Fireproof Day 7

THE FOUNDATION STONE
Summary - Week 1

Wow! What a week. This FIREPROOF thing is rocking the U.S.A. I praise God for this church, Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA for their faithfulness in using their resources in doing something so unselfish and global in nature. They are indeed, FIREPROOFING many lives through the testimony of this movie. But remember, it must start in the home, at the very heart of who we are called to be. Let me remind us of a couple of the powerful verses from week one that sets the bar very high for all of us.

And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21 (NLT)

This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. Ephesians 5:32 (NLT)

This is why it is so important for all of us to realize the basis for every relationship is built upon this fact: Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

I was speaking to a friend this morning that is experiencing some marital strife. Their biggest issue is this very thing; submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Yet this fundamental truth is the latchkey for every bit of happiness and satisfaction in life - submitting our life to one another and the key is: "Out of reverence for Christ." As I explained to my friend, without this submitting factor, there is absolutely not an area of life where a person will be satisfied. Why? Because unless I will submit to "one another" I'll never submit to Christ either - it's a flaw in our human nature that is the root of all sin, namely ME! Unless I will submit to others as well as Christ, then every decision I make will be about MY hurt, MY pain, My need to be understood, My failure to move on from a past hurt, MY need to be satisfied rather than give up myself for God and others.

This week, I challenge you to review the message from this morning at TVCC. If you missed it, Gene will have it online by Tuesday afternoon at www.tvcc.us. Why is so important? If you don't connect with the Source of love which powers every relationship, you'll never be able to give it away to others; husband, wife, friend, neighbor, family - no one. It will be impossible to give away what you've never seen or experienced and this love can only be found in Christ who broke the barriers as He demonstrated for us that it can be done. Remember 1 John 4:19 -

We love each other because he loved us first.

I'm looking forward to our week together!

Until tomorrow,

Pastor Steve