http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/30/10-quick-important-developments-on-the-planned-parenthood-scandal/
Friday, July 31, 2015
Fully satisfied as with the richest of foods
From the CANON on this blog:
How the
worship of Baal breaks the Ten Commandments
1.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Tyrants do not believe in the true God. Their god is Tyranny. They cause their subjects to worship and be
dependent on them, rather than God.
10. Thou shalt not covet.
This is what causes Tyrants and their
subjects to violate all the other commandments.
The Tyrants covet, and their resulting actions cause their subjects to
covet.
Solutions
1.
God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider
them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the
infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded
everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own
righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith
in Christ. For God’s way of making us right
with himself depends on faith.
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that
raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death.
Philippians 3:7-10
From today’s devotional:
God created men and
women to be in relationship with Him. The type of communion Adam and Eve first
enjoyed with Him was meant for us as well. But when sin entered the world,
everything changed. God’s intended intimate relationship with mankind was
broken, and it has been passed down through the generations in that damaged
condition.
But as we know,
that’s not the end of the story. Jesus came to die in our place, bringing
forgiveness for our sins and restoring our relationship with the Father.
Through faith in Christ, we are adopted into God’s family and belong to Him
forever—just as He originally planned. He has provided us with everything we
need to experience intimacy with Him.
So what happens if,
following salvation, new believers never go deeper? Some may drift away from
their initial zeal for the Lord, failing to make Bible reading or church
attendance a regular occurrence. Perhaps others try to focus on the Lord but
allow earthly matters to distract them. Over time, some Christians settle for
what’s comfortable and familiar. Sadly, they will miss out on the deep
contentment God wanted to provide. Yet those who make Jesus the priority of
their life will have a deepening relationship with Him, which transcends any
earthly one.
Communion with God
made King David “fully satisfied as with the richest of foods” (Psalms 63:5 NIV). And Paul viewed his own
accomplishments as nothing in comparison with “the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8). Draw near to God, and experience
the blessings of knowing Him.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
Baal = Ruling Class, not Big Government?
“It argues that our fundamental political problem is not “big government,” but the creation of a ruling class, inhabiting both parties, that is steadily increasing its authoritarian control over the nation.”
“Most Americans distrust, fear, are sick and tired of, the elected, appointed, and bureaucratic officials who rule over us, as well as their cronies in the corporate, media, and academic world.”
“Americans are searching for someone,
anyone, to lead against this ruling class, that is making America less
prosperous, less free, and more dangerous.”
“Republicans brahmins have the greater
reason to fear. Whereas some three fifths of Democratic voters approve the
conduct of their officials, only about one fifth of Republican voters approve
what theirs do. If Americans in general are primed for revolt, Republican (and
independent) voters fairly thirst for it.”
“The point here is simple: our ruling
class has succeeded in ruling not by reason or persuasion, never mind
integrity, but by occupying society’s commanding heights, by imposing itself
and its ever-changing appetites on the rest of us. It has coopted or
intimidated potential opponents by denying the legitimacy of opposition.”
“After a video showing officials of
federally-funded Planned Parenthood taking orders for body parts of babies to
be custom-slaughtered for that purpose, House Speaker John Boehner deflected
demands for legislation to stop this by saying he needed more information. An
unintimidated statesman might ask: Do you not know that each of these little
ones’ DNA shows him or her to be an individual son or daughter of an individual
mother and father? Like Lincoln, he would argue that no one has the right to
exclude any other human from the human race and demand that Boehner answer why
he continues to sanction so to dispose of millions of little sons and
daughters?”
“Republicans and Democrats profit
personally and through their corporate cronies by a welter of legislation and
regulation by which they command what we must eat, how to shower, what medical
care is proper and what is not: mandating that a third of the U.S. corn crop be
turned into ethanol, restricting the use of coal, how we may use our land,
etc. They justify these predatory intrusions into our lives by claiming
that peculiar knowledge of science unavailable to others. They refuse to
justify their scientific conclusions with the likes of us. An un-intimidated
statesman, reiterating that science is reason, public reason, not pretense,
would throw the notion that “science R us” back into their faces.”
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Seek to become the person God has equipped you to be
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
Psalms 139:1-10
From today’s devotional:
When God looked at
the world He’d made, He declared it good. Genesis 1:27
summarizes the crowning achievement of His creative work: “God created man in
His own image . . . male and female He created them.” Psalm 139 reminds us that
we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
The Lord has given
each of His children great potential for service in His kingdom. However, some
of us have serious doubts that this is true. When we compare ourselves to other
people, we notice the things we lack. At other times, we repeatedly criticize ourselves
for mistakes we’ve made. How can we have awesome potential when we see so many
ways in which we fall short? Consider these biblical examples:
Moses appeared to have many advantages while he was growing
up in Pharaoh’s household. Then he killed an Egyptian and fled the country. No
longer did he seem a likely candidate to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But
God looked beyond what Moses had done and saw who he could become.
Paul, prior to salvation, had vehemently persecuted those
who believed in Jesus. Yet through God’s mercy, the apostle became a mighty
evangelist and author of nearly a third of the New Testament.
Peter was a simple fisherman who denied—not once but three
times—that he knew Jesus. Still, the Lord chose him to become the leader of the
Jerusalem church.
Our Father sees
beyond our human frailties to the potential we have in Christ. Because we were
made in God’s image and His Spirit dwells in us, we have a greater capacity for
spiritual transformation and service than we could imagine. Seek to become the
person God has equipped you to be.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
See the unexpected ways He answers
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s devotional:
One of the main
obstacles to effective prayer is lack of trust. If we believe God is who He
says He is and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually
waver in our prayers? Instead of exercising bold faith, we come to the Lord
“hoping” He will hear us and answer our requests, but we’re just not sure He
will. With this kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from
Him.
One reason we are so
prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We
asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps
in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the right
time for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our
behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and
preparing us to receive what He wants to give.
Another cause for
uncertainty is ignorance. If we don’t know God’s ways, we will be disappointed
in His response. All too often our prayers are accompanied by expectations of
how He will work. When He fails to intervene according to our anticipated
method, we start to doubt. But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in
His good and perfect ways gives us stability as we wait for His answer.
To overcome doubts,
spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways. Then you’ll begin to
grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He goes about it. Examine
your past from a biblical perspective—faith will grow as you see the unexpected
ways He’s answered your prayers.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Waiting for God to Answer
http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/waiting-for-god-to-answer?firstItem=d698e910-29a4-4ed5-9a2b-942a7a452974
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help, rather than depending on Baal.
From today's scripture reading:
O LORD , hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. Declare me innocent, for you see those who do right. You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
Psalm 17:1-6
From today’s devotional:
Yesterday we learned several reasons why a prayer may seem to go unanswered. Let’s consider more possibilities.
One is unconfessed sin. God promises to forgive us once we admit our action is wrong and turn away from it (If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9). But if our confession is mere lip service or we persist in ungodly ways, petitions won’t be granted. An unrepentant heart always hinders our prayer life.
What about those times when our heart is right and what we ask is in line with God’s will, but He remains silent? Sometimes He waits because our longing for Him is in danger of being replaced by our desire for something else. Certain petitions—such as a request for a spouse, a baby, or a loved one’s healing—generate strong emotions in us. Unless we are careful, these desires could divert our attention from God. He will not share first place with anyone or anything. So sometimes He patiently waits for our focus to return to Him before He answers.
At other times, God uses delays to prepare us for future service or greater blessing. He could be protecting us from consequences we fail to see, or He may want to strengthen our trust. Strong faith means believing Him even in trials, persevering while awaiting an answer, and being confident that He always keeps His promises.
Prayer is the communication link between us and our loving Father. Instead of letting "static" block His message to us, we must confess and turn from all known sin. Then we’ll be able to hear God’s voice and obediently carry out whatever He asks.
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help, rather than depending on Baal.
From today's scripture reading:
O LORD , hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. Declare me innocent, for you see those who do right. You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
Psalm 17:1-6
From today’s devotional:
Yesterday we learned several reasons why a prayer may seem to go unanswered. Let’s consider more possibilities.
One is unconfessed sin. God promises to forgive us once we admit our action is wrong and turn away from it (If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9). But if our confession is mere lip service or we persist in ungodly ways, petitions won’t be granted. An unrepentant heart always hinders our prayer life.
What about those times when our heart is right and what we ask is in line with God’s will, but He remains silent? Sometimes He waits because our longing for Him is in danger of being replaced by our desire for something else. Certain petitions—such as a request for a spouse, a baby, or a loved one’s healing—generate strong emotions in us. Unless we are careful, these desires could divert our attention from God. He will not share first place with anyone or anything. So sometimes He patiently waits for our focus to return to Him before He answers.
At other times, God uses delays to prepare us for future service or greater blessing. He could be protecting us from consequences we fail to see, or He may want to strengthen our trust. Strong faith means believing Him even in trials, persevering while awaiting an answer, and being confident that He always keeps His promises.
Prayer is the communication link between us and our loving Father. Instead of letting "static" block His message to us, we must confess and turn from all known sin. Then we’ll be able to hear God’s voice and obediently carry out whatever He asks.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Crying out about our troubles
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help, rather than depending on Baal.
From today's scripture reading:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
James 1:5-8
From today’s devotional:
Some of King David’s prayers are recorded in the Psalms. There we read how he praised the Lord, confessed sin, and cried out about his troubles. He also asked God to hear his prayers and not be silent.
We all want to pray effectively like David. To do so, we must avoid certain hindrances, such as:
Wavering faith. Doubts about God’s character or dependability diminish our trust in Him. Therefore, we must not allow feelings to dictate what we believe.
Wrong motives (And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:3). Petitions motivated by selfish desires won’t receive an affirmative answer. God wants us to pray for His will to be done—not ours.
Conflict in relationships. Being resentful or argumentative with others will affect communication with the Father.
Lack of generosity (Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. Proverbs 21:13). God is displeased when we ignore people’s needs or give begrudgingly to the church. He hears us asking for a blessing yet sees us refusing to obey Him in our giving (Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Indifference (Proverbs 28:9). Apathy to the Scriptures is another stumbling block. God has given us the Bible so that we might know Him and serve Him wholeheartedly. Failure to read and apply His Word consistently will diminish our ability to maintain a godly lifestyle.
It takes effort and commitment to develop a strong prayer life, but the rewards are great. If your prayers have not been answered, consider which, if any, of the above issues may need correction. Then, start by personalizing the prayers you read in the Psalms or elsewhere in God’s Word.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Give to others
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
5.
Friends are called upon to bear one another’s burdens
Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure
hearts. 2 Timothy 2:22
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just
as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34
Share each other’s burdens, and in this
way obey the law of Christ.
Gal. 6:2
Confess your sins to each other and pray
for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous
person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16
From today’s devotional:
Independence is a
prized attribute in our culture, but biblically, it isn’t a worthy aspiration.
Nowhere in Scripture will you find the erroneous quote, “God helps those who
help themselves.” The very fact that the Lord formed the church—a community of
believers—should tell us that He did not create people for self-sufficiency or
isolation.
When we place faith
in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us so we can have a fulfilling relationship
with the Lord and satisfying friendships with one another. In God’s design, a
close, committed biblical friendship between two believers serves to build both
toward Christlikeness. Over and over in Scripture, we find evidence of God’s
followers relying upon a close friend or confidante for support. Paul, in
particular, spoke freely and often of his dependence upon dear companions and
encouraged others to form intimate partnerships as well (2 Timothy
2:22).
It’s interesting to
me that our modern culture seems to be headed in the opposite direction. The
farther we drift from God, the more pervasive our self-sufficient attitude
becomes. Neighbors treat each other with suspicion instead of congeniality, and
that mindset has even invaded the church. We’re hesitant to give to others,
which in turn makes us reluctant to receive.
Scripture tells us
to love one another, bear our brothers’ burdens, and confess our sins to fellow
believers (John 13:34;
Galatians 6:2;
James 5:16).
In other words, we’re to give ourselves away to others and receive from them in
return. That’s how church members can encourage one another to Christlikeness.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Living according to our own selfish interests
From the CANON on this blog:
How the worship of Baal breaks the Ten
Commandments
10 Thou
shalt not covet.
This is what causes Tyrants and their
subjects to violate all the other commandments.
The Tyrants covet, and their resulting actions cause their subjects to
covet.
From today’s scripture reading:
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith,
we have peace with God because of what Jesus
Christ our Lord has done for us.
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of
undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look
forward to sharing God’s glory.
Romans 5:1-2
From today’s devotional:
Grace is
far more than a mealtime prayer. The word communicates the idea of blessing. As
children of God, we are the recipients of grace, which is poured out on us by
our heavenly Father. Let’s look at how we experience this amazing benefit of
His love.
God’s favor
is seen in our salvation, as Ephesians 2:8 tells us: “For by grace you have been saved.” The
blessing is undeserved and unearned—nothing about us prompted God to save us.
He acted purely out of His goodness, sacrificing His precious Son Jesus Christ
in our place. In that way, we could be reconciled to the Father and adopted
into His family.
Grace is
also the sphere in which we live the Christian life. At salvation, we were
transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-13).
Here, we live out our new identity as God’s
children and carry out His purpose of glorifying Him—both of which result in
manifold blessings.
The beauty
of grace becomes especially clear when we consider who we once were—a people
hostile to the Lord and alienated from Him. We were spiritually dead, living
according to our own selfish interests (Ephesians 2:1). But now, through faith in Jesus as our Savior, God has
justified us and given us new life. He has declared that we have right standing
before Him (Romans 8:1). All of our sins were placed upon Jesus, and His
righteousness has been credited to our account permanently.
Picture
yourself living in the favor of God. Internalize this truth, and then give Him
thanks.
Friday, July 17, 2015
The correct response to adversity
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s devotional:
It doesn’t seem
fair, does it? Paul spent the second half of his life serving Christ, and yet
he experienced continual suffering. Why would God let one of His most faithful
servants go through so much pain? This isn’t a question just about Paul; it’s
an issue we face today. In our minds, the Lord should protect His loyal
followers from hardships, but He doesn’t necessarily do so.
Maybe our reasoning
is backwards. We think faithful Christians don’t deserve to suffer, but from
God’s perspective, suffering is what produces faithful Christians. If we all
had lives of ease without opposition, trials, or pain, we’d never really know
God, because we’d never need Him. Like it or not, adversity teaches us more
about the Lord than simply reading the Bible ever will.
I’m not saying we
don’t need to know Scripture; that’s our foundation for faith. But if what we
believe is never tested by adversity, it remains head knowledge. How will we
ever know that God can be trusted in the midst of trouble if we’ve never been
challenged by hardship? The Lord gives us opportunities to apply scriptural
truths to the difficulties facing us, and in the process, we find Him faithful.
For example, how would Paul ever have known the strength of Christ if he had
never been weakened by persecution, pain, and adversity?
Depending on your
response, trials can be God’s greatest means of building faith or an avenue to
discouragement and self-pity. If you’ll believe what Scripture says and apply
its principles to your situation, your trust in God will grow, and your faith
will be strengthened through adversity.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Ways you could have never imagined
http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/seeking-adversity-from-gods-viewpoint?firstItem=eb4616f7-8b6d-4f52-bcc2-56e695e42930
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you
could have never imagined. The poor
should cry out to God for help, rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,”
says the LORD . “And my ways are far
beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than
your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)
From today’s devotional:
When adversity hits
you like a ton of bricks, it could easily throw you into a pit of
discouragement and despair. Although you may regard difficulties as setbacks,
the Lord sees them as times for great advancement. His purpose in allowing them
is not to destroy you but to stimulate your spiritual growth. In His great
wisdom, the Lord knows how to take an awful situation and use it to transform
you into the image of Christ and equip you to carry out His will.
Every adversity that
comes into your life is sifted through God’s permissive will. That doesn’t mean
the difficulty itself is His perfect will, but He’s allowed the trial to touch
you so that He can use it to accomplish His wonderful purposes for your life.
Although some of the suffering we see and experience seems senseless or
blatantly evil, we must recognize that we have a very limited perspective and
cannot always understand what the Lord is doing.
Our heavenly Father
sees every aspect of life, but our view is restricted to what is right before
us. His plans include not only you but also all of His creation, and they reach
from the beginning of time to eternity. Though we’ll never grasp the infinite
mind of God, we can know His faithfulness and love.
When you can’t
understand God’s ways, focus on His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power rather
than the magnitude of your sorrow. Remember, He sees the entire picture and
loves you more than you can imagine. This is a time to walk by faith, as
perfect understanding comes only in heaven.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
The source of our adversity
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
I am the Lord;
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know me,
so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know me,
so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.
“Open up, O heavens,
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.
“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”
Isaiah
45:5-10 (NLT)
From today’s devotional:
When experiencing
hardship, we usually wonder why God allows painful situations to come our way.
In our minds, this just doesn’t fit with His role as our loving heavenly
Father. We also struggle to reconcile our suffering with the realization that
an omnipotent God could have prevented it. To understand what’s going on, we
must consider the possible sources of adversity.
• A Fallen
World. When sin entered the
world, suffering came with it. God could have protected us from these harmful
effects by making us like puppets who couldn’t choose sin, but that would mean
we’d also be unable to choose to love Him, since love, by its very nature, is voluntary.
• Our Own
Doing. Sometimes we get
ourselves into trouble with foolish or sinful choices. If the Lord stepped in
and rescued us from every negative consequence, we’d never grow into mature
believers.
• Satanic
Attack. The devil is our enemy.
To hinder anything God wants to do in and through believers, Satan will never
cease to harass us. His goal is to destroy our lives and our testimonies,
thereby making us weak and useless for the Lord’s purposes.
• God’s
Sovereignty. Ultimately, the
Lord is in charge of all adversity that comes our way. To deny His involvement
contradicts His power and sovereignty over creation.
For us to accept
that God allows—or even sends—affliction, we must see adversity from His
perspective. Is your focus on the pain of your experience or on God and His
faithfulness? As believers, we’re assured that no adversity comes our way
unless He can use it for our benefit and His good purposes.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
He comforts, heals, provides, feeds, protects, strengthens, empowers
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
I
am the LORD , and I do not change.
Malachi
3:6 (NLT)
From today’s devotional:
People
will sometimes say, “The only constant is change.” Fortunately, this is not
true. There is One who never changes: Jesus Christ always remains the same.
What a comforting truth! But it’s hard to find refuge in someone we don’t know
well. So let’s explore the Lord’s actions to learn more about His nature.
•
Jesus forgave others. He showed mercy, not judgment, to
those who recognized their sin. For example, Jesus had compassion on the woman
caught in adultery and stopped her death penalty with a few wise words. Then,
instead of pronouncing condemnation, He said that her sins were forgiven (John 8:1-11).
• Jesus comforted the hurting. He visited Mary and Martha, who were mourning the loss of
their brother Lazarus (“It happened for the
glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” “They can see because they have the light of this world.” “For your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really
believe.” “Your brother will
rise again.” “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even
after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the
one who has come into the world from God.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing
nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” “Didn’t
I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” John 11:1-45).
• Jesus provided for needs. After spending three days healing all kinds of
disabilities, He was concerned that the large crowd hadn’t eaten. He could have
sent all 4,000 away to find their own food, but He provided more than enough to
satisfy their hunger (“He took the seven loaves,
thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his
disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found,
too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them. They
ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large
baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day.”
Mark 8:1-9).
•
Jesus interceded for His disciples.
Just before He was crucified, He asked the Father to protect and sanctify His
followers, which includes you and me (John 17:15, 17, 19-20).
•
Jesus strengthened believers and gave them power to do God’s work. In Acts 1:8,
the Lord sent His disciples out to share the gospel, assuring them, “You will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
Jesus
still forgives, still comforts, still provides, still intercedes, and still
empowers. What a blessing that we can find refuge in our amazing Lord!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Pope Francis vs. Justice Clarence Thomas
Pope Francis said “Putting bread on the table,
putting a roof over the heads of one’s children, giving them health and an
education, these are essential for human dignity.”
Justice
Clarence Thomas said “The government cannot bestow dignity,
and it cannot take it away”.
Pope
Francis wants governments to bestow dignity with housing, health, and
education.
The only true shelter and rock
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
Salvation
Verses
Jesus
told him, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
From today’s scripture reading:
Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews
13:8 (NLT)
From today’s devotional:
In our
ever-changing world, families move, friendships drift, allegiances shift, and
technology advances by quantum leaps. If we seek security in people,
possessions, or positions, we’re doomed to be disappointed.
Yet we all
need somewhere to turn during the storms of life. The one true anchor for our
soul is Jesus Christ, who Scripture assures us will not change. To find comfort
in Him, we must learn who He is, what He does, and how He works. Today we will
explore a few details about His life and character.
John 1:1
reveals that Jesus was Deity from the beginning. Fully God and fully man, He
was born of a virgin, lived 33 years on Earth, was crucified despite His
innocence, and rose after three days. He is the Way, the Truth, and the
Life—the Christ, the Son of the Living God (John 14:6;
Matthew
16:16-17). Our Lord fulfilled countless prophesies in the Old
Testament, such as Isaiah 53. Like us, Jesus has feelings—He wept for hurting
people and felt angry when people misused the temple. Most importantly, His
resurrection defeated death, and He still lives today.
God’s
character never varies. Of course, as situations change, He acts accordingly.
But the merciful, loving, compassionate, and holy Jesus we know in Scripture is
the same Messiah we can cling to today.
Where do
you turn in trying times? Difficult circumstances are inevitable. Prepare
yourself for them by learning who Jesus is—He’s the only true shelter and rock
that will not change. What a wonderful Savior!
Saturday, July 11, 2015
More on Pope Francis’ Tyrant Theology
Pope Francis
says “The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders,
the great powers and the elites,” he said. “It is fundamentally in the hands of
peoples and in their ability to organize. It is in their hands, which can guide
with humility and conviction this process of change. I am with you.”
Wouldn’t a true spiritual leader suggest that the
future of humanity lies solely in God’s hands?
“In what is
perhaps his boldest claim to date, Pope Francis argued that everyone has a
God-given right to have a job, to own land, and to have a home. This, of
course, is neither the promise nor goal of current economic systems established
in the U.S. and around the globe. This also goes well beyond the traditional
social teaching of the Catholic Church, which argues for the dignity of work,
but doesn’t go as far to say that everyone has a God-given right to have a job.”
Where in the Bible does it say that “everyone has a
God-given right to have a job, to own land, and to have a home?” That sounds more like Communism rather than
Christianity.
Pope Francis went
on to say “Let us say no to an economy of exclusion and inequality, where money
rules. That economy kills. That economy excludes.”
I would agree with the Pope on that, only I am talking
about the BaalTyranny economy that exists today, while he is talking about
capitalism.
“He argued the
same could be said of economic injustices: ‘Time, my brothers and sisters,
seems to be running out; we are not yet tearing one another apart, but we are
tearing apart our common home.’ To address this economic situation, Francis
argued that people must not be afraid to say ‘we want change.’”
Again, I would agree that “we want change”. The only problem is, economic justice to him equals
more Baal Socialism.
The author of the article says “Pope Francis’s speech didn’t reek of socialism, communism, or Marxism, but of a radical commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ‘Working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labor is not mere philanthropy,’ the pope said. ‘It is a moral obligation. For Christians, the responsibility is even greater: it is a commandment. It is about giving to the poor and to peoples what is theirs by right.’”
Yes, giving to the poor is a commandment to
Christians. But that does not imply a
right for the poor. Again, that is
Communism – the author, and the pope, are wrong.
The author of
the article then ends by saying “Francis truly is the vicar of that poor man
who came two millennia ago to save his people.”
“That
poor man” – that sounds like more of what Pope Francis preaches about “the
poverty of Christ” (see “Pope Francis doesn’t get the gospel” posted June 24,
2015 on this blog).
Friday, July 10, 2015
Trust and Obey
From the CANON on this blog:
Solutions
1. God
is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his
people and redeemed them. He
has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred
covenant with them, the covenant he
gave to our ancestor Abraham. We
have been rescued from our enemies, so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness forever.
Luke
1:68-75 (NLT)
From today’s devotional:
The
Scriptures distinguish between two kinds of fear: healthy and unhealthy. For
example, a protective type of anxiety helps prevent avoidable harm by warning
us not to touch a hot stove or walk on thin ice. And we are commanded to have a
proper fear of God. This includes an overwhelming sense of awe because of who
He is—namely, Judge and sovereign King. It also involves a lifestyle of
respectful obedience that honors Him.
Unhealthy
fear causes us to feel tense, uncomfortable, or threatened. Its source may be a
childhood experience or an authority figure’s repeated negative words. The
feeling of distress becomes rooted in our thinking and colors our
decision-making. Even when there’s no longer any basis for this anxiety, it may
continue to inhibit us.
The
imagination is also a source of fear. We can get caught up in “what if”
thinking, such as, What if something goes wrong? or What if the
outcome I want doesn’t come about?
This kind
of agitation can block God’s best in our life. His purposes often require that
we move beyond where we feel most comfortable. Learning new skills, changing
jobs, or trying a different way of ministering to others could be part of what
He expects. Such challenges present the opportunity to trust the Lord and obey
Him.
Fear
doesn’t come from God (2 Timothy 1:7).
Let the Holy Spirit guide you from a place of disquiet into the freedom that is
ours in Christ. There you will discover the ability to follow His plan without
being hindered by overwhelming fear.
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