February 7, 2012

According to the Pattern (2/7)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 25-27.

“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it” (Exodus 25:8-9).

God was about to reveal His instructions to the Israelites regarding the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings. In these instructions, the Lord was very specific about what He expected them to do. He did not explain a vague concept He had for the tabernacle and allow the people to use their creativity to fill in the details. Nor did He permit them to create something that would be more “personal” so that the worshipers would be better able to “connect” to God and the worship “experience.”

God gave His instructions for a reason: He expected the Israelites to follow His instructions.
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January 8, 2012

I Know That My Redeemer Lives (1/8)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 17-20.

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth” (Job 19:25).

Job’s troubles were not going to be solved by his own actions. He understood this. Only God could deliver him. Despite the fact that his wife urged him to reject God (Job 2:9) and his friends repeatedly told him that God was the one who had afflicted him, Job held to his faith in the Lord. As long as his Redeemer lived, he had hope.
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January 3, 2012

Soldiers of the Victorious Lamb

It is an inescapable reality that we are involved in a war – not the type of war that nations wage for wealth, resources, or territory; but a spiritual war for the souls of men (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). While the final outcome of a physical war is always unknown, the result of this spiritual war is certain. Notice what the book of Revelation says about the victory of Christ:

“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

Jesus will lead His army to victory. There is no uncertainty to this. What is uncertain is which side we will join. Will we choose to be on the Lord’s side? Or will we choose to fight against Him?
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January 2, 2012

Walking with God (1/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 4-7.

When Adam and Eve sinned and were banished from the Garden, access to the Tree of Life was lost. This meant that Adam, Eve, and all of their descendants would have to face physical death.

This consequence is emphasized in Genesis 5 as the “generations of Adam” are outlined (Genesis 5:1). Over and over, each man was born, fathered the next generation, then “he died” (Genesis 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31). There was, however, one exception to this – Enoch.
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December 21, 2011

“Greater Love Has No One Than This”

I Love Jesus

Shortly before His death, Jesus spoke to His disciples about love – the love He had for them and the love they were to have for Him.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:13-14).

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November 11, 2011

The Rise and Fall of Public Opinion

Graph

Anyone who follows politics and elections has seen dramatic shifts in public opinion. One week a candidate may be at the top of the polls. The next week he starts to fall. Then the week after he is at the bottom of the field. This is just one common example of how quickly the public can go from having a favorable opinion of a person, product, or position to having an unfavorable opinion. When we study the gospel of John, we also see this type of shift in the public’s opinion of Jesus.
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October 17, 2011

The Honest and Good Heart

Wheat

In the previous article we looked at the parable of the sower, noting the four different soils which represented four different types of hearts. Each one responded differently to the word when it was sown among them. Despite these differences, we saw that the message (the seed, the word of God) was not changed. Rather than trying to change the message, we should strive to develop the “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) that Jesus said would be receptive to His saving gospel.

Jesus explained the illustration of the good soil: “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15). Let us be reminded of what the honest and good heart will do and how we can develop this type of heart.
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