Becoming a Better You

From Steve Camp's blog...

Becoming a "better ewe" is not about realizing your potentiality, fulfilling your dreams, developing a postitive attitude, or trying to live stress-free while facing life's issues. It is not even about financial prosperity, sculpting a better body, or connecting with your inner "ewe." For the genuine Christian it is really about one thing: becoming more like the Lord Jesus Christ everyday (Roms. 8:28-31).

Here are seven keys that brother Joel Osteen unwittingly left out of his most recent book, "Become A Better You". I humbly submit they should have been included and are foundational for living the Christian life.

Seven Truths to Living Faithfully (for the 'flock of God'):
1. Apply the gospel to yourself daily by denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Him; counting the loss of things rubbish in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord (Matt. 16:24-26; Phil. 3:7-11).
2. Have a continual life of confession of and repentance from sin (Psalm 66:18; Psalm 32:1-5; Psalm 51; 1 John 2:28-3:9).
3. Read and study your Bible every day (Psalm 119; John 17:17; Jude 3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-11; Eph. 4:11-16).
4. Developing an effective, fervent daily prayer life in the Holy Spirit (Eph. 6:18-21; James 5:16f; Luke 18:1; Col. 1:9-14).
5. Proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and make disciples of all the nations (1 Peter 3:15f; Roms. 1:16f; 1 Cor. 9:1-18; Matt. 28:19f; Luke 24:44-49).
6. Live sacrifically by serving others as a committed member under the accountability of the local church (Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:1-4; 1 Tim. 6:1-6; John 13; Phil. 4:10ff; Acts 2:40ff).
7. Do all things to the glory of God - living "out loud" the two great commandments (1 Cor. 10:31; Matt. 5-7; Luke 10:27).

"If you do not seek God because you believe Him to be supremely valuable,then you are a hypocrite. To seek God for any reason otherthan His own glory as Creator, Lord and Savior is to be a hypocrite.It is the reason that the health and wealth gospelis not simply a deficient view of the gospel,but actually "another gospel" and will lead people to hell." -Pastor John Swanson, River Hills Community Church

Consider This:I believe what Joel Osteen is offering people is not a Christless Christianity, but a crossless Christianity. His message is not about a biblical view of salvation, but rather a faulty, skewed view of sanctification. In its most simplistic form, once you come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you can have full and complete victory in your outward physical life evidenced by things that are based upon the temporal rather than the eternal (cp, Eph. 5:22-26; Heb. 12:5-12; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Roms. 8:28-31) .