CURRENT RADIO SERIES God's Secrets   CURRENT TV SERIES Unchained

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. --Psalm 32:8 As children of God, you and I need to be so sensitive to the eyes of God. Do you know what that means? Well, let me share a little perspective with you.  When Deb and I first got married, forty years ago, I told her, “Get ready because we’re going to spend the rest of our lives in church.” And sure enough, we have. All three of our children grew up in the church. As I preached, I would keep my eye on the kids during the service to see if they were behaving. If you have children, you know what I mean. If they became disruptive, they would get what they affectionately refer to today as “the look.” If you’re a parent or grandparent, you know what I mean! Sometimes a glance got things back in order. But if it didn’t, they got a longer look, and then a stare, and maybe even a frown. You see, because they knew me and I knew them, I could guide them with my eyes. Well our relationship with God is similar. We need to learn to look to God’s eyes for his direction and guidance. Look for God’s eyes, and stay fixed upon him. And as you look to him, he will direct your steps.   WE NEED TO LEARN TO LOOK TO GOD’S EYES FOR HIS DIRECTION.

Faith that Makes a Difference

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
Daniel 3:10–12

According to a recent Barna Research Group study of people born between 1965 and 2002, most (84%) of the people who said they were not Christians knew at least one person who they described as a committed Christian. That seems like a good thing, but the follow-up question revealed that only 15% of those people felt like the lifestyle of those they described as Christians was significantly different from anyone else.
That is not the way the Christian life is supposed to work. Someone said that too many Christians today are part of the “secret service.” Identifying publicly with Jesus can be dangerous in some countries, and it is increasingly unacceptable in polite society to be a committed Christian. But it is only when we become truly committed to Christ that we can accomplish something meaningful. “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus” (John 19:38).
The approval that should matter most to us is not that of our peers or contemporaries, but that of God. He sees each time we take a stand for Him. He knows if our faith is making a real difference.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Taking a stand for Jesus is worth it, no matter what the cost may be.