Thought from today’s Bible reading from Amos 6-9.
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, the distinguished men of the foremost of nations, to whom the house of Israel comes” (Amos 6:1).
God was sending a message through the prophet Amos of the coming judgment against Israel. Yet these people were oblivious to the danger. They had other matters to focus on besides divine punishment for sin.
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“And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:23-26).
This is one of the difficult statements of Jesus. It almost seems as though He was discouraging a portion of His followers and future followers (the rich) from coming after Him. Yet His statement was not meant to be discouraging, but a warning of the potential danger that riches can be to one’s spiritual well-being.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55.
“O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him” (Psalm 4:2-3).
Too many have a warped sense of priorities, especially when it comes to spiritual things. They will reject the things of God, will consider righteousness a reproach, and will refuse to follow the truth. They mock such things and ridicule those who value them.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Deuteronomy 8-10.
Before entering Canaan, Moses issued a warning to the people of Israel of a certain danger they would face once they had begun to enjoy the blessings of the promised land.
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14).
Material blessings and prosperity, especially when they are had in abundance, can easily distract one from serving the Lord. Jesus made this point in His parable of the sower:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 29-31.
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? (Job 31:1).”
As Job defended his integrity, he stated that his purity in heart was such that he would not even look at a woman. While many in our culture argue that there is nothing wrong with just looking, Job made a covenant — a conscious decision and commitment — that he would not look with lust at one of the opposite sex.
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If we were able to make two requests that would help to improve our lives here on the earth, what would those requests be? Agur, the wise man to whom Proverbs 30 is attributed, told us what his two requests were:
“Two things I asked of You, do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:7-9).
The second request – the desire for “neither poverty nor riches” – is what we will focus on in this article.
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Our struggling economy took another hit when the United States’ credit rating was downgraded for the first time in history. This sent the stock market tumbling and made many people even more anxious about the future. Whether this is just a bump in the road or the trigger to the economic downfall of the United States remains to be seen. But even during uncertain times like these, we should be reminded of some important reasons why we ought to praise God.
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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