Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

Matthew 18:21, Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Peter wanted to know how much forgiveness was enough. Perhaps he was fed up with a situation concerning someone or just wanted peace of mind.

Have you even felt conflicted or burdened concerning something others have done against you? Peter suggested that forgiving someone seven times was enough. Jesus multiplied the number 7 times 70, to equal 490 instances of forgiveness!

Basically Jesus said that forgiveness must be unlimited. Forgiveness does not excuse the transgressions of others. God holds everyone responsible for their own deeds.

Deep forgiveness clears your own heart and mind so that you can move towards God's best in your life.

In every area of purposeful endeavor, there is something called “Best Practices.”

Best Practices is: “A set of guidelines, ethics or ideas that represent the most efficient or prudent course of action. Best practices are often set forth by an authority, such as a governing body or management, depending on the circumstances. While best practices generally dictate the recommended course of action, some situations require that such practices be followed.” (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/best_practices.asp)

Best practices elevate people and organizations to high levels of trust and respect in the larger community. When a lawyer, police officer or other trusted person takes selfish action, or seeks personal advantage, especially after pledging to follow accepted code or best practices, it is a violation of ethics…or worse. Within a community or profession, responsible people take action with others in mind. Disrespect, dishonor and personal gain are motivations for rejecting best practices. Examples include exaggerating one's accomplishments, refusing to meet obligations, misrepresenting one's status, or using information gained from others for personal advantage.

In the kingdom and community of God, we discover best practices through the Word of God, through training, and from the example of elders and mentors.

Some Kingdom best practices:

Following: Proverbs 16:20, Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Praying: Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Caring: 1 Corinthians 12:24 But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
Serving: Galatians 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
Giving: Prov. 3:9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase
Honoring: Romans 12:9, Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord
Preaching: Luke 9:6, So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Humility: Philippians 2:2 Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Matthew 10:38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

The tallest buildings have the deepest foundations. When construction begins, there is a lot of time that passes before that building begins to change the skyline. This is because of all the work being done below the surface to lay foundation.

Digging and pulling out centuries of dirt and rock are necessary. There is a kind of destruction going on before construction can begin.

Before that building can live, something has to die. Your "cross" is all the lesser things that must die in your life. These must be dug out to make room for the best things that God wants to reveal, which are already inside you from the new birth.

What makes us worthy to follow Jesus are His things, His plans and His life. These "best things" are simply better than anything we have on our own!

Over the course of your life, you will have many opportunities to lose in order to gain. You will have to make the choice to dig out something old in order to gain something new. It's about experiencing resurrection life even while living. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10)

When you make the choice to lose something that is not needed, Jesus steps in with a whole new level of life.

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Get MP3 download of the message from January 12:

“The Best Things.The Best Plan.” Vision for 2014

Visit www.NewCovenant.org

With bold effort comes exposure to failure and criticism. To be sure, playing it safe, conforming to culture, riding the coattails of others, doing "normal" things, and avoiding risk is the road well traveled.

Theodore Roosevelt's words provide encouragement to anyone who takes risks and dares to live outside of comfort zones.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”