2/14/2022 0 Comments False TruthsThere is a motto I’ve heard over the last few years. “You do you.” I think it can be meant in a positive way, but unfortunately our culture (and many that claim to be followers of Christ) think of it as people should do what makes them feel good, they should believe the truths they want to believe in order to feel comfortable. It’s a way of avoiding arguments about personal behavior, morals, politics and religion. Truth is not an ever-changing crowd pleaser. If it were, people would not have an instinctive need to find truth. Truth is found in Jesus. We learn of this Truth in the bible. The bible doesn’t offer us rules, it offers us an unchanging, stable relationship with the Truth.
Questions for further thought: 1. What has been your own quest for truth? 2. How does knowing that God’s Word is constant and unchanging affect your everyday life? Challenge: Meditate on what Matthew 5:17-18 is saying to us.
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2/11/2022 0 Comments Double-Edged SwordThe Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a vehicle for communicating ideas. It is living, life changing and dynamic as it works in us. With the incisiveness of a surgeon’s knife, God’s Word reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. The demands of God’s Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word; we must also let it shape our lives.
Questions for further thought: 1. Have I embraced the forgiveness of my sins through the finished work of Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection? 2. If not, what is stopping me from doing that right now? Challenge: We serve a big God. He is mighty to save and He desires to forgive. Meditate on His Word and consider God’s gracious gift given freely in Christ. 2/10/2022 0 Comments Holy Spirit InspiredThe teaching of the apostles is not inferior to anything else we find in the Bible. Their message is the authoritative Word of God himself, pronounced to us by the very spokesman of Jesus Christ. When we read the New Testament we are encountering this message, faithfully preserved in words for us from God. If we want to hear God speak to us, we can listen to the Holy Spirit-inspired words written by these men.
Questions for further thought: 1. In what ways do I see the Bible’s transformative power exhibited in my life? 2. How do I daily live out that reality? Challenge: Commit to daily time in God’s Word; Commit to daily prayer asking for complete dependence on Christ; Evaluate the day for times when not depending on Christ; Make a plan and get accountability; Live it out. 2/9/2022 0 Comments God BreathedTimothy’s endurance will require him to give close attention to the Scriptures and to “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (vv. 14-15). The Bible is the key to understanding Jesus and His gospel. The fact that these gospel-testifying Scriptures are “breathed out by God” gives us confidence that Scripture is trustworthy and authoritative for our lives, guiding us graciously into all that is good.
Questions for further thought: 1. If I were completely honest, how much time do I spend in God’s Word? 2. In what ways could I make reading and studying God’s Word a priority in my life? Challenge: Make a concerted effort going forward to practice the discipline of reading God’s Word on a regular basis. Ask for God’s Spirit to guide you in truth. 2/8/2022 0 Comments Truth RevelationJesus has come to give prisoners freedom; a freedom that no one else can give based on truth that He alone possesses. True freedom requires that we have the right Father; not everyone who has descended from Abraham has God as their Father. None can claim God as their Father who won’t have His Son as their Savior. So where do you stand?
Questions for further thought: 1. What does it mean “the truth will set you free”? Free from what? 2. Have I committed my life to seeking the truth of God’s Word? Can I call out some evidences in my life that would prove this to be true? Challenge: Every Christian is in a continuing education program. Commit to maturing in your faith and growing in holiness. 2/7/2022 0 Comments Man Wrote the Bible, Right?As an eyewitness to the majesty of Christ, Peter wants to assure us that Christ and His message are not “cleverly devised myths” (2 Peter 1:16). The gospel is trustworthy, and therefore Peter calls us to pay close attention to the Word of God, which is like “a lamp shining in a dark place” (v19), providing truthful guidance for our hearts. The Scripture is not the product of creative human insight; it is the reliable speech of God himself speaking through men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (v.21).
Questions for further thought: 1. Has there ever been a time when I believed the Bible was a manmade book? Why or why not? 2. In what ways am I seeking to know God’s Word better so I can defend it and live it out in a fallen world? Challenge: I submit that we would do well to heed Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1:10 where he writes “be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.” What is stopping me from doing that today? 2/4/2022 0 Comments ForgivenessJesus has forgiven all our sins! The woman in this story was almost certainly a prostitute, and mostly everyone probably knew that about her. They knew “how bad” her sins were, but then they saw Jesus forgive her. This showed them that if Jesus could forgive her, then He could certainly forgive them as well. However, He makes the distinction that only by faith was she forgiven (v. 50)—we can’t earn forgiveness!
Questions for further thought: 1. How does the woman show Jesus that she has faith? 2. Now read Luke 7:47. What does Jesus mean by saying this? How can we show that we’ve been forgiven? Challenge: Today, I challenge you to show how much you’ve been forgiven. Yes, we’re all forgiven, but how does that affect your life? How does it affect the way you act? Be mindful of your reaction to forgiveness today. 2/3/2022 0 Comments PrideWhen we look at this verse through the lens of the story of the sinful woman in Luke, we can see who was prideful and who was humble. The Pharisee was prideful and refused to offer Jesus any hospitality—he was probably too stuck on proving Jesus wrong. The woman was humble and served Jesus because she knew she was a sinner. Let’s learn from the Pharisee's mistake!
Questions for further thought: 1. How does disgrace end up following pride? In other words, how does pride usually lead to disgrace? How can we avoid this disgrace? 2. Why is being humble considered being wise? Challenge: Be aware of our need for Jesus today. We need Him every day—not just when we really mess up. I challenge you to be humbled by this fact and to remember that as followers of Christ, we only boast in Him (2 Corinthians 10:17). 2/2/2022 0 Comments Judgement Based on AppearancesThe Pharisee has invited Jesus over to his house for a meal, but he has not shown Jesus love or served Him. The Pharisee, who seems like he has it all together, isn’t exhibiting the fruits of his faith. However, this woman, who seems like her life has fallen apart, is showing more fruit. Let’s not be quick to judge others based on their appearances.
Questions for further thought: 1. Why does the woman do these things to Jesus? (You might have to read the whole story to be able to answer this question.) 2. Why doesn’t the pharisee serve Jesus in the way that the woman has? Challenge: Is there someone in your life right now that might be like to woman? I’d challenge you to take a closer look at them today, not in a judgmental way, but in a way that looks past their surface (mistakes, imperfections) and into their true intentions. 2/1/2022 0 Comments CondemnationAll who are in Christ Jesus have no condemnation because of the free gift of salvation that Jesus poured out on the cross. Like the woman who came to Jesus, we don’t have to clean ourselves up before coming to Jesus. We don’t have to live according to the flesh anymore! There is a better way to live! Let’s live according to the Spirit, and not the flesh!
Questions for further thought: 1. Are you accepting the full gift of salvation? Or are you living according to the law of sin and death and letting guilt and shame rule over you? 2. What does it mean that the Spirit of life has set us free? How does that affect how we live? Challenge: Be aware of how you might be condemning others (or yourself!). Remember that we have all been offered the same gift of freedom—let’s live like it! |
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April 2024
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