I Ain’t Innocent!

  • While innocence is sometimes perceived as a social liability, it’s actually a good thing and commanded in Scripture
  • In addition to innocence, we’re also commanded to be shrewd. So be innocent, but not at the expense of being wise

mi5ZzOMI was listening to a young lady lament how some of her friends were giving her a hard time for being “innocent.” Apparently, because she was oblivious to what a certain term meant, she was considered to be less than “hip” and that’s when the teasing began.

She’s a sweet kid and her demeanor affords her the chance to be well liked by pretty much everybody. But every now and then her sweet disposition is the subject of some gentle ridicule because she’s not as street wise as some think she ought to be. It’s especially frustrating when she gets told by some boys that she’s a “nice” girl and without a healthy helping of mystery and perhaps just a small amount of rebelliousness, she’s not as alluring as she would like to be.

What would you tell her?

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Reinforcing the Problem or Selling the Solution?

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Last night I was listening to a Minister to speak and it struck me how much preaching is done “at” people.

Mind you, this is a great guy and he’s a good communicator. But the subject matter was delivered in a way where if you were trying to sell the goods that were being articulated, you would want to tweak the way he was trying to influence his audience.

For example, when you’re trying to sell the idea of being physically fit, you don’t start off with a picture of some overweight, diseased individual. Rather, you show a picture of someone who’s fit, who looks good in the clothes they’re wearing and who’s sporting a big smile. The message that’s being heard is a positive one: “Here’s what you will look like – lean, toned, and happy!” As opposed to the other approach which says, “If you don’t buy what we’re selling, you’re going to look nasty, weak and miserable. “

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Do You Have to Have a Relationship With Christ in Order to Succeed?

up_smallDo you need a relationship with Christ in order to make money? No. You can be rolling in cash and not be inclined to honor God so that’s obvious.

But you need a relationship with Christ in order to succeed. If you define success in terms of the attainment of an enduring brand of happiness, then yes, you’re going to need and want something beyond that which is transient to secure a sense of fulfillment. Otherwise, the goalposts never stop moving and you wind up more frustrated than fulfilled.

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  • Nothing happens on this planet that isn’t either blessed or allowed by God, hence no one can ever take credit for the success that they’ve achieved.
  • Success, as in the pursuit of happiness, can’t be achieved by the mere acquisition of material goods or any kind of credentials. Reason being is that the more you have, the more you want. Any accomplishment, once completed, inevitably leads to yet another project that must be done. The more you know, the more you realize you have yet to know. The goal posts never stop moving, it is a “chasing after the wind.” Consequently, any lasting sense of contentment and happiness is impossible.
  • It is through your relationship with Christ that you’re able to base your sense of fulfillment and joy on Something that doesn’t change. While there is a place for ambition, business savvy and the pursuit of success in the life of a believer, in order to avoid the pointlessness of the typical human pursuit of happiness, your target must always be the Purpose and Plan of your Heavenly Father.

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What Do You Want to Do? What Do You Need to Do? What Are You Meant to Do?

    • Any and everything that you’ll ever do falls into one of three categories: What you want to do, what you need to do and what you were meant to do.
    • According to a recent Gallup poll , 71% of employees don’t like their job. That means that almost three quarters of the adults that are getting up every Monday morning to go to work would rather be anywhere else other than the workplace. Oftentimes these adults are dragging into work not just because they don’t like what they do, but because they’re not actively pursuing their dream – what they want to do, what they were meant to do. They’ve given up because they feel like they don’t have the time or the energy.
    • If you want to avoid feeling as though you’re doing nothing other than meeting deadlines and living from one paycheck to the next, you’ve got to have a plan. And you need to have a plan for all three categories of “to-do’s.” What you need to do, what you want to do and what you were meant to do.
    • Having a plan is not just about being organized, it’s Biblical in that you’re being wise with your time and you’re positioning yourself in a place that allows you to be more productive and more enthused about life in general.

I) Making A Difference and Not Just an Appearance

Having a “life plan” is important in that you want to ensure that you’re not simply honoring deadlines and keeping appointments. Rather, you have a direction, you have a goal, you’re not simply treading water. And when you put a plan together, you’re ensuring that those things that are the real priorities in your life aren’t being overwhelmed by the never ending list of fires that supposedly need to be put out right now.

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