Do you ever find yourself a little bored with the Bible? Or skimming over a passage because you’ve heard or read it many times before? Is it possible that our familiarity with the Word or with certain passages can keep us from benefiting from our Bible reading? Today we’ll look at one very familiar passage of Scripture, talk about why God doesn’t want us to have a ho-hum attitude, and why every verse in the Bible is important.
Is God calling you to be a superhero? Today in the book of Judges, we will meet two women, both of whom might be called superheroes. What do their stories possibly have to do with us? How might God be calling us to be superheroes?
And in our New Testament reading, great multitudes were following Jesus. What an evangelistic opportunity! But instead of encouraging them, he wanted to know if they had counted the cost of following Him and whether they were prepared to love Him so much that their love for father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even love for themselves would seem like hate in comparison. So, is Christianity really that simple … just pray a prayer and ask Jesus into your heart?
When it comes to parenting, few of us are prepared for the hard work and confusion that accompanies the job. We get caught up in the excitement of the first sonogram, getting the nursery ready, and buying all those cute little bibs and blankets. It’s not until we’re sleep-deprived and walking the floor with a crying baby that we start to wonder, am I doing something wrong? But gradually, day by day, we muddle through, making the best parenting decisions we can.
And the challenges don’t go away after those first few months and years. So, it’s important to ask ourselves, what overall views and ideas inform and influence the way we parent? Could a different backstory make our parenting easier and more meaningful?
Normally, on Sundays people around the world fill their churches. Most would identify themselves as Christians. Perhaps because they grew up in a Christian home or because they have some general belief in God. But could there be a great danger in that assumption? Could many, even some who attend church every week, be Christians in name only?
When an observer in Jesus’ time asked, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” He warned that the gate is narrow. And when the people of Joshua’s day claimed that they would serve the Lord, he told them not to take that commitment lightly. Are there many today who have failed to heed those warnings? Are there many who base their relationship with God on something besides the true gospel?
That should be a heart-breaking thought for those of us who truly understand the gospel because it is the most incredible GOOD NEWS ever! Today’s post includes a link to a video that could shake your understanding of what the good news of the gospel really is!
Perhaps more today than ever before, our nation’s airways, print media, internet, classrooms, political arenas, and even living rooms are filled with diverse and opposing views. There is a clash of ideas ranging from religion to science to right and wrong itself.
These aren’t minor differences of opinion. They are, at their heart, worldview issues. Yet, Jesus didn’t pray for us to be taken out of the world or out of these discussions. In fact, understanding what God says about many of these ideas should make us first examine our own ideas and opinions and then be willing to share the truth with others. But how can we do that without getting as angry as many of those with whom we disagree?
Maybe you go to church or maybe you don’t. Maybe you call yourself a Christian or maybe you’re not even sure you want to. What you do know is that you live with a sense of guilt and confusion. You lack any lasting peace and wonder if it will ever change.
Guilt sometimes leaves us with the vague feeling that we are not good enough and that we deserve whatever happens. But sometimes it leaves us angry and confused about why others seem to have peace and seem so sure of their relationship with God while we live with constant doubt.
The problem with guilt is that it’s more than an emotion. It is a state of being. We are all guilty before a holy God. And there is only one remedy and one road to real peace.
What’s going on in your heart and mind? Is there peace and trust? Or worry and anxiety? Is there forgiveness and grace? Or anger and bitterness? What can we do when anxiety or other negative emotions threaten to have their way?
Even if you haven’t followed along lately, I hope you’ll take the time to read this post. Our thinking is so important and learning to think biblically makes all the difference in our emotional condition.
Our perception, the filter through which we “see” everything has a tremendous effect on our lives. I often tell people in counseling that we are affected much more by what we think about what happens to us than what actually happens to us. So how do you view the events of your life? What is your filter? Are you looking through the lens of Scripture or through the world’s lens? Are you seeing through the sovereignty of God or through a self-focused lens?
A few years ago, we found ourselves caught in a battle against an enemy that could only be seen under a microscope. Chances are there are still pockets of resistance in that battle. Some medical and others that are more political and social. And there are lessons we think we learned that we might be tempted to forget now that the heat of the battle is over.
But … is there a spiritual parallel?
Could we have pockets of resistance in our spiritual lives, too, areas where we have failed to let go of “old man” habits or justified something as good enough?
If so … like the Israelites, we’ll read about today, might those things be thorns in our sides and hindrances to our walks with God?
We all understand that the things of this world can distract us from our devotion to God. But seemingly good things, like our religious activities and our service to Him, can make us too busy and distracted, as well. Could there be something in your life and mine that has been distracting us from wholehearted devotion to God? Could this be a bigger problem than most of us have realized and something we need to evaluate?
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