Song: Run In Faith
This song is based on Heb 12:1-2. It speaks about life being a race and how at times we could be discouraged, but Scripture reminds us that there is a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, cheering us to carry on if we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus who would help us finish the [...]
the world is watching
May 11, 2009
READ: John 13:31-35
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. —John 13:35
My friends were serving in a ministry that was directed mainly to Christians when an opportunity came for them to change jobs and touch the lives of thousands of nonbelievers. They decided to make what they believed to be an exciting change.
Many people, even some who didn’t personally know them, were shocked and accused them of seeking fame and fortune in the world. But believing that Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), they decided to pursue what they considered an even greater opportunity to serve the “lost” in their community.
They said later, “Some Christians were so cruel to us, and wrote hateful e-mails. Our new non-Christian friends were kinder to us than our fellow Christians. We didn’t understand that, and were hurt deeply.” They told me that their desire was to follow God’s directive to be “salt” and “light” in the world (Matt. 5:13-14).
When someone we know is making a decision or change, it can be helpful to ask about his or her motives. But we can’t fully know another’s heart. We don’t want to “bite and devour” our fellow Christians (Gal. 5:15), but instead to love them in a way that others will know we are Jesus’ followers (John 13:35). The world is watching. — Anne Cetas
Only God sees the heart.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...high on sinai
Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true (v.9).
READ: Psalm 19:7-11
As far as Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don’t believe, or a legend, which I don’t believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics. —Benny Shanon, Time and Mind journal of philosophy
I don’t know about you, but the suggestion that Moses got high on Mount Sinai and imagined his encounter with God makes me grit my teeth! As I state that, I’m aware that we are all capable of reading God’s Word in a way that colors it with our own biases. So how do we avoid this?
It begins with respecting the author—the author being God. David wrote, “Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true” (Psalm 19:9). Respecting Him means we’re more concerned with His intended meaning than our own souped-up or watered-down spin on Scripture.
As we read the Bible with eyes to see God’s messages instead of our own, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus assured us that “the Holy Spirit will teach you everything” (John 14:26), but the careful handling of God’s Word doesn’t stop there.
With His Spirit helping us, we need to read the entire Bible. We know that “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16), yet some biases may cause us to emphasize certain parts of the Bible while overlooking others. David assured us that “the instructions of the Lord are perfect” (Psalm 19:7).
Our respect for God and His Word must always override human ideas about the Bible—even our own ideas! David said, “The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy” (Psalm 19:8), so let’s trust His Word completely, rather than “getting high” on our own thinking. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
In what ways do your words and actions reveal God’s grace? How will you change to become a bolder witness for Jesus?
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