Have people close to you ever thought you were crazy? Have they accused you of being a fanatic or turning away from your family traditions? Or have you ever had to choose between honoring Christ and honoring those traditions?
And what about outside the family, maybe in the workplace or at school? Have you ever been subjected to belittlement or persecution because you took a stand for Christ?
Why does God allow His children to experience rejection and persecution, anyway? Could there be a purpose to it?
And from our Old Testament reading about the sacrifices required for a leper, what do sacrificed birds, blood, water, and other rituals have to do with our relationship with God? Why was it important enough for God to record it in His Word?
Read about these and other subjects in today’s post.
Plagues and epidemics have been part of human history since the fall of man. Of course, the latest one is COVID-19 and all of its variants. But there is a plague that is even more contagious and disfiguring, the plague of sin. Paul warned us about contagious sins. We can pick them up from others and, worse yet, we can be carriers spreading them to those around us.
Have you allowed yourself to be exposed to some contagious sins? Are you protecting your family from over-exposure to them? Or worse, could you be guilty of spreading contagious sins to others?
I hope I’m not the only one who falls so easily into the trap of grumbling and complaining. After all, it seems like such a little thing! And, let’s face it, there are plenty of things to gripe about. Yet, in reality, we’re not just complaining about our circumstances or other people, but against our Sovereign God. We’re called to shine the light into a dark world, but it’s hard to be shining when we’re whining!
So, what should we be doing? And what is the ultimate answer to the things we gripe about?
Have you ever looked around at the lives of others and thought that life just isn’t fair? Maybe because you’ve been treated unfairly in the workplace, in your family, or maybe it seems even by God? What should we remember when we’re tempted with thoughts of “It’s not fair!”?
We’ll also look at how one of the psalmists prayed when he felt like life wasn’t going his way and how pride blinds us to the seriousness and the consequences of our sin.
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. His response provides hope to us all. And in the next chapter of Genesis, He counseled a young man. Could that counsel be something you need to hear?
Also read about the murder of dozens of innocent babies by a jealous, paranoid king, the danger of thinking we’re smarter than God, the importance of honoring parents, and some examples of fulfilled prophecy.
God does not want us ignorant of the process of sin. He shows us how, like a fisherman, the devil offers us the bait and how it connects with desires in our own hearts. God has clearly explained this process of sin so we can avoid being ensnared. But would you recognize it, if it was happening to you? Or could you be nibbling on some temptation designed just for you? And could he be about to reel you in?
Sadly, that is the perception of many. But growing in holiness is not becoming a dry, boring, legalistic fuddy-duddy. Rather, growing in holiness is to have the peace and joy that all of us want in our lives. It’s to become more like Christ, to have the wisdom to live a God-honoring life, to make wise decisions, and to avoid painful consequences. It’s to shine the light of a life well-lived in a dark world.
If that’s true, shouldn’t we all want to grow in holiness? If so, how do we do it?
And by contrast, how do some people end up pulled down into so much darkness? How does a habitual liar become one or some other life-dominating sin become a way of life? How does a truly evil person become that way?
“I’ll just sin now and ask for forgiveness later.” Have you ever been tempted with that thought?
The deceitfulness of sin tells us that we can go ahead and sin even though we know it’s wrong, then we can ask God to forgive us and that’s all there is to it! But that’s rebellion against God and you can’t be both rebellious (determined to go your own way) and repentant (turning to go God’s way) at the same time. But there’s an even bigger problem with this kind of thinking. What is it?
Also, in today’s post, read about chocolate-covered dirt, foolish talk, and dirty jokes.
Even if something is not a sin, in and of itself, if we believe it is and do it anyway, it reveals a heart that is willing to sin against God and therefore sinful. That willingness can cause us a great deal of unrest emotionally and spiritually. Could it actually lead to “apparently uncaused fear and anxiety” such as panic attacks that so many people experience today?
Also, read about:
What Job had to say about living right in light of all His suffering.
The only question that will matter when we stand before God.
Why we should sing “a new song” and why we need to be careful with the songs and prayers we love the most.
Do your kids know your testimony, not just the parts you use to point out why they’re ungrateful or what would have happened to you if you had talked like that to your parents? Many of us would probably say, “no.”
Perhaps, we should remember that the Bible shows us the people in its pages, even those greatly used by God, with all their warts, sins, and shortcomings. It, also, shows us the consequences they faced as a result. Their stories serve as warnings to us and, ultimately, point us to the grace of God.
Those of us who are parents often pray our children will avoid the mistakes we’ve made and not suffer the same consequences. But do we share our testimonies with them? When we humbly share what God has done in our lives, it can open the door to real conversation.
But there are a couple of cautions in doing so. One is a wisdom issue and the other can cause all our talk and warnings to backfire.
