All posts by LessonsForLife

1 Corinthians, Love, Relationships, Sex

God’s Text on Sex

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HusbandWife2In a marital relationship, both you and your spouse must communicate. I have seen too many times in counseling where one spouse refuses or withholds sex from their mate. If you are in this situation, ask yourself how you may be responsible. Guys, sex is not just for your pleasure. Ladies, you need to communicate clearly to your spouse when something is not pleasurable or not going well with your husband. God desires to give you pleasure and He desires that you be a pleasure to one another. Discuss with one another what brings pleasure and what does not. If something is not going well, please, please talk to your spouse without undermining their confidence.

It is not Biblical to deprive your spouse of sex. You should never be selfish in any way with your spouse, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. At times, it may be a sacrifice or an unselfish thing you do to have a physical relationship. Maybe you do it in spite of being tired, having a headache, etc. etc. A sexual problem is often a symptom of a bigger problem, which is selfishness. As Christians, should not be selfish in our lives or in our physical relationships. You entered into a covenant with your spouse and your body is no longer yours according to 1st Corinthians 7:4.

Just as Jesus Christ died for you, so should you and your spouse should die to selfishness. Not just sexually but in all ways. You should please your spouse and submit to one another’s likes as long as it is not contrary to the Word of God. Your nature is to be self-centered, but Jesus wants you to be others-centered. Friend, consider one another.

Take time with your spouse and communicate your likes and dislikes with one another. Friend, by considering one another, I will promise you that your marriage will be better than you have imagined, your spouse will be blessed and God will bless you.

Life Lesson: If you are married, you should be having sex or making love on a regular basis.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

1 John, Beauty, Lies, Self-worth

Take a Bite of this Delicious Fruit

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Woman Looking at ReflectionLisa was an attractive 22 year old college student who was preoccupied with the “defects” in her face and hair, constantly comparing them with others and magazine models. She avoided many social situations and spent a lot of money on makeup and styling remedies. Her grades dropped, she withdrew from others, and even considered suicide because she thought she was so ugly.

These are days of self-deception and lies. These are times marked with focus on ‘self’. Many are deceived and many good people have bought into myths sold to them about what’s really important in life. The average American spends more than 5 hours a day watching television. By age 65, you will have spent over 20 years of your every hour awake watching television! That’s over 3.5 million commercials filled with sticky sweet idolatry marked with slogans such as “A diamond is forever”, “Because you’re worth it” and “Have it your way.” All telling you how to be “fulfilled” and “in”. It is no wonder so many have bought into the lie.

Have you bought in to today’s “self-worth” mentality? A good way to tell is to examine the fruit in your life. Good fruit comes by love for God and love for others. Bad fruit is the product of concentrating on “self”. Be discerning about the fruit in your life. There is great potential for every person to bear awesome fruit. What are your priorities? Whom do they point to? Do they point to you, or do they point to Jesus?

Life Lesson: You cannot fake fruit.

When Lisa finally realized that she really didn’t have all of those perceived “defects”, she became socially active, performed better in school, related better to others and realized she had been deceived. A hard lesson learned.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

Attitudes, John, Joy

Are You a Tigger or an Eeyore?

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Tigger.Eeyore

Eeyore, from the old Winnie the Pooh children’s novels, is an old gray donkey who mopes about saying such bright and cheery things as, “We can’t all, and some of us don’t. That’s all there is to it,” and “When someone says ‘How-do-you-do’, just say you didn’t.” Tigger, on the other hand, is a spring-tailed ball of enthusiasm that is always bouncing about and throwing himself into life with gusto.

There are Christians that go about their lives as spiritual Eeyores.  Don’t do that!  These folks mope about with all the enthusiasm of a concrete block serving their risen King as if to seem spiritually burdened, but they really come across as spiritually lacking. Some may think I’m getting off on a tangent, thinking that if you are truly spiritual, you will be suffering… saying we are called to take on the attitude of Christ in suffering, right? Well, yes, that is correct, but let me ask you… what do you think is the attitude of Christ?

John related that Jesus told his disciples “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Friend, if you think your spiritual mope will make others want to come to embrace eternal life you are sadly mistaken. People want to be happy and seek joyful fulfillment in their lives. If they observe you, Christian, wrongly flogging yourself with pity, they will not want what you have. You might not have what Jesus wants for you. In His ministry He attracted crowds. There was something about Him that they wanted…the joy of living completely and totally for God.

Got joy?

Life Lesson: We should be passionate about our spiritual lives.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

Conflict, Forgiveness, Proverbs, Relationships

Why Forgive?

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iron-sharpens-iron

During a recent Servant Leadership conference, the speaker chose to end the conference with a teaching about forgiving others. Why would he do that? Because when we are serving alongside one another, we are likely to grate on each other. The book of Proverbs refers to it as a sharpening process: “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

As we serve together, times of friction occur and when that happens, we can sometimes pick up an offense. What you do with that offense is up to you, friend, but holding on to an offense is like putting yourself in a prison. And you are the only one who has the key to freedom.

Each one of us is a work in progress.

I am reminded of the story of an old sculptor. One day, someone pointed out a marble lion and asked the sculptor how he could sculpt such a beautiful thing from the slab he started with. The sculptor said, “That’s easy. I just chip away the bits that don’t look like a lion.” That is what God is doing with us while we serve alongside one another. Be thankful. You can be conformed to the image of Christ. In that process, the person that really grates on your nerves… well… God is using them to help you. Let us be quick to forgive. God can forgive each one of us of a debt we could never pay. Let us be quick to show that same grace and mercy to others. I know, it can be hard, but you know the key to forgiving others? Pray for them the way that you pray for yourself.

Life Lesson: Forgive

Without forgiving, you can never experience the fullness of life God has in store for you.

 

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

1 Peter, Blind, Travel, Unity

NON-Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Yad VashemRecently, I visited the Israeli Holocaust Museum “Yad Vashem.” I would encourage everyone to make the trip to Israel at least once, and if you do, be certain not to miss Yad Vashem. It will change you forever.

One thing that should be striking to any Christian is the role the Christian Church played in the Holocaust. Six million Jews were slaughtered including one and a half million children. Where was the church? They were mostly standing aside in silence.

Each day, we are faced with the decision to take an action or not; to speak out or say nothing; to help a need or disregard; to love or not to love. Sin is not only something done but also something not done.

In the Bible, James tells us “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

Take a moment to pray and reflect. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. What have you neglected to do? Now what do you need to do?

Life Lesson: Actions you do not take can be as bad as actions you do take. What you do not say may speak louder than what you do say.

May the church continually remind itself to do good in our communities and around the world!

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

1 Corinthians, Conflict, Relationships, Unity, Violence

Conflict – Now That’s One Bad Relationship!

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duelling_pistolsThe Vice President of the United States was so angered by the refusal of the Secretary of the Treasury to apologize for remarks made that he challenged him to a duel and shot him to death.

Conflict arises in politics, the workplace, marriage, family, and churches. We all have some kind of problem in the realm of our relationships. Maybe you went into a relationship thinking that you were 100% in agreement about everything. I’m sure that bubble was quickly burst. It’s rare to have absolute agreement between two people much less between hundreds or even thousands.

When you work through differences, you build a stronger relationship. Many times, when a marriage hits a rough patch, there is a freshening of the relationship. It’s like hitting the reset button on a game console – suddenly things are working again.

Disagreements can also be distractions, especially within the church. How do you keep a church from reaching others? You create division among the members. How many churches has Satan rendered ineffective because he was able to generate dissension? Christians are easy prey when the trap is baited with prideful prejudice over unimportant matters. Division hurts Jesus and the cause of Christ.

Life Lesson: When we come together, we create problems. When we work together to solve them, we become stronger people and stronger in the Lord.

It was sad that two of our nation’s founding fathers, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, could not settle their differences without bloodshed and death. Yet only the strength, mercy and grace of God keeps any of us alive.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

2 Timothy, Faith, Knowledge, Love, Trust

Keep the Faith, Baby

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Know Like Trust - Have Faith In God

They call it “The KLT Factor.”

When you Know, Like and Trust a person or a company, you’re likely to have faith in them and continue to build the relationship with them.

Faith can be a hard leap for many. Some have been jaded by misplaced trust and therefore have a hard time believing anyone, even God. While this may be a problem, the more challenging issue is misplaced faith. We all have faith in something. Our faith may be placed in ourselves, whether because of our wealth or authority, or it could be placed in someone or something completely different. Either way, faith that is not placed in Jesus Christ alone will only lead to ruin.

In Second Timothy, the Apostle Paul warns his young disciple of a time that would come where men would trust in their own self. Their misplaced faith would lead to a world filled with pride, anger, hatred and irreverence for the things of God. Paul concludes with the warning, “Stay away from them.” As Christians, we must be guided by our faith and trust in Christ. He is our Savior and King, and His Word alone is our guide into eternal life. When we trust in His Word, we will find a life that is filled with love, grace and forgiveness. This love has the power to change the world, but this love is only available to us when we trust in the One who is ultimate love, Jesus Christ.

Life Lesson: What we choose to put our faith in will ultimately guide our decision making, our perspective and the course of action for our lives.

Given enough time and situations, any one human has the potential to let you down. God is the only one that has earned and deserves your complete attention, love and trust.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

1 Corinthians, Control, Faith, Strength, Weakness

Strength In Weakness

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Talk about picking on someone with a weakness – as a baby, Mo was left in a river after an attempt to kill him was foiled. Later, as a handicapped adult, he had to flee the country, accused of murder after defending one of his compatriots.

Strength in WeaknessDid you know that God uses the plans of the enemy for our good? God uses bad things, plans of the enemy, for our good and for our blessings. You may ask, “How can this be?” After all, in the midst of pain, hardship and weakness, nothing seems right. That may be the case, but if we trust in God, we can experience exactly what Paul said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul is saying, “In me, I am weak, yet in the Lord, I am strong.” Not just strong but, we are God strong. We think the most blessed person has it made. No one has it made, friend. Sometimes the most blessed person is the one who has been smacked the most by the enemy, but came out better because he learned to lean on God. When we lean on God, we have unlimited power and authority to help us. In ourselves, we will never overcome anything. But in the power of Christ, we can overcome everything!

Life Lesson: When we think we can handle a situation, sometimes we are wrong. When we think the Lord can handle a situation or help us handle it, we are never wrong.

Moses ended up returning to the country he fled, had multiple audiences with the head of state, freed an entire nation of slaves, and is regarded as a major prophet.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

1 Corinthians, Conflict, Fellowship, Love, Unity

Just Religious Noise

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Religious Noise - An Autoimmune Disorder - Unity NeededIt could start with fatigue, fever, weakness, distraction, depression. You don’t really know what exactly the problem is, but you just know that something’s not working right inside. Chaos occurs when your body decides to attack itself in an autoimmune disorder. Your body parts aren’t acting in unity.

What if you could actually see it happening? Let’s say your arm was mad at your foot for not saying, “Hi” in the hallway, or your liver decided to quit simply because it was jealous of the mouth? While it may seem ridiculous to imagine, this sad scenario occurs every week in churches all over the world. The Church – the body of Christ, formed to demonstrate the love and forgiveness of Jesus, turns on itself out of selfishness and pride. It shouldn’t be this way. In one of the most beloved passages in the Bible, Paul writes…

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” (from First Corinthians, chapter 13)

The whole chapter is dedicated to promoting love as the ultimate spiritual fruit. Do you understand great mysteries? Great, but do you love? Are you able to speak with tongues of angels? Awesome, but do you love? You see, no matter what gift we are given, if we are not acting in love towards one another, we are nothing more than religious noise. Instead of useless noise, let’s sing out a sweet song of forgiveness and love. That is a tune sure to change the world.

 Life Lesson: No matter how gifted we are or what our giftings are, if we don’t have love, we are just religious noise.

Autoimmune disorders in our physical bodies are temporary. Real love for one another is forever.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.

2 Chronicles, Boldness, Faith, Fellowship, Trials

Courage is Contagious!

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Boston Strong - Courage is ContagiousJust over a year ago, terrorism struck at the 117th Boston Marathon. Before it was over, 4 innocent people were dead and over 250 others were wounded.

In life, we are all faced with difficulties and trials. Whether it is a struggle within us or a struggle with another person, we often can find ourselves beat up and deflated. This is why it is vital to surround ourselves with people who are courageous at heart. Find men and women who know the obstacles but are not stopped by them. These people may be challenged by life but their faith in God overpowers their fear.

All too often, we can find ourselves surrounded by those who seem more apt to throw a pity party than a pep rally. In these times, we need to seek out those who will be an encouragement and strength during our times of weakness. As we fellowship with Christians who are empowered by their faith and inspired by the Spirit of God, we will find ourselves catching fire with hope and courage. A steady diet of courageous fellowship leads to a life that is blessed and growing. This is the life Christ came to give us – an abundant life.

Life Lesson: Courage and faith are contagious.

This year, in his “Boston Strong Tribute” speech, Mayor Marty Walsh got it right when he tied family, faith, and fellowship together to overcoming struggles and tragedy.

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David McGee is the founder of Cross The Bridge Ministries as well as a pastor, teacher and author.  He may be contacted using the form here.