How much do you and I want to know Jesus? The answer reveals a great deal about our hearts. The Apostle Paul who had all the Jewish credentials: education, a great family pedigree, as well as, his own achievements, said he counted it all as garbage, literally “dung,” in comparison to the ability to actually know Jesus. So, how much do you really want to know Him? In today’s post, we’ll talk about the how and why of doing that.
God says He’ll complete the work He has begun in us which is the process of transforming us into the likeness of Christ. But do we often suffer unnecessarily in the process because we’re determined that our way is better than His?
Family feuds can be some of the most difficult to settle, yet God places a high priority on unity and peace within our biological families and within the family of God.
Sometimes that can be challenging to achieve in the midst of family feuds and misunderstandings. And there are times when we do all we can to be at peace with someone but the other person simply won’t. There can, also, be times when choosing what might look like peace is really a compromise at the cost of truth and righteousness.
God’s restraining grace is something we often take for granted. It’s even present to some degree in the lives of unbelievers. The Puritans called it common grace. It’s seen in the work of the conscience and in society’s acceptance of certain basics of right and wrong. But is it possible to lose God’s restraining grace?
There is no sin in our lives that is too big or for which God won’t forgive us if we are truly repentant. But knowing that doesn’t mean we can sin with impunity like children with our fingers crossed behind our backs. The person who thinks he or she can do whatever and ask for forgiveness later is in rebellion against God.
One of the consequences of willful sin can be the removal of God’s restraining grace where He steps back and allows us to do what our sinful heart desires. Without that restraining grace, we find that the sin we thought we could control is now controlling us. As someone once said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
Yesterday, in our New Testament reading, we talked about the opening of the first six seals in Revelation 6. It will be a time of famine, death, earthquakes, volcanoes, murder, chaos, and disaster. But it will be followed by a time of eerie calm and devastating fear after the God of heaven is seen on His throne and the world reels in terror over “what’s next?”
Also, do you ever take silent pleasure when someone who has criticized or mistreated you falls or suffers a setback? Is that how we should react? Is there a problem with rejoicing when “what goes around comes around”? Today’s reading in Obadiah looks at those questions.
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