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A Cleverly Disguised Christian

Identity Transformation Priorities

Source: "Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty credits his faith for ‘ultimate transformation’: ‘My identity is in Christ’" by Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 10/10/24

Link to Source: Click here to view source

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2024-10-18

Scripture: Galatians 2:20 ; Romans 12:2

Author: Illustration Exchange
4

ILLUSTRATION

Fox News reports:

One of the top running backs in the nation and a Heisman Trophy favorite, [Ashton] Jeanty recently sat down with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to discuss the "ultimate transformation" he underwent and how he credits his faith for that change. ... "I like to say that I’m a Christian cleverly disguised as an All-American running back," Jeanty. 

"I’ve learned that God has blessed me with amazing talents. I’ve just been able to do a lot of great things with it, but at the same time, not losing yourself in it and understanding that my identity is in Christ." ... "Once I decided to give my life to Him and change my ways, it’s been an ultimate transformation," Jeanty said.

 

"You don’t have to be perfect to come to God, but all you have to do is trust in Him and have faith in Him, and He will change your life. I feel that everything that I’m doing now is because of that. Obviously, I’ve been able to do some great things on the field, but beyond that, He’s changed my life. He’s changed my views, my personality. I felt that I wasn’t really a man before. I was just a boy. But now I feel as I’m a man and a man of God."

APPLICATION

Are you a football player (or egineer, or doctor, or homemaker, or janitor) who happens to be a Christian? Or are you a Christian cleverly disguised as (insert profession here)? 

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, ESV).

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2, NLT).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

 

Trusting God with Time

God's Timing God's Sovereignty Submission

Source: "Everything to Know About Marvel’s Infinity Stones Before You See Avengers: Endgame" By Eliana Dockterman, published Time.com, 3/10/19

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Contributed By: Marcelle Smith | Date Posted: 2024-10-17

Scripture: Matthew 6:34 ; Psalms 90:12

Author: Marcelle Smith
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ILLUSTRATION

We all want to be Dr. Strange. 

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are six infinity stones. They are a group of cosmic gems that grant their owner great power. One of these six stones is the Time Stone.

The time stone grants its owner the power to rewind and fast-forward time. Dr. Strange discovered the stone in his origin movie, using it to trap the villain Dormammu in a time loop so that Dormammmu couldn't destroy earth. Then, he wears the stone throughout Infinity War.

But Thanos, a powerful, purple humonoid with superhuman strength and power,  "used the Infinity Stones to 'snap' his fingers, which resulted in the instantaneous destruction of half of all life in the universe, effectively wiping out half of all living beings across the cosmos."

As the good guys are fighting the villain Thanos and his army, Dr. Strange tells Iron Man that if he has to choose between giving up the stone and saving the lives of the Avengers, he’ll prioritize the stone. Yet, later in Infinity War, he uses the power of the Time Stone to look into the many possible futures that could play out. He gleans from this knowledge that he will have to give up the stone to Thanos in order for the Avengers to eventually defeat him.

APPLICATION

Like Dr. Strange, who wouldn't want to control time? In a way, by controlling time, you could effectively control everything else, because you could leap from from past to present, righting wrongs or forseeing future disasters and averting them.

Yet it is only as we give up trying to control everything, as Dr. Strange gave up the power of the Time Stone to save the universe, that we’ll find a release of freedom to simply trust God and enjoy life here in the present. 

As Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (NIV).

And as the Lord Himself said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34, NIV).

 

 

God's Time Zone

God's Timing Unity Time Management

Source: History.com

Link to Source: Click here to view source

Contributed By: Marcelle Smith | Date Posted: 2024-10-16

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 ; Ephesians 5:16

Author: Marcelle Smith
2

ILLUSTRATION

For ages, people used the sun to determine what time it was where they were. Every community set its clocks to noon based on when the sun reached its highest position in the sky; as a result, when it was noon in Washington, D.C., the local time in New York City was already minutes ahead. Before the days of long-distance travel, differences in local times weren’t a big deal. That changed with the rise of railroads in the 1800s. Although it was now possible to travel significant distances faster than ever before, a multitude of local times, particularly in large countries such as the United States, made things confusing when it came to train schedules. 

On November 18, 1883, America’s railroads began using a standard time system involving four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Within each zone, all clocks were synchronized. The railroad industry’s plan was adopted by much of the country, although the time-zone system didn’t become official across the United States until the passage of the 1918 Standard Time Act, which also established daylight saving time. By the mid-20th century, most of the world had adopted a system of international time zones, in which the planet is divided into 24 zones spaced at intervals of approximately 15 degrees of longitude. In 1884, delegates from more than two dozen nations met at the International Meridian Conference, held in Washington, D.C., where they chose the line of longitude running through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, as the official prime meridian, or zero point of longitude.

Today, Russia, the world’s largest nation in terms of land mass, has 11 time zones.

But China, the fourth-largest by area, has just 1 time zone! Before 1949, China had five time zones. After the rise of communism, the government required the entire country to operate on China Standard Time for the sake of national unity. 

 

APPLICATION

The Ancient Greek word kairos (καιρός) means "the right time" or "opportune moment" (as opposed to chronos (Χρόνος) which means actual "time" and refers to a quantitative or exact measurement of time). It's used to describe a special moment when it's the best "time" to say or do something.

Many years before the Greek NT was composed, the writer of Ecclesiastes tried to help humanity with achieving a unity of timeliness which the Chinese government will never achieve through a mandated, nationwide time zone. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 offers us the opportunity, as God’s children, to have a unified perspective of kairos (καιρός) — time.

3:1  There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart;  yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

 

ALTERNATE APPLICATION: In the end, it isn't so much about how you render time, but how you use it.

"Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16, ESV).

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time" (Colassians 4:5, ESV).

 

The Longest Road to Walk

Endurance Purpose Holy Spirit (Walking In)

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2024-10-16

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1 ; Psalms 16:11

Author: Illustration Exchange
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Enter the Poison Garden

Sin Worldliness Spiritual Death

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2024-10-14

Scripture: Genesis 2:17 ; Romans 5:12

Author: Illustration Exchange
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The Story of the Drowning Man

Submission Self-righteousness Stubbornness

Contributed By: Herry Herry | Date Posted: 2024-10-14

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:10

Author: Watchman Nee
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The Jesus Nut

Jesus Christ Reliable Failure

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2024-09-25

Scripture: John 14:5 ; Acts 17:28

Author: Illustration Exchange
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You Are Hereby Sentenced to Marriage Prison

Marriage Reconciliation Divorce

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2024-09-23

Scripture: 2:24 ; Matthew 19:5

Author: Illustration Exchange
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Don't Eat the Cessna

Desires Sin Self-deceived

Contributed By: Herry Herry | Date Posted: 2024-09-18

Scripture: James 1:14 ; Ephesians 2:3

Author: Tama Sinulingga
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It's An Uphill Battle

Purpose Worldliness Vanity

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2024-09-03

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17 ; Proverbs 19:21

Author: Illustration Exchange
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