Jesus gave a pretty serious warning in Matthew 7 when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven …” There are people, sitting in church every Sunday, who believe they are headed for heaven when they’re really in danger of hearing the words, “I never knew you, depart from me …” In today’s post, you’ll find out what does and doesn’t save you so you’ll never hear those words.
Also, read about the importance of making sure we see clearly before we can be of any help to others and what it really means to build your house on the Rock. Finally, from our Old Testament reading, we’ll talk about how some sins like homosexuality cry out for God’s judgment and what God expects of us in the meantime.
Each year the President of the United States delivers a State of the Union address. Every year presidents try to paint a picture of their party’s successes and show us how much our country needs what their administration has to offer. Depending on your worldview and the person in office, you may agree or disagree with their assessment.
But as important as the political and economic state of our country is, as Christians, we should be even more concerned about the spiritual state of our country. Are you? And what can we do about it?
Do you ever feel inadequate or frustrated with your prayer life? If so, you’re not alone. It appears even the disciples wanted more when they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In our New Testament reading, we’ll talk about Jesus’ outline for prayer and how we can use it during our devotional time, along with another help that can lead to a more consistent, satisfying prayer life. We’ll also talk about our motives for praying and other things we do.
From our Old Testament reading check out “How Do You Evaluate Opportunities?” See how not to make decisions and some ways to evaluate opportunities.
Also, today, “The Joy of Spiritual Prosperity,” “The Fear of God,” and “The Importance of Forgiveness.”
Do you need to perform some radical surgery before something in your life causes you to sin? Do you need to take a scalpel to some habit or attitude or set some boundaries to protect your marriage or someone else’s? And on the subject of marriage, what does the Bible say about divorce? Is it ever allowable? What if you’re just not happy or you have fallen out of love? What does God say about these very real issues? Jesus addressed all these things in the “Sermon on the Mount” in today’s New Testament reading.
Are you struggling with any of these questions and concerns or do you know someone else who is? The Bible encourages us to seek help and godly counsel when necessary. So, is it possible a biblical counselor could help? Find out more about what biblical counselors do and how it could be just what you or someone else needs.
In today’s readings, we will once again look at Noah and his family. God called Noah a righteous man, yet we’ll see that he was barely off the ark before he sinned. The result was shame and loss of respect within his own family.
And when it comes to God, shame can cause us to avoid prayer, Bible reading, and going to church in a foolish attempt to run from God. But there is a better way!
We’ll, also, talk about being made in the image of God, the quality of our “salt,” the danger of dishonoring our parents, and responding to the sins of others.
Today we’ll look at Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and how He responded because the same principle can help us when we are fighting temptation or spiritual attacks. We will, also, look at how memorizing Scripture fits into all this and how the devil can, actually, use Scripture against us.
Also, did you know that every major civilization has a “flood story” as part of its oral or written history? What does the biblical account of the flood teach us about God, His character, and His sovereign control of world events? And why should this be so comforting to us in the sometimes dangerous time in which we’re living?
I don’t have to tell most of you that life can get messy. Much of that messiness is the result of our own choices. Those messes and the consequences are often what God uses to get our attention. As a result, we experience sorrow and regret. But is sorrow or regret what God requires? Rather than regret, He calls us to repentance. But what exactly is that? Is sorrow, depression, or something more?
And on a wider scale, have you taken some time to think about your plan to grow spiritually this year? We are never standing still with God. We are either growing or slipping backward. Let’s always be growing.
It started right there in the garden. The serpent tempted Eve with a thought, “Did God really say …?” The first step in his deception was to get her to doubt God and he’s still whispering the same question today. What is he tempting you to doubt?
But God didn’t give up on mankind. In fact, in the next chapter of Genesis, He counseled a young man named Cain about the anger that was growing in his heart. He warned him that sin was crouching at the door like a hungry lion. What could be crouching at the door of your heart and mine? Is there some bitterness or unforgiveness for which we need to repent? Is there some temptation to anger, impurity, or worry? Find out what we can do about it before it’s too late.
Also read about the danger of thinking we’re smarter than God, the importance of honoring parents, and some examples of fulfilled prophecy.
Why a fresh start through the Bible? And why “through” the Bible? Why not just read here and there, perhaps finding a subject that interests you? Or how about a short devotional? As long as you read something every day, isn’t that good enough? Today’s reading from the book of Psalms gives us a very good illustration of why it’s so important to read God’s Word in context.
The psalmist in Psalm 1 talks about a man who is like a tree planted on a riverbank where it gets plenty of water and is always fruitful. The psalmist goes on to say that God prospers whatever this man does.
I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be like that. But despite some who teach that God wants to make every believer prosperous, there are requirements for this prosperity. There are things we must do and other things we are to avoid. We also need to understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote about prosperity. If we don’t, we may find ourselves disillusioned, even angry, with God.
But this is just one example of the importance of understanding God’s Word in context, in its entirety. One of the biggest problems I find among believers is a failure to know God, to know His character, and to know how He works through our tests and trials. As a result, far too many lead faithless defeated lives.
Today we’ll finish our Old Testament reading with the little book of Malachi. Though it’s little in size, it’s not little in spiritual truth. Malachi’s words challenge us to give God our best, not what is left over, whether that means our finances, time, talent, or some other resource.
So, how can we purpose in our hearts to give God our best in the coming year? How can we bring Him glory in all we do and honor Him in our marriages, our singleness, or whatever our situation?
Then our final passage in Proverbs pictures “the virtuous or excellent wife.” We’ll look at how an ancient description speaks to us today.
Finally, as you read the last 2 chapters of Revelation, allow John’s vision of the glories to come to excite your heart!
