New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 38
Off & Running:
How Your Faith Affects the Daily Aspects of Your Life
Attitude toward Self
Many are on a quest today to find personal happiness. They will do whatever
is necessary to “find themselves.” They are told that the answer is “within,”
so they search in all the wrong places trying to find meaning and purpose in
life. The Bible, however, does not teach that the answer is within us. Rather, it
teaches that the problem is within us. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The human heart
is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows
how bad it is?” For that reason, all attempts to reform or improve ourselves will
meet with failure. We do not need self-esteem as much as we need a realistic
view of who we are and who God is. Once we honestly assess our own sinful
condition and come to grips with our built-in weakness and vulnerability to
sin, then we will be able to appreciate God’s solution. In a nutshell, the way
to true happiness comes not from seeking happiness itself, but from seeking
God. Here’s what God’s Word has to say about how we can be happy, fulfilled
people.
• Don’t trust only in yourself see Jeremiah 17:5-8, page 706
• We need to recognize our true condition see Matthew 5:3-5, page 896
• We must surrender our dreams and seek God’s will see Matthew 16:24-26,
page 914
• We will find happiness in loving God and others see Matthew 22:37-40,
page 922
• We need times to rest and recharge see Mark 6:31, page 939
• Our needs must come last see Hebrews 13:11-13, page 1191
Choices
A common question that many new Christians have is, “Can I be a Christian
and still do . . . ?” Some questions of Christian liberty can be answered easily
because the Bible directly addresses these questions. For instance, say someone asks, “Is it okay, as a Christian, to get drunk?” The answer is clearly no. The
Bible says, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead,
be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). However, questions like, “Can I
be a Christian and still drink alcoholic beverages?” or “Can I listen to any kind
of music?” or “Can I go to any movie?” are not answered so easily. They are
among the many gray areas of the Christian life that do not necessarily have a
chapter-and-verse answer.
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