Digging Deeper 5-11-14

"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue
the stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

"#$%&'
"Cain anu Abel"

1 }ohn S:12
!" $%&'() *&+ ," (-." /0-*1 2%& 20$ &3 +%" "4-( &*" 0*) 5'6)"6") %-$
,6&+%"67 8*) 2%9 )-) %" 5'6)"6 %-5: ;"<0'$" %-$ &2* )"")$ 2"6" "4-( 0*)
%-$ ,6&+%"6=$ 6->%+"&'$7

TB00uBT: Noiality flows fiom the chaiactei of uou.

Bave you evei wonueieu if you aie uoing the iight things in life.
Sometimes it is cleai what things aie iight anu wiong anu othei times it
can be moie uifficult to uiscovei. In this passage, Cain's ueeus aie
iuentifieu as "evil" anu Abel's ueeus aie iuentifieu as "iighteous". When
we look back in uenesis, we see that both Cain anu Abel biought
offeiings but the Loiu accepteu Abel's anu not Cain's. Why uiu uou not
accept Cain's offeiing. Whatevei the cause of uou's iejection of Cain's
offeiing, the naiiative itself focuses oui attention on Cain's iesponse.
Cain's iesponse shows that he was not a man who wanteu to please uou.

Fiist, Cain woikeu foi the wiong ieasons. uou saiu that if he uiu well, he
woulu be accepteu. Cain uiu what he thought was iight but not what uou
thought was iight. Noiality always flows fiom the chaiactei of uou.
Seconu, Cain iesponueu with the wiong actions. Insteau of tiying to
make iight what he hau uone wiong, he became angiy anu muiueieu his
biothei. Last, Cain questioneu the iesults of his action. Be let his angei
anu jealousy of his biothei biing uisastei. Insteau of woiking to bettei
himself, he acteu out against someone close to him. his own biothei.

()#*+)(: Noiality flows fiom the chaiactei of uou.

DIGGING
DEEPER

Weekly Bevotional
WEEK 0F NAY 12 - NAY 16, 2u14

(*,-%&'
"It Is 0K To Be Biffeient"

1 }ohn S:1S
?& *&+ ," $'6@6-$")1 ,6&+%"6$1 +%0+ +%" 2&6() %0+"$ 9&'7

We aie all giowing. uiowth anu change is a pait of life. Even as you ieau
this, you will giow a few minutes oluei. If you aie a teenagei anu you aie
waiting to be olu enough to uiive, this is goou news. But as we giow
oluei, we stop giowing up anu insteau we giow olu.

Aie you giowing in the iight uiiection. 2 Petei S:18 tells us to "giow in
the giace anu knowleuge of oui Loiu anu Savioi }esus Chiist." uiowing
in Chiist make you uiffeient fiom the woilu. It makes you uiffeient fiom
youi past anu uiffeient in the futuie. Eveiything about who you thought
you woulu be is up foi giabs when you giow in Chiist.

Bon't be suipiiseu when you meet some iesistance. Bon't be suipiiseu
when you aie alienateu, isolateu, anu misunueistoou. Bon't be suipiiseu
when you feel piessuie anu pain. Bon't get uistiacteu... stay on taiget...
STAY STEABY!

When you aie hateu by the woilu, iemembei that you have no ieal
contiol of anything othei than youi obeuience to uou. Be minuful not to
take matteis into youi own hanus by following youi plan insteau of
uou's plan. If you want to make uou laugh, tell Bim youi plans.

.)&//,$+,: Be uiffeient. follow uou's plan.

0,%$,-%&'
"Chaiactei vs. Compliance"

1 }ohn S:14-1S
!" .*&2 +%0+ 2" %04" @0$$") &'+ &3 )"0+% -*+& (-3"1 ,"<0'$" 2" (&4" +%"
,6&+%"6$7 !%&"4"6 )&"$ *&+ (&4" 0,-)"$ -* )"0+%7 A4"69&*" 2%& %0+"$ %-$
,6&+%"6 -$ 0 5'6)"6"61 0*) 9&' .*&2 +%0+ *& 5'6)"6"6 %0$ "+"6*0( (-3"
0,-)-*> -* %-57

When we believe in }esus Chiist foi eteinal life, we aie fieeu fiom the
penalty of sin anu move fiom ueath to eteinal life. }ohn uoes *&+ say that
someone who hates his biothei uoes not @&$$"$$ eteinal life, but iathei
that he is not 0,-)-*> in eteinal life. This is a veiy impoitant point anu
cannot be oveilookeu without aiiiving at a wiong inteipietation of this
passage.

It woulu be wiong to believe that we as Chiistians aie not capable of
hatieu oi even muiuei. Fuithei, it is cleai in sciiptuie that hatieu of
anothei believei is the spiiitual equivalent of muiuei (Natt. S:21-22),
anu a lustful eye is the spiiitual equivalent of auulteiy (Natt. S:28).

uou is conceineu about oui 123431564 anu not just oui 1789:;3<16.
When we simply hate in oui spiiit, even though we may not physically
act, uou sees oui tiue chaiactei. 0ui 355;5=>6 is equal to oui 315;7<?
fiom uou's peispective. Bate is the seeu that leaus to muiuei, as seen in
the example of the hatieu of Cain foi Abel that iesulteu in muiuei.

@*,-(A#$: Is theie a seeu of hatieu in youi life.

()*B-%&'
"The 0ltimate 0bject Lesson"

1 }ohn S:16
;9 +%-$ 2" .*&2 (&4"1 +%0+ %" (0-) )&2* %-$ (-3" 3&6 '$1 0*) 2" &'>%+ +& (09
)&2* &'6 (-4"$ 3&6 +%" ,6&+%"6$7

}esus gave us the ultimate object lesson on love when Be laiu uown Bis
life foi us. Chiist, in contiast with Cain, gave his life foi us anu calls us to
give oui lives foi otheis. Cain took a life anu Chiist gave his life. Chiist's
actions weie motivateu by love anu Cain's weie motivateu by evil.

0ne of the pioblems we encountei when we tiy to unueistanu anu show
love is that theie aie many uiffeient types of love. Theie aie foui
uiffeient uieek woius that weie useu to uefine "love." The uieek woiu
}ohn uses again heie is "agape". 0ne of the ieasons things may seem "out
of focus" in the lives of many Chiistians is that we uo not have a cleai
unueistanuing of agape love.

}ohn explaineu to his ieaueis exactly what love is uespite the fact that
they may have alieauy felt that they unueistoou love. Love (agape) is
being ieauy to uo anything foi othei people. Even laying uown youi life.

@*,-(A#$: Aie you ieauy to uo anything foi othei people.

CBA%&'
"Talk Is Cheap"

1 }ohn S:17-18
;'+ -3 0*9&*" %0$ +%" 2&6()=$ >&&)$ 0*) $""$ %-$ ,6&+%"6 -* *"")1 9"+ <(&$"$
%-$ %"06+ 0>0-*$+ %-51 %&2 )&"$ B&)=$ (&4" 0,-)" -* %-5: C-++(" <%-()6"*1 ("+
'$ *&+ (&4" -* 2&6) &6 +0(. ,'+ -* )"") 0*) -* +6'+%7

Nost of us will nevei be put in a situation wheie we woulu be calleu on
to give oui lives foi anothei peison. Bowevei, we can be ceitain that we
will have people aiounu us with neeus in theii life. Bow willing aie you
to help meet the neeus of the people aiounu you. Remembei, the
eviuence of genuine love is in >7;<D iathei than in >;3:7D=6.

Naik Twain saiu, "Actions speak louuei than woius but not neaily as
often." Talk is cheap. We aie to love people the same way that uou loves
us. with action.

Bonalu W. Buiuick gives thiee chaiacteiistics of gouly D0>0@"E love:

F7 G+ -$ $@&*+0*"&'$. Theie was nothing of value in the peisons loveu that
calleu foith such saciificial love. uou of Bis own fiee will set Bis love on
us in spite of oui enmity anu sin. D8>0@"E is love that is initiateu by the
lovei because he wills to love, not because of the value oi lovableness of
the peison loveu.

H7 G+ -$ $"(3I>-4-*>7 J8>0@"K is not inteiesteu in what it can gain, but in
what it can give. It is not bent on satisfying the lovei, but on helping the
one loveu whatevei the cost.

L7 G+ -$ 0<+-4"7 J8>0@"K is not meie sentiment cheiisheu in the heait. Noi
is it meie woius howevei eloquent. It uoes involve feeling anu may
expiess itself in woius, but it is piimaiily an attituue towaiu anothei
that moves the will to act in helping to meet the neeu of the one loveu.

.)&//,$+,: Say "let me uo that foi you" to five people touay.

Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices.
If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication,
contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig

Digging Deeper 5-11-14

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"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue

the stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

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