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.

 

  1.  In your evaluation of others…
    1. 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)?
    2. 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)?
    3. 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)?

 

  1. In your doing good to others…
    1. 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)?
    2. 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?
    3. 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…)?

 

  1. In your relationships at work…
    1. 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)?
    2. 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)?

 

  1. While holding to your doctrinal beliefs…
    1. 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)
    2. How often do you allow your commitment dogma and theology to override God’s constant commands to love one another?
    3.  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