May 28, 2012

"The Lord is For Me; I Will Not Fear" (5/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 111-118.

“From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:5-9).

David faced many dangerous times in his life. During these times we can see that he put his trust in God and relied upon Him for help and strength. He called upon God, and the Lord protected him from those who threatened.
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May 20, 2012

"They Oppose Me, Because I Follow What Is Good" (5/20)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 5, 38, 41-42.

“For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

“But my enemies are vigorous and strong, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. And those who repay evil for good, they oppose me, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me!” (Psalm 38:18-21)

As David calls to the Lord for help, he states the reason why the wicked were opposed to him – he followed what was good (Psalm 38:20). Yet right before this, he acknowledged that he had committed iniquity (Psalm 38:18). What should this teach us?
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May 15, 2012

The Hearts of the People are with Absalom (5/15)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Samuel 13-15.

David’s son Absalom desired to take the throne from his father. But to do it, he did not rely upon military strength alone. Instead, his plan was to turn public support away from his father and toward him.

“Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, ‘From what city are you?’ And he would say, ‘Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.’ Then Absalom would say to him, ‘See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.’ Moreover, Absalom would say, ‘Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.’ And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his had and take hold of him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:2-6).

With his promises of justice for all and the false claims that David cared nothing for their problems, Absalom was able to win the hearts of the people. Once he had this popular support, he posed a real threat to his father.
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April 25, 2012

Stand Firm in the True Grace of God

Standing and looking at the sunset

Grace is a misunderstood topic among many in the religious world. People believe we are saved by grace alone and that works (especially baptism) are not necessary for salvation. There are also those who believe that grace gives them permission to sin without fear of punishment.

As Peter summarized his first epistle, he said this: “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” (1 Peter 5:12). What is the true grace of God? Is it the kind of grace that is described by the majority of those in the religious world, or is it something different? A study of Peter’s first epistle – which he said is “the true grace of God” – will help us get a better understanding of grace and what is related to it. Let us notice some of the things that Peter, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13), included in this category.
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February 3, 2012

They Saw the Egyptians Dead on the Seashore (2/3)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 13-15.

Following the tenth plague, Pharaoh finally consented to let the children of Israel go. But after they had departed, he changed his mind and pursued them. This led to one of the memorable events of the Bible: the crossing of the Red Sea. God parted the waters; the Israelites crossed on dry ground; the Egyptians followed; the water closed back up and destroyed Pharaoh and his great army.

“Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:30-31).

God delivered the people from those that threatened them. Once God was through here, the Israelites no longer had to worry about Pharaoh. They could plainly see the evidence of the Egyptians’ destruction with their own eyes.
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January 25, 2012

Pray for Those in Authority

Prayer

One of our specific obligations in prayer is to pray for those in positions of civil authority. Paul made this clear in his first letter to the young evangelist Timothy:

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Not only did Paul teach that Christians are to pray for their leaders, he explained why we are to pray for them. There is a specific desire for which we should pray that is according to the will of God. Before we consider this, we should first be reminded of the purpose for which God ordained civil authorities.
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July 9, 2011

Blessings and Burdens of Spiritual Independence

Earlier this week, Americans celebrated Independence Day, commemorating the day when the thirteen colonies declared their independence from England. In breaking ties, the colonies affirmed that they were able to govern themselves and no longer needed to be dependent upon a distant monarch.

There were certainly blessings that came from this independence. The most notable were freedom and having a government that could better relate to the concerns of the people. However, with independence also comes burdens – additional responsibilities that must now be fulfilled by the independent entity since they would no longer be dependent upon others as they were previously.

Blessings and burdens will exist anytime a person or a people determine to be independent from others. It was true with the thirteen American colonies. At the time of the Exodus when the Israelite people became independent from the Egyptians, they enjoyed blessings (freedom from bondage) and faced burdens (they could no longer rely upon the Egyptians to provide for them – Exodus 16:3). When a young adult moves out of the house and becomes independent from his parents, there are blessings in his new independence and burdens in the greater responsibilities since he now has to provide for himself. Independence, in any context, contains both blessings and burdens.

In this article, I want us to examine our independence as it pertains to spiritual matters. Through the provisions He has given, God has made it so that each one of us can faithfully serve Him, regardless of what others might choose to do. This is not to say that we should not work together or that we cannot help one another; rather, we must take responsibility as individuals for our own spiritual lives.Continue Reading

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