ODJ: perfect path
God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out (v.23).
READ: Acts 2:22-28
My wife and I had prayed. We had sought God. We had sought godly counsel. Now we presented our plans to a group of people who would help us realize a vision for ministry or shut it down. They chose the latter.
We’ve all felt the pain of having plans dashed and dreams deferred. The confusion and disillusionment that follows can be overwhelming. Where’s God in all of this? What are His plans for us?
God has a perfect path that He continues to blaze in this world. His plans can’t be shut down. “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided,” God spoke through Isaiah (14:24). In the New Testament, Peter stated, “God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed” (Acts 2:23).
These verses reveal that God’s perfect path—a path that once led Jesus to the cross—lies before us. And though He allows His creatures to choose or reject Him (Deuteronomy 30:15-16; John 14:15-17), God will arrange things so that His “prearranged plan” will come to fruition.
These truths can be a great encouragement to us when we feel that the path we’re on has taken a wrong turn. Peter pulls from Psalm 16 as He proclaims, “I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me” (Acts 2:25). My God is still with me even when the path is confusing. “My body rests in hope” (v.26). My hope is in God and not my circumstances. “You have shown me the way” (v.28). God will reveal His perfect path to me.
Several years after our ministry plans were shelved, the very thing we had hoped and prayed for became a reality! But it happened in God’s perfect timing and at just the right place along His perfect path. —Tom Felten
What “bend” in life’s path has caused you to become confused or frustrated? How will you seek God’s perfect path?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Old Testament Law
By Chaz Oswald, 21, Michigan
Reading through the Old Testament can sometimes be challenging. It is especially so when God’s Law which is revealed in the Old Testament seems inapplicable or even outright insupportable to what we are taught in the New Testament. At first glance, we can mistakenly believe that the God of the Old Testament was full of wrath, anger, and vengeance whereas the God of the New Testament is the polar opposite; in that He is full of love, grace and mercy. Of course, this is a bewildering outlook to maintain, for the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament! He is unchangeable!
Many atheists, who generally do not know the truth, typically view the Old Testament and New Testament as contradictory, specifically in regards to the Law.
Often, an atheist will quote Matthew 5:17-18 where Jesus states, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Upon misinterpreting Jesus’ words, such atheists will proceed to bring up strict Old Testament laws that Christians do not follow today, such as the stoning of a rebellious son (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), and ask the question: “If you are a Christian, why is it that only certain biblical law is followed and not the seemingly strict Old Testament Law that your God had commanded you to do?”
The Law of the Old Testament was a part of God’s original covenant with the nation of Israel. The old covenant was broken by Israel, so in Jeremiah 31:31-33, God makes a promise that He will establish a new covenant: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah . . . I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”
The new covenant does not give us the liberty to live apart from the Law, as it is still regarded as our standard for living. However, the Law has revealed that we do not measure up to the standard of holiness that God desires us to have. As we cannot attain perfection by our own strength and effort, Jesus Christ, our merciful Savior, was sent as the fulfillment and foundation of the new covenant. Moreover, it is through His strength and not our own, that we are able to follow God’s Law, which He has written upon our hearts. Jesus Christ’s death and His resurrection fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament Law once and for all. He had fulfilled the old sacrificial requirements that once had to be followed to the letter and has established the new covenant based on God’s mercy.
Thus, in effect, the Old Testament Law (and old covenant) was twofold: Firstly, the Law was established by God to help us understand God’s holiness, in that He is set apart, different and righteous. Secondly, the Law was established to help us know what sin is.
Finally, after answering the above query about the Old Testament Law, politely ask, “If the Bible were irrelevant, what is your basis for a moral law?”
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: if day
February 19, 2010
READ: James 1:1-11
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. —James 1:2-3
February 19, 1942, was a fascinating day for Canada. It was “If Day”—a World War II staging of a fake Nazi invasion of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The intent was to show what it would be like “if” Canada fell under the harsh occupation of Nazi forces, and so that Canadians would support the war effort more fully.
As one person described the event: “If Day brought home the reality of Nazi occupation. Manitobans got a very bitter taste of nearly every aspect of Nazi brutality.” The key word there is nearly. While “If Day” was a valiant attempt to educate people about danger in the world, it could not begin to recreate the actual suffering that was sweeping Europe.
Real trials in life are not ifs—they are whens. In fact, life’s most profound lessons cannot simply be observed, they must be experienced. It is there, in actual seasons of heartache and loss, that we gain greater insights into life, faith, and our need of God. To that end, James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).
Trials come because we live in a broken world, but we decide if we will learn the lessons taught. There are no “ifs” about it—it is an important way to grow. — Bill Crowder
Tough times can teach us to trust.
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