Application
Guide: “The Life God Rewards Pt. 4” (Mt
10:42)
July 3rd,
2005: Pastor Kimber Kauffman challenged us
again to view our lives in light of eternity and heavenly rewards. This week,
he challenged us to consider how our treatment of others might look if we were
heavenly-minded. Each day, we interact with all kinds of people in various
settings. Let us consider how God would have us interact with those we meet
each day.
- In your evaluation of others…
- How often do you evaluate people based on a worldly
value system that rates people based on their ability to give back to
society? How do you show favoritism to certain types of people (cf. James
2:1ff)?
- In what ways have you created a hierarchy that
defines “success” and compares people based on one’s occupation/earnings
(e.g. – being a lawyer or doctor is far “better” than being a trash
hauler)? How does God view this hierarchial evaluation? How does he
evaluate people? (Jn 13:14-17; Mk. 9:34-36;10:41-45)?
- How can we become people who no longer proudly
compare ourselves to one another? How can we learn to have God’s view of
ourselves and others (cf. Gen. 1:26-27; Lk. 14:7-11; James 4:6-10)?
- In your
doing good to others…
- How often do you disassociate praise to God
kindness towards others? What does the Bible say about the unity of these
two commands (cf. Heb. 6:10; James 3:9-10; 1 Jn. 2:9-11)?
- How are you doing at loving your neighbor as God
defines it (cf. Lk.10:25-37)? Do you treat others with the same grace and
pity God has shown you?
- What about loving your enemies? Do you rejoice
when bad things happen to your enemies (fill in the blank with blacks,
Muslims, your annoying co-worker, perverse Hollywood actors…)?
- In your
relationships at work…
- What kind of example of godliness are you setting
at work? Do you view work as an opportunity to serve Christ (cf. Col.
3:22-25)?
- How do you react to those with authority over you?
Are you willing to submit yourselves even to leaders who do not treat you
well (cf. 1 Pet. 2:13-21)?
- While
holding to your doctrinal beliefs…
- Do you judge others and look on with contempt
those who do not have the same beliefs, preferences, and “spiritualness”
as you? (cf. Mt. 7:1ff)
- How often do you allow your commitment dogma and
theology to override God’s constant commands to love one another?
- What “gray
areas” (or minor issues) have you blown out of proportion and have
inhibited the “unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” between you
and other believers (cf. Eph. 4:1-6)?
“If you read history you will find
that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who
thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the
conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the
English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on
Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since
Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have
become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth "thrown
in": aim at Earth and you will get neither. – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity