Do you ever feel like you just don’t have a lot of opportunities to talk about
God with your friends? Or you don’t know what to say? The Bible is full of amazing stories of people just like you and me that were faced
with similar situations. They had their fair share of pressure from the culture
(Romans or Sanhedrin) to fears of hunger, disease, even death. They had
money problems, relationship problems, and legal problems. While we read
about their stories, the truth is we all have a similar story. Because we all deal
with problems like fear, lust, greed, anger, etc.
Recently I was teaching a Bible study on 1 Peter and we discussed how God
had given them what they needed to be able to “be a light” even though they
were going through plenty of hardship and persecution. They needed to be
encouraged by God’s word to help them keep going. Although our troubles
probably aren’t life-threatening, we still need to seek God.
Every time we seek God during a problem in life, we end up building our faith in God to see us through that particular problem. With that added knowledge and experience, we now have a story that is very personal and
very applicable to how to live according to scriptures.
2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Our job is
to “rightly divide” or “explain correctly” what the Bible (the word of truth) is
revealing to us. In 1 Peter 1:12, Peter told the people scattered throughout Asia that the prophets of old were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by
those who were willing to share God’s power working in their lives.
We have to realize that God’s word is applicable, or else we’ll begin to view
it as some people view math as “something I’ll never use," and then we’ll
categorize it away as worthless or obsolete. We know it is truly God’s word, and it has the power to save. Just as Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power
of God at work, saving everyone who believes.” (NLT)
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Where Can You Run To?
Where do you go when you’re in a place you don’t want to be? When you really messed up and did something, or said something you
know you shouldn’t have? God established a place that offered safety for a person that sinned and then came to their senses. We can read
about the Cities of Refuge in the book of Numbers. Moses instructed the people in Numbers 35:10, “When you cross the Jordan into the land
of Canaan, designate cities of refuge to which people can run to for safety if they’ve have killed someone accidentally. These cities will
be places of protection [from those seeking revenge].”
But where do you go when your sin is against the owner of the City of Refuge, or God himself? Much like Adam and Eve, we often tend to hide from God. In Psalms 139:1-8, David wrote a psalm describing God’s nature to our sin versus our response to our sin: “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there….”
Perhaps our biggest enemy is when we find ourselves caught up in a spiritual place that we don’t want to be in, a sinful situation, is actually ourselves. We can be our biggest obstacle from receiving the unfathomable grace of God.
Peter reminded the “pilgrims of the Dispersion,” in 1 Peter 1:1 to put their hope in God’s amazing mercy and His incorruptible promises as our source of strength. And he later reminds them that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). This is another way God reveals His nature to us. Instead of revenge and justice, He prefers righteousness and mercy (2 Peter 3:9). This is what Nicodemus discovered about God’s nature in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
As we consider the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), try to consider what God wants us to do when we’ve been burdened by sin, when we’ve wandered far away from home, when we’ve turned our back on Him -- He wants us to run to His home, to His presence. The prodigal son found great peace in coming to the realization that in his father’s presence is where he needed to be.
But where do you go when your sin is against the owner of the City of Refuge, or God himself? Much like Adam and Eve, we often tend to hide from God. In Psalms 139:1-8, David wrote a psalm describing God’s nature to our sin versus our response to our sin: “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there….”
Perhaps our biggest enemy is when we find ourselves caught up in a spiritual place that we don’t want to be in, a sinful situation, is actually ourselves. We can be our biggest obstacle from receiving the unfathomable grace of God.
Peter reminded the “pilgrims of the Dispersion,” in 1 Peter 1:1 to put their hope in God’s amazing mercy and His incorruptible promises as our source of strength. And he later reminds them that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). This is another way God reveals His nature to us. Instead of revenge and justice, He prefers righteousness and mercy (2 Peter 3:9). This is what Nicodemus discovered about God’s nature in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
As we consider the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), try to consider what God wants us to do when we’ve been burdened by sin, when we’ve wandered far away from home, when we’ve turned our back on Him -- He wants us to run to His home, to His presence. The prodigal son found great peace in coming to the realization that in his father’s presence is where he needed to be.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Marriage--The Evangelistic Tool
I recently read an article where a Christian woman was desperately encouraging Christian men to stop engaging in sexual sins, regardless of how difficult it may be to break away from, because it’s hurting the church and the message of salvation. Very true!
At the root, sexual sin is about acceptance, which is a very important reason these kinds of sins are so appealing. There are many people living in marriages where either spouse doesn’t really accept them; could this be the real issue?
In our ultra-materialistic world consumed with selfish ambition, its easy for anyone (male or female) to neglect those around them to pursue a narcissistic view of family, success, or fulfillment. And it's in that context where people aren’t willing to accept the faults, failures, or just differences of those associated with the image they hope to portray, even the closest person in their life – their spouse.
Probably seen best in 1 John 2:15-16, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.”
Believe it or not, a person’s marriage speaks volumes about their faith. How well does he recognize the needs of his wife? How well does she recognize the needs of her husband? Even if those needs don’t even register on their own radar. Paul stated a key to our influence, and it’s best seen in the marriage relationship. Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
Our presentation of marriage to the public may be most recognizable by the use of our body language, which often shows other people whether or not there’s genuine respect for each other, an appreciation for each other, or if they’re accepted or not.
The world is hungry for acceptance, and God designed a unit that is the closest representation of our relationship with Him built within the concept of marriage. Christ is the groom, the church is His bride (Ephesians 5:22-30, Revelations 19:7-8, Matthew 25:1-13, Hosea); therefore, we should love Him with everything we have. When we do that (which happens to be part of the greatest command – Matthew 22:37-39), then our spouse will have the appropriate foundation for love and acceptance. Women, as much as men, fall into the trap of being lured away into worldly desires “that plunge them into ruin and destruction... [And those who long for them] have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
A Godly display of marriage is vital to a healthy image of the church. Therefore, we must see to it that we treat our spouse in a godly way, which will help the non-believer see how wonderful Christian relationship are.
At the root, sexual sin is about acceptance, which is a very important reason these kinds of sins are so appealing. There are many people living in marriages where either spouse doesn’t really accept them; could this be the real issue?
In our ultra-materialistic world consumed with selfish ambition, its easy for anyone (male or female) to neglect those around them to pursue a narcissistic view of family, success, or fulfillment. And it's in that context where people aren’t willing to accept the faults, failures, or just differences of those associated with the image they hope to portray, even the closest person in their life – their spouse.
Probably seen best in 1 John 2:15-16, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.”
Believe it or not, a person’s marriage speaks volumes about their faith. How well does he recognize the needs of his wife? How well does she recognize the needs of her husband? Even if those needs don’t even register on their own radar. Paul stated a key to our influence, and it’s best seen in the marriage relationship. Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
Our presentation of marriage to the public may be most recognizable by the use of our body language, which often shows other people whether or not there’s genuine respect for each other, an appreciation for each other, or if they’re accepted or not.
The world is hungry for acceptance, and God designed a unit that is the closest representation of our relationship with Him built within the concept of marriage. Christ is the groom, the church is His bride (Ephesians 5:22-30, Revelations 19:7-8, Matthew 25:1-13, Hosea); therefore, we should love Him with everything we have. When we do that (which happens to be part of the greatest command – Matthew 22:37-39), then our spouse will have the appropriate foundation for love and acceptance. Women, as much as men, fall into the trap of being lured away into worldly desires “that plunge them into ruin and destruction... [And those who long for them] have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
A Godly display of marriage is vital to a healthy image of the church. Therefore, we must see to it that we treat our spouse in a godly way, which will help the non-believer see how wonderful Christian relationship are.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
God's Power Over Our Fears!
During the Great Depression, twenty-five percent of workers couldn’t find a job. Drought had ruined crops and farms. When people couldn’t afford to maintain their homes and livelihoods, they became homeless. During this time, fears became reality. In Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural address, he said something that would become a famous reminder to all those facing fears: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
Fear can be paralyzing, and our fears aren’t easily shaken from our mind. Whatever the source of fear, when we let it overpower us, it becomes a prison without walls. But this is where God comes in to change the way we face our fears.
Many times our failures keep us from trusting in God’s successes. He has told us multiple times not to fear, to trust Him, and not to worry. Ultimately, God has shown us that our fears can actually be the place where we see God deliver on His promises most vividly.
God told Paul in response to his request to have the thorn in his flesh removed, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul realized God had been there beside him throughout all the many trials he’d experienced (2 Corinthians 11:22-33). That helped Paul understand “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Nearly every story we read about in the Scriptures was in many ways a fearful event filled with uncertainties, dangers, death, rejection, etc. And yet it’s God’s presence in those tough times that become our biggest opportunity to share the good news with others going through trials.
Hebrews 2:14-15, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
We never want bad things to happen, but we know God has made eternal promises to help us get through them, and that’s news worth sharing!
Fear can be paralyzing, and our fears aren’t easily shaken from our mind. Whatever the source of fear, when we let it overpower us, it becomes a prison without walls. But this is where God comes in to change the way we face our fears.
Many times our failures keep us from trusting in God’s successes. He has told us multiple times not to fear, to trust Him, and not to worry. Ultimately, God has shown us that our fears can actually be the place where we see God deliver on His promises most vividly.
God told Paul in response to his request to have the thorn in his flesh removed, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul realized God had been there beside him throughout all the many trials he’d experienced (2 Corinthians 11:22-33). That helped Paul understand “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Nearly every story we read about in the Scriptures was in many ways a fearful event filled with uncertainties, dangers, death, rejection, etc. And yet it’s God’s presence in those tough times that become our biggest opportunity to share the good news with others going through trials.
Hebrews 2:14-15, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
We never want bad things to happen, but we know God has made eternal promises to help us get through them, and that’s news worth sharing!