Consider these

The desire & ability to love God and others comes from being in Christ, not from us.

We can't love God without loving others.

We only know, in part, what love is because we have been by touched by the love of God.

Conviction leads to transformation. If there is no transformation, then it was just an agreement.

Fear prevents us from living.

God has not failed in loving us. It is we who fail in accepting and trusting His love.

The best thing in life is not only free it is freeing. Do you have it?

Life in Christ is full of life.

If you are in Christ, you are already accepted by the Father and have the Spirit living in you. Therefore, work not to be accepted, but work to express who you are in Christ with joy & gratitude.

You can study the Scriptures and not know its author.

If you want to know who Jesus is spend time praying and studying the Bible.

Getting to know God is as important to you as the time you spend praying, listening to & learning from Him.

If we do love God, we will obey His commandments. It is that straight-forward.

Knowing about God is different than knowing God. Which is it for you?

Upwords: The Teaching Ministry of Max Lucado

February 22, 2013

Holiness
by Max Lucado 

John the Baptist would never get hired today. No church would touch him. He was a public relations disaster. Mark 1:6 says he “wore clothes of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey.”

His message was as rough as his dress. A no-nonsense, bare-fisted challenge to repent because God was on His way.  No, John’s style wasn’t smooth. He made few friends and lots of enemies, but what do you know?  He made hundreds of converts. How do you explain it?  It certainly wasn’t his charisma, nor his money or position—for he had neither.  Then what did he have?  One word:  Holiness.

Holiness seeks to be like God. You want to make a difference in your world?  Live a holy life.  Be faithful to your spouse. Pay your bills. Be the employee who does the work and doesn’t complain. Don’t speak one message and live another!  Just be God in your world.

“…as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16)

From:  A Gentle Thunder