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More Than a Negative...
Written by: Terry Dashner
More than a Negative
Terry Dashner…………….Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013
Author and speaker Robert Hastings writes, “In his commentary on Matthew, William Barclay says, ‘A man’s life must not only be sterilized from evil; it must be fructified to good.’
“Virtue is not a vacuum. Man is good not merely by refraining from evil, but by embracing what is good.
“Who is a wealthy man? One with no debt? Hardly. He could be debt free, yet penniless. Wealth is accumulated capital.
“Who is a healthy person? One with no illness, no contagious disease, no infections? Not necessarily. Healthiness includes an abundance of physical and mental strength, not just the absence of disease.
“Who is an educated person? One who has an open mind, with no prejudices, no superstitions? Not necessarily so. His mind could be empty as well as open.
“Who is popular? A person with no enemies? Not necessarily. You could have no enemies, and still have no friends.
“Likewise, a good man is not necessarily a man without sin. Virtue is something you do. As one lady testified, ‘The Lord saved me from a rocking chair.’”
Does your belief system have you in a “rocking chair?” Are you sitting in your comfort zone, watching others touch lives for the Lord Jesus Christ? May I ask you this: Doesn’t the Bible tell us, in so many words, that it is better to wear out than to rust out? I believe it is the book of James in the New Testament that says, “Faith without works is dead, being alone.”
Faith Fellowship Church has just completed a week of community missions that has had every member reaching beyond themselves to touch the heart of our law enforcement communities. We believe the finances invested, the foods prepared, the sweat and labors expended, the continual prayers offered up, the building and tearing down of equipment, the sleep lost, the planning, the mistakes, and the love displayed by all of this motion was worth it. Why? Because Jesus did much more than this when He lived among men, suffered at the hands of the same men, was tortured and crucified on a cross by men, and did all of this willingly because He loved mankind.
Jesus was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit. He is very much alive today and making intercession for you and me. Because of that, I want to tell the world, “Don’t just try and live life. Receive Jesus. He will lift you above the negative, the emptiness and fill you with abundant life. With the love of Jesus and the power of His Spirit living in you, it’s very unlikely that you will remain in a “rocking chair,” watching other brothers and sisters minister in the faith. I believe you will catch ablaze in God’s consuming Fire. It’s a good thing to “burn out.” I dare you to try.
Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming soon. So until He does, be busy about the Father’s business.
Pastor T.
About the Author
Pastors a small church in Broken Arrow, OK. U.S. Navy veteran, retired police officer, and father of three grown children.
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