In the first century, a small army of believers turned the known world upside down in a matter of a few years without TV, radio, or mass media. They simply believed in the power of the gospel to change lives and the Holy Spirit working through them. And they did it in the face of intense opposition.
Today our world is being turned upside down but not by the gospel. How should we respond? What can we do? What is the ultimate answer? These are questions that haunt many of us.
In today’s post, you’ll also read about:
One of the greatest evils in our nation and our accountability before God.
And finally, we’ll look at one of the greatest prayers ever recorded. It was prayed by a man who fell short like us, but who understood where to turn for help.
How can we fight back against false accusations, suffering, and mistreatment? And what about the ordinary, everyday hurts that come to us all? How should we respond to them? Is there a way to fight back that is honoring to God?
What makes you a Christian? Is it going to church, giving up certain habits, or keeping the ten commandments? Is it based on taking certain sacraments, belonging to the right church, living a godly life, or doing good deeds? Does God have something of a divine scale where He’s weighing our good deeds versus our bad ones? Or is salvation and the Christian life based on something else?
Also:
What does God have to say about our off-handed promises to our children and others about doing this or that only to change our minds when we don’t feel like it?
God gifts us all differently and those differences not only enable us to do a variety of things, but they will also cause us to see things from different perspectives. Even in ministry, we may disagree. And as with Paul and Barnabas, those disagreements can cause us to go in different directions. But when understood rightly, just as in Paul’s illustration of the body in 1 Corinthians 12, people with different visions can not only work together but complement each other.
All believers receive at least one spiritual gift at the time of their salvation and more often several in varying amounts. Do you know your spiritual gifts and are you using them for God’s glory?
And from our Old Testament reading:
Are there times when you feel completely overwhelmed by the circumstances in your life? Read about a man who was completely outnumbered in battle and how he turned to the Lord in prayer.
Have you ever wondered if God has a formula for parenting? Some of us may have thought so and done our best to raise our children “in the discipline and admonition of the Lord,” only to have them wander from the faith or fail to make a genuine commitment to the Lord. This often leaves us confused, discouraged, and wondering if there is something we missed. There’s an important principle to remember in today’s reading from Psalms that may help.
And from our New Testament reading, we’ll see that “Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone”—This truth is central to our faith and must be strongly guarded and taught.
Good advice and biblical truth aren’t always comfortable or pleasing to our sinful, selfish nature, but it’s the truth that will deliver us from the consequences of foolishness and sin. Bad advice, on the other hand, often tickles our ears and gives us the “go ahead” to do what we really want to do. So, how can we be sure we’re getting good advice?
And from our Old Testament reading:
During Solomon’s reign, prosperity was so great that silver was worth little more than stones. Yet, Solomon learned the hard way, that prosperity without the right focus on God is empty.
We see evidence of that all over the news these days. If wealth. beauty, fame, and success could bring peace and joy, Hollywood should be the happiest place on earth. And yet, its elites often go from one partner to another, from one “high” to another, with few finding true peace and satisfaction.
But it isn’t just Solomon and Hollywood’s elite who need to learn that truth!
And, finally, did each of us come into the kingdom for such a time as this?
The last days will produce many false teachers and shepherds who will teach outright lies, twist the truth, or leave out those things that are unpopular or politically incorrect. They will lead many astray with their unbiblical teaching. What can we do so we will recognize them and not fall victim to their deceit?
As women, many of us have grown up believing we are able to know what is going on in other people’s hearts, why they act as they do, and what they are really thinking. We sometimes call it women’s intuition. How does the Bible help us understand whether or not to trust those impressions?
By what are your children known? Do you see tendencies that, if not dealt with biblically, will produce attitudes and actions that are not pleasing to God? What will those attitudes look like if carried into adulthood? Could our lack of wise parenting hinder them as spouses or in other relationships? Today’s reading in Proverbs speaks to this issue. But good parenting, also, includes teaching our children to understand history, economics, and civic responsibility. This is not only important to our nation wherever we live but it is our responsibility before God.
And speaking of our nation, how do you view what is going on in our country? Do you believe God is chastising or pruning our nation? Could He be turning up the heat because of our rejection of Him and His truth? Are you praying about what you see happening or merely complaining?
What does it mean that God gives us the desires of our hearts? Is prayer like having a blank check with God? Should we expect God to give us anything we want when we ask in prayer? How should we interpret passages like the ones we’ll read today? Are there some simple principles we should know and understand that can help us?
