Three Different Attitudes

This weekend I shared with our church some attitudes that we see all around us. Which one are you? Are you known as a giver or a taker? Is life all about you or about serving Jesus by serving others?

Look carefully at these three different attitudes:

1. What's yours is mine, and I'm going to take it.

This is called greed, and we see lots of this in our world today. GREED says that I never have enough. It is also a picture of a heart clouded by materialism. God says watch out for this:

Luke 12:15 (NLT) --- Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."

2. What's mine is mine, and I'm going to keep it.

This is called selfishness. SELFISHNESS is a sign that you are not walking with or following Jesus. When we follow Jesus, it is less about self and more about the Savior. My prayer is that we will live like this:

Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT) --- Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

3. What's mine is yours, and I'm going to give it.

This is called sacrifice. SACRIFICE is something that God calls us to. Jesus sacrificed for us. We can do the same to help people and show them Jesus. Here is what God says we are to do:

Psalm 112:5 (NIV) --- "Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely…"

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) --- "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will be refreshed."

Acts 20:35 (NIV) --- "…the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

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Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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