are used to cover a variety of situations and others are more specific. One of the more popular slogans states that “God will never give you more than you can handle.” How could anyone doubt the “truth ” of this time honored saying? You may
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03
Nov '18
My Dr. Phil Gift
03
Nov '18
God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11
Lately, my life has been inundated with a wave of sadness, tragedy, and heartbreak. The thing is none of it is directly relating to me. It is as if somehow God has given me this ‘Dr. Phil’ gift. Some of you know exactly what that means. People seemingly come to you because in their
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