Posted on 08/19/2010 10:12:26 AM PDT by DBCJR
Just now on Fox News it was announced that Obama issued a press release stating that he is a practicing Christian, consults with 5 pastors, reads the Bible and prays daily, and has daily devotionals sent to him. The report did not say whether he read the devotionals.
How does anyone really know what another person believes?
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A little boy went over to a pastor’s house, where the pastor was doing some carpentry in his garage. The boy simply stood there and watched him for quite a long time. After a while, the preacher wondered why this boy was watching him and was finally so curious that he stopped and said, “Son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on how to build something?”
The little boy replied, “No. I am just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.”
Often, we will find out what we are made of by what comes out of our mouths in both good and bad circumstances. When we have a change in conduct and character in our lives, it is a type of spiritual fruit.
Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . . . “ (NKJV). A Christian’s life should be characterized by these things.
Are you producing fruit? Or is the opposite true?
Instead of love, is there hatred, bitterness, or even prejudice in your life? Instead of joy, is there constant gloom? Instead of peace, is there turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there a short temper? Instead of faith, is there endless worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance? Instead of self-control, are you a victim of your own passions?
If so, then either you don’t know God at all or a recommitment to Christ would be in order.
If you are a Christian, then people should be able to look for-and find-fruit in your life. Why? Because a disciple of Jesus Christ will produce spiritual fruit.
Jesus said, “ ‘My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father’ “ (John 15:8 NLT). Jesus also said, “ ‘By their fruits you will know them’ “ (Matthew 7:20 NKJV).
The metaphor of bearing fruit is used quite often in the Bible. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus spoke of seed that falls on different types of ground, representing different reactions to the truth of the gospel message. The final category He mentioned in Mark 4:20 was good ground: “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (NKJV).
In other words, those who have spiritual longevity are those who embrace this truth and produce fruit. The Bible tells us that we should bear fruit worthy of repentance (see Matthew 3:8).
The Bible gives us different pictures as to what “bearing fruit” means. For example, praising and thanking God is a way of bearing fruit in our lives. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (NKJV). When you praise God, that is bearing fruit.
At one of our church services, I noticed a young woman in the front row who was in a wheelchair. Her legs were gone, and she had only one arm, which was a partial one.
As we were worshiping, this young woman lifted what she had of her arm to the Lord. I thought about how this must have pleased God. She didn’t have hands to lift, but what she had, she lifted to the Lord.
Did she have troubles in her life? Did she have difficulty? Of course she did. But she offered a sacrifice of praise to God.
We don’t praise God only when we are in the mood. Rather, we praise God because He is worthy of our praise. Our word, “worship,” comes from the old English form, worth ship. We praise that which is worthy.
Therefore, we don’t praise God because we feel like it. We praise God because He deserves our praise. When we do this, we are bearing fruit.
What we say is also a type of fruit in our lives. Jesus said, “ ‘A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say’ “ (Luke 6:45 NLT).
When you are a true Christian, it will be reflected by what you say. This is bearing fruit as well.
Can others identify spiritual fruit in your life? Remember, people are watching you. They are listening to you. I hope that you are pointing them to Jesus.
For more from Greg Laurie, check out the Greg Laurie Daily Devotional, or listen to A New Beginning at OnePlace.com.
http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11617056/
Yes, but I hope you understand that I was referring to day in - day out observation. I also happen to believe that any astute observer who depends on the Holy Spirit will NOT easily be fooled.
Obama can claim to be the tooth fairy,Are we to believe him?NO.
LOL! Hadn't thought of that approach.
You might have something there!
In less than one week, Barky has had to re-explain his initial apres Iftar explantion on the Hamasque; then he had to have a spokespeep come out and expand his ‘re-explanation.’ Now this (on the heels of the the TIME—TIME!!—poll stating ONE IN FOUR AMERICANS believe HE is a Muslim.
Full meltdown mode?
Whatever the Clinton’s are doing to push him over the edge is working.
Well that settles it. Since we all know Obama is a consummate LIAR, and the truth is always going to be the opposite of what he publicly ‘claims’ - He has admitted to being in fact a muslem.
Case closed.
Really, then why did Obama have Code Pink witches “cleanse” the White House?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2168251/posts
My first question would be.... What church do you attend every Sunday.
GEEZ! If I would have known being a practicing Christian ment going golfing every Sunday I would have quit going to a Church building.
OK, sort of like a deeply entrencehd spy or mole.
Frankly? The only one that matters to believe I am a Christian is Christ. Issuing a press release claiming I am a sheep and not a goat would gain me nothing. Getting my neighbor to agree that I am a Christian gains neither him nor me anything.
However, lets see what Jesus says about the issue
Matthew 25:
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at His right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ... “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Then He will say to those at His left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” ... “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-36, 40-43, 45-46 NRSV)
He can easily end this debate by showing us his baptismal certificate.
Muslims pray daily and devotionals aren’t necessarily Christian rather they can be interfaith or reflect no religion in particular. Rather than the comment about reading the Bible daily does he read the Koran frequently?
Anyone looked at his schedule at times required by Muslims to pray daily? Are those times not occupied by meetings?
Are there any pictures of him consuming food or water during daylight hours in the past ten days or so?
LLS
He apparently was registered (required) as a Muslim in both schools he attended in Indonesia and so studied Islam in 3rd and 4th grades for two hours a week.
Rush said there's an account of his self-reported conversion to Christianity in one of his (or Ayers') books. Anyone read it or is that passage on the Web?
I watched him say he was a Muslim on tv. The interviewer said, “You mean Cjristian”, and Obama, said saomething like,, “oh yrs, Christian”. He obviously was not working with his teleprommpter.
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