James said God’s Word is like a mirror. What do we look for when we check our appearance in a mirror? Possibly to see what doesn’t look right, where we might have dirt on our faces or something else that isn’t how we want to look. What should we look for when we look into the mirror of God’s Word? Paul’s letter to the Colossians gives us some ideas. In fact, the chapter might be considered a checklist for Christian maturity. Why not take a look into the mirror of God’s Word and ask yourself, “Which of these characteristics describe me and which don’t?”
What does your spending reveal about your heart? It’s easy to look at the lives of idolaters like the grandmother we’ll talk about today and see how their idolatry corrupted their hearts. But idolatry didn’t end with the Old Testament. And it isn’t exclusive to pagan people. The New Testament constantly warns believers about the idolatry in our own hearts.
And one revealer can be our spending. If we’re willing to pay $4 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, $25 to go to the movies, or $80 or $100 for a pair of tennis shoes, but give grudgingly or not at all to the work of God, what does it say about our hearts and what we truly worship?
We’ll also look at:
How God protected the Messianic line of David and kept His covenant promise to him.
The value of godly counsel in the life of a leader.
And how God was able to use a brilliant and eloquent man who was willing to humble himself and receive truth from a couple of tentmakers.
How do you handle conflict? Do you always have to have the last word? Does your temper quickly kick in? Even when you try to resolve conflicts well, does it seem that things only escalate? Are there some simple principles that when applied to conflicts can lead to peace instead?
And from our Old Testament reading:
What is your attitude toward the singing during Sunday morning worship? Is it something you see as nice “if you make it on time”? Do you purposely come in late to avoid it? What does the Bible teach about worship that might change your mind about its importance?
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!
I first wrote this post a couple of years ago near the beginning of the year when many of us make fresh commitments to read more in the Bible, pray more, and in general, have a more effective quiet time. But when I came across it this morning, I thought it was worth republishing since it’s something most of us think about often.
While there is no right way or wrong way to do that, there are some things that can make our time with God more spiritually profitable and enjoyable. I’d like to share twenty-eight of them.
I was reminded recently that the greatest call for believers is not evangelism or discipleship. It’s not teaching or encouraging or serving. The greatest call to us as followers of Christ is to be worshippers of the one true and living God.
And while most of us would agree that all of Scripture is profitable and we could spend a lifetime mining its depths, the psalms hold special value when it comes to teaching us how to worship. That’s why I was so excited when I heard about the new devotional book Spurgeon and the Psalms.
