1 Thessalonians 2:10 - Keep our motives as pure as possible

"You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers."

 

The implication from this verse is that some people might have questioned Paul's motives somehow. Even Paul was misunderstood, perhaps maligned. We should expect this in relationships. All we can do in such cases is keep our motives as pure as possible, and maintain a clear conscience before God. The rest will have to work out as we trust God.

Jeremiah 14:16-17 - This is how God's justice works.

"As for the people to whom they prophesy—their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters—all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them. Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:

'Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.
   I cannot stop weeping,
for my virgin daughter—my precious people—
   has been struck down
and lies mortally wounded.'"

 

This is how God's justice works: He turns the tide so that the evil that people bring to others turns back on themselves. It is their own wickedness boomeranged to fall on their own heads. God can do no wrong himself, but he can and does turn evil around so the evildoers pay for their own sins. Yet even as God pours out his anger and judgment, it causes him great grief. God allows people to go to hell, but he himself suffers about it. Or rather, suffered—in Jesus' death on the cross.

'Soulprint' - Book Review

The author, Mark Batterson, pours the insight and energy into helping you experience the joy of discovering who you are and the freedom of discovering who you're not.  From the back cover it tells us the book 'Soulprint' encourages you to recognize and explore the five defining moments in your life that will determine your destiny.  Along the way, you'll find that you're not just turning the pages of a book.  You're turning the pages of your remarkable, God-shaped, world-changing life.

The one thing that we must remember is that we are unique; we are not like anyone else.  True, we can pick up similarities, especially when we are around someone for a time.  But remember, they pick up similarities from us also.  God created each of us wired differently and encourages us to remain unique and true to ourselves.  We need to remember the God-given identity that makes us unlike anyone else.

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were this person or that person?  Do you know that that person you wish you were is probably wishing that they were you?  Ironic isn't it.  Growing up I thought that and today I like me.  I believe that is a key obstacle that some of us need to do … like yourself as there is no one else like you.

 

There is discussion questions in the back of the book for your small Bible Study group and you can read the first chapter of Mark's book 'Primal'.