The Final Goal: The Power Of Words
Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true. – 2 Timothy 3:16
There has never been a referee quite like Pierluigi Collina. Collina had a presence on the football pitch most footballers long for, and an authority to go with it. For 6 consecutive years he won the award for World’s Best Referee. In 2002 he was given the ultimate honour as he officiated the World Cup final between Brazil
and Germany.
Everyone knew they were in for a fair game when Collina took to the field. His words and decisions commanded huge respect.
Two thousand years ago a man named Paul wrote to his friend Timothy about the authority of words, but the
words Paul had in mind were in a totally different league than Collina’s. Paul was talking about the words of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Those words are authoritative in every single part of life: for what we should and shouldn’t know, as well as for what we must and mustn’t do. After all, if God made the world, He surely knows the best way to live in it. And above all, God’s Word teaches us to live for Him and God uses it to “equip His people to do every good work” (v.17).
There are all sorts of things which claim authority over our lives, but only the Word of God is really worth listening to. —Jon Lindsay
In the pages of the Bible, we learn the will and ways of the One who created us.
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Loading ...ODJ: simple
The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (16:9).
READ: 2 Chronicles 15:16-16:9
Life seems so much simpler in the Old Testament. Obey God = get blessed. Don’t obey Him = expect trouble. It’s a simple theology that satisfies our craving for justice.
The story of King Asa offers a textbook example of this apparent cause-and-effect relationship with God. Asa was an excellent leader who turned his people from worshiping false gods (2 Chronicles 15:8). But late in his reign, he depended on his own strength and judgment instead of on God (16:2-7). Eventually, Hanani the prophet told Asa: “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (16:9). Asa’s heart was evidently not fully in tune with God, for the balance of his life was marked by war and disease (v.12).
It’s easy to look at this story and say that people get what they deserve. But we don’t always see that happen in life. Good people often suffer. Bad people sometimes get away with murder.
A closer look at Scripture reflects these deeper nuances accurately. Even in the Old Testament, we see how the wicked seem to prosper while heroes of the faith suffer terribly. Joseph, an innocent man, languished in prison for years (Genesis 39:19-41:1). Asaph lamented that the ungodly seemed to prosper, before concluding that justice would eventually prevail (Psalm 73). In raw honesty, Jeremiah actually accused God: “You misled me” (Jeremiah 20:7).
Does God care? Yes, He does! The greatest injustice in all of history took place when Jesus suffered and died on the cross. God permitted His innocent Son to pay the horrid penalty for our sins. Is there justice in that?
“God helps those who help themselves,” some say, But the truth is, God helps those who are fully dependent on Him. —Tim Gustafson
In what ways have you been too self-sufficient to ask God for His help? How is pride keeping you from a deeper relationship with Jesus?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: a worry list
July 1, 2010
READ: Matthew 6:25-34
Do not worry about tomorrow. —Matthew 6:34
I was worrying about a few things as I sat in my car under a shade tree at lunchtime. Then a robin, with a fat worm dangling from its mouth, landed near my door and looked up at me. The robin was a vivid reminder to me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-26, “Do not worry about your life . . . . Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Years ago, in an article in the Denver Seminary magazine Focal Point, Paul Borden gave some helpful suggestions for worriers:
Start a worry list. Write down what you’re worried about. The bills. Your job. Your children or grandchildren. Your health. The future.
Turn your worry list into a prayer list. Ask the Lord to work in those situations you’re concerned about. Pray specifically for your needs and depend on Him.
Turn your prayer list into an action list. If you have any insight that there’s something you can do about your cares, do it. As we turn our worries into prayer and action, Borden says, “Paralyzing anxiety can be replaced by concern for the responsibilities of life.”
Why not start your list right now? —Anne Cetas
What you have made a matter of prayer should cease to be a matter of care.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...“I’m hungry!”
By Qi Qi Kwang, 18, Singapore
Remember when you were young, and you just had to say “I’m hungry” to have food served to you?
Embarrassingly, the affluence of Singapore has bred laziness among many young people. Having domestic helpers in homes to oversee the day-to-day processes of cooking and cleaning is now a norm.
Being born into a considerably well-to-do family, my only possible worries are that of examinations and trivial arguments at home. I am not expected to prepare meals or perform household chores. This is really a blessing of immense comfort that God has given me in His goodness. But in the midst of this luxury, how many of us actually spare a thought for those who are not as well-off?
Let us begin by asking God to help us to be thankful for the blessings He has given us (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Instead of being complacent and self-centered, let’s offer to God our “five loaves and two fishes” to help others, in accordance with what is written in Isaiah: “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon” (Isaiah 58:10). May our prayers be . . .
God, I do not want to be so self-centered,
or so mired by my own problems.
Open my eyes to see the needs of others,
especially those who are close to me.
My family and friends,
I want to see them be saved.
Help me to be an encouragement to others,
Use what I have, Lord Jesus.
My five loaves and two fishes I offer up to You,
so that God, You can use me
to glorify Your name.
Help me to see the world through Your eyes.
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