Sin makes a mess of our lives. And many times we are miserable about the consequences of our sinful choices: a broken relationship, financial cost, punishment for bad behavior, loss of respect. But sorrow over consequences isn’t necessarily godly sorrow.
Worldly sorrow may involve emotional distress, fear, anger, and even self-abasement. But its goal is the removal of consequences. Just as it did with Saul in today’s reading, it can, actually, lead to disqualification instead of restoration.
Godly sorrow, on the other hand, involves something else. So, how can we know the difference?
Most of us would say that finding joy in trials is next to impossible, and yet, the Bible commands us to do just that! How is that possible and how can we grow in that ability?
Also, today, do you find yourself praying about the same struggles day after day and week after week … sometimes year after year. Are you tempted to give up or do you feel like you have simply failed God?
The Disciples still didn’t get it! While Jesus was preparing Himself for the reality of the cross they were squabbling about their future positions in the kingdom, bragging about how they would never let Him down, and sleeping when He asked them to pray. I wonder how many times they looked back on those moments and believed they had failed God.
How about you? Do you ever feel like you have failed God? Maybe you promised to never again fall into some old sin habit. Instead, you found yourself arguing with your husband, yelling at your kids, missing your quiet time, and giving up in discouragement. If so, you’re not alone.
Today it’s easy to see how the unbelieving world has rejected God’s truth and authority. But, even as believers, we must fight the constant bombardment of philosophies and information, much of which directly contradicts the Bible. All this makes learning God’s Word all the more important. If we don’t, we may start to think and look more and more like the unbelievers around us and find ourselves just blending in..
In today’s Old Testament reading, the Philistines misinterpreted their victory over the nation of Israel. Since they didn’t understand God’s sovereignty, they presumptuously thought their god Dagon had defeated Israel’s God. When God responded clearly to their false assumptions, they came up with an elaborate, though foolish, plan to make amends. It involved an offering of “golden tumors,” among other things. Though our attempts may look different, we often believe that we need to offer God our own “golden tumors” or some other act of contrition. But what is it He actually wants?
And in today’s New Testament reading, Jesus reminds us that we need to be ready and watching for His return. So, how can we know if we are ready?
Once at a Bible study, the teacher opened with the question, “Can anything good come from persecution?” How would you answer that question? And how do you respond when it does come?” Because persecution, mistreatment, and rejection do come to us all.
It’s not always life-threatening. Sometimes it comes in more subtle ways, sometimes from our own family members and friends and that hurts. So, how does God use persecution for good and how might He be using it for good in your life and mine? And the most important question is, will we respond in godly ways, ways that will enable us to benefit and God to receive glory?
Are you playing around with some sinful thought or thinking about something from your past that you shouldn’t? Sin is not something to be played with. In our pride, we think we can handle it and it won’t get a hold on us. But sin has invisible hooks that can drag us down and take us places we never intended to go.
And sin doesn’t just hurt us personally. It always affects others, especially those closest to us. Today we’ll see the effects of polygamy and a lack of parental and priestly discipline. But we’ll also see the faithfulness of God in the life of one godly woman.
Today the battle for truth is raging. Truth itself has become relative and God’s Word carries no authority for the majority of people in our nation and much of the Western World. Some Christians find it difficult to work in their chosen fields without compromising their religious convictions. In many arenas, those who speak up for what is morally right are called bigoted, intolerant, or worse.
But we need to be careful about putting our hope in the government to change and protect us. While there might be a temporary slowing of the process, I believe in the long run these trends will continue, perhaps faster than we think possible. So, how can we prepare ourselves for the continuing battle?
“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1.20). Mara means “bitter.” Can you imagine meeting an old friend after a long absence and when she calls you by name, you say, “Don’t call me Donna or Diane or David … call me Bitter.”
But Naomi isn’t the only one who deals with bitterness. Sometimes we do and if we give in to it, it doesn’t only affect us. Because it will, eventually, spill out on everyone around us, it’s important to deal with it biblically. So, what is the antidote for bitterness?
The effects of rejecting God’s authority and its resulting spiritual darkness are not pretty. As one sin leads to another, the results are sad, costly, and damaging. The book of Judges ends with some truly bizarre examples.
But as bizarre as those true stories are, in reality, they could be taken from today’s headlines. Our news is full of murder, even mass murder, sexual immorality, sex trafficking, abortion rights, and demands that we give approval to every sinful lifestyle. I’m not sure where the bottom of it all will be, but just as He did in Noah’s day and just as He did with the Israelites, God will one day say … enough! In the meantime, what should we be doing?
