A V-Day Challenge

Here's a quick, yet powerful challenge for Valentine's Day, specifically for men, but everyone could take this and relate it to those you love...

Take a moment to read these verses....

Job 31:1; Psalm 101:2-3; Matthew 5:27-29

Did you notice they all relate to the same thing... The purity of our eyes. We can ignore it and dismiss it all we want, but the truth is, men's eyes (what they look at the most) communicates much about what's in their heart. In the spirit of love that's all abound today, do your eyes say that you love your spouse? Are your eyes constantly wondering or are they continually satisfied by the one you've pledged your life to?

If you're not married yet, start practicing now. Learn to control your eyes. When the day comes that you marry the love of your life, you owe it to her to give her your love and affection in the purest form possible.

Maybe you're a wife, mom, or single parent... Just apply this to your level of contentment with Christ, your husband, or even with your kids. Do they get the best of who you are or are you constantly dreaming of being somewhere else with someone else?

Should you be struggling in this area, ask God for forgiveness out of your repentance. Remember, true repentance involves changing the way you think, so start thinking about how blessed you are to have your wife and keep your eyes only for her!

Listen to the challenge given to us in Ephesians 5:25. Just as Christ gave His all for the church, we are called to love our wives with the same passion and surrender. Don't soften the words of Jesus to accommodate the parts of your life you don't want to change. Instead, use His words to mold you into the person He's calling you to be!

Behind Door #1 is...

Do you remember watching the game shows where they would have different prizes behind different doors? I knew that in the very unlikely chance that I'd ever be on one of those shows that I'd always pick the wrong door. For me, the most exciting part of the show wasn't exactly when they picked the door, but it was when  the truth behind all the doors was eventually revealed. At this point, the contestant would realize they either made a good decision, like picking a new car, or a bad decision, like choosing a one-day supply of used bubble gum.

Much like in the game show that has different doors with different prizes behind each door, each of us are in a sense a different door at a different point in our walk with God.When it comes to our faith in Christ, we find ourselves in a position where the genuineness of our faith (the prize behind the door) is revealed through our circumstances (the opening of the door). In other words, when adversity hits, our "faith door" gets opened, and the true nature of our faith is revealed.

We had a discussion in our small group a few weeks ago that started out with this question, "Is your faith revealed or developed during adversity?" After some great dialogue, I think we all basically arrived at the point where we realized that adversity can actually reveal and develop our faith. When adversity hits, you'll have an initial reaction. This is your faith REVEALED. Do you curse God? Get mad at Him for what's going on? Start frantically trying to fix the situation on your own? Do you step back and breathe knowing that He's got everything under control? Adversity reveals the genuineness of our faith in God. 

Then, we're presented with a crossroads. Regardless of what' revealed, we can choose to draw closer to God and allow His strength to develop our faith or we can push Him further away and maybe even walk away from any initial faith we had. This is how adversity could DEVELOP your faith.

In James 2:17-20, we're reminded that faith isn't about what you say, but it's about what you do. The faith we genuinely have is what's revealed behind the door when adversity throws it open in the game show called "Life." Wherever you're at right now, in the valley or on the mountain top, don't forget it's an opportunity for God to reveal and/or develop your faith.