wordofgod: January 2023

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

3 Points about the Doctrine of Election Every Christian Needs to Know

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

This article is adapted from the recently released book The Christian’s True Identity: What It Means to Be in Christ (Reformation Heritage Books, 2019) by Jonathan Landry Cruse.

A hurdle many Christians cannot seem to get over is accepting and embracing the doctrine of election, or predestination. By nature, we don’t like the fact that God is the one who does the choosing. We want to be the masters of our fate and the captains of our soul. Yet Paul seems to make the case very clearly in Ephesians 1:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,even as he chose us in himbefore the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In lovehe predestined usfor adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 1:3–5; emphasis added)

What brings Paul to doxology is distasteful to many. R.C. Sproul accurately describes the feeling of most people towards the concept:

The very word predestination has an ominous ring to it. It is linked to the despairing notion of fatalism and somehow suggests that within its pale we are reduced to meaningless puppets. The word conjures up visions of a diabolical deity who plays capricious games with our lives.[1]

Yes, this is a hard truth to come to terms with, but such a fatalistic view tragically eclipses the beauty of God’s work for undeserving and incapable sinners like you and me. To help us grapple with and grow to love this essential aspect of the gospel, consider the following three points about election.

**1. Election is a biblical doctrine.**

First, the doctrine is biblical. This should seem evident enough, as it is clearly spelled out in the section of Ephesians 1 quoted earlier. Nor is this the only place we run up against the concept in Scripture. Just a few verses later on Paul will say—even more bluntly—that we have been “predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). In Romans 8:29-30 we read,

For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he predestined, these he also called; whom he called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified.”

These are places in which these theological terms are used explicitly, but if we broaden our radar to also pick up allusions to and themes of choosing, predetermining, and electing, the list gets longer.

There are some out there who have a false notion of predestination and election, namely, that it was the invention of some ancient French madman named John Calvin. No doubt, Calvin would mourn the fact that history has dubbed this doctrine “Calvinism,” as though it somehow belonged more to him than to God.

Others who are more informed would recognize that the idea of election is not strictly Calvinist and is in fact a scriptural concept. Indeed, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, and so-called Calvinists all hold to different nuances of predestination. But even then, the most common view is not the biblical one; that is, while God does choose some to salvation, He does so based on “foreseen faith.” This view states that God was able to look down the halls of time and see everyone who would, if presented the opportunity, respond to the gospel in faith. Those who would respond in faith God elects to everlasting life. This effectively makes our choice the foundation for God’s. It would put us over and above God.

**2. Election is a big doctrine.**

To those who would argue for that view, I would respond by saying it does not square with the rest of the biblical data regarding who God is, and that those who hold to it don’t understand the second thing about election: it is a big doctrine. By that I mean several things.

It is big in the sense that there is a lot at stake with election—like salvation! But the doctrine also deals with a big topic: the sovereignty of God. Or, to put it another way, election is a big deal because it deals with the bigness of God.

The Westminster Confession of Faith gives us a great description of what God’s sovereignty is all about:

God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.” (WCF 3.1)

This sweeping statement accurately captures the bigness of God, all in reference to predestination, or foreordination. First, in terms of time: “from all eternity”—there was never a moment that God wasn’t in control. Second, in terms of necessity: “freely”—no one forces God to do anything. Third, in terms of permanence: “unchangeably”—nothing can thwart God’s plan or cause it to take a detour. Fourth, in terms of scope: “whatsoever comes to pass”—in other words, if it happened, it’s because God ordained it to happen.

You see, if we lose God’s bigness, we lose God. If God is not sovereign, he is not God at all. If something can be decided or determined apart from, outside of, or before God, then that means that there is something out there that is greater than God. And if something is greater than God, then God isn’t God at all. Think about it: why would you want to choose salvation in Jesus for yourself, when it would mean putting your eternal destiny in the hands of a God who doesn’t even have a say in your temporal decisions?

Of course, the main concern for people is that if we “give” God His sovereignty, then we are giving away our own freedom. But this is a false dilemma. Loraine Boettner writes,

The true solution of this difficult question respecting the sovereignty of God and the freedom of man, is not to be found in the denial of either, but rather in such reconciliation as gives full weight to each, yet which assigns a preeminence to the divine sovereignty corresponding to the infinite exaltation of the Creator above the sinful creature.[2]

It is the very same God who has ordained “whatsoever comes to pass” who has also ordained our freedom! We can both be free, me and God. He’s just freer. As a father and a child are both free, yet the father’s freedom outweighs the child’s, so too does God give his creatures freedom out of and yet also within his own freedom.

**3. Election is a beautiful doctrine.**

This brings us to the third thing regarding predestination and election. Not only is it a biblical doctrine and a big doctrine, but it is also a beautiful doctrine. It can so often be caricatured as nothing more than a cold and lifeless calculus. But what does Paul say in Ephesians 1? That it was in love he predestined us (Eph. 1:4-5)! Thus, it has been said that election is based on affection. It is God’s love for us that causes him to ordain us to everlasting life. This is a beautiful truth, and it should move us to praise as it does Paul:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Eph.1:3)

When properly understood, election teaches us not just about how great God is, but how good he is:

God’s love is the fountainhead of the gospel. God’s Son did not come into the world to persuade the Father to love or to win His love for us; He came as the gift of the Father’s love to us.[3]

He is a sovereign God, and yet also a saving God. Some people might tend to pit John’s “God is love” (1 John 4:16) against Paul’s predestination. But they go hand in hand. If God were not love, we would be lost. Yet while we were still sinners, God loved us—God chose us.

Jonathan Landry Cruse is the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Kalamazoo, MI. He is a published hymn author and his works can be viewed at www.HymnsOfDevotion.com. He is also the author of The Christian’s True Identity: What It Means to Be in Christ.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

It’s The greatest commandment, Mark 12:30–31

and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

It’s The fulfilling of the law, Romans 13:10

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

It must Accompany Faith Galatians 5:6

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/fwIbTPt
via IFTTT

The Greatest Gift of All

Today on the broadcast I will be talking about

The Greatest Gift of All

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Greater than the gift of Prophecy 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Greater than the gift of Knowledge

Greater than the gift of Faith

It’s The greatest commandment, Mark 12:30–31

It’s The fulfilling of the law, Romans 13:10

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

It must Accompany Faith Galatians 5:6

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/fwIbTPt
via IFTTT

Look at Jesus, Not the Waves

“… Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus.

But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” Matthew 14:29-31 (MSG)

The call of discipleship is to follow after Jesus, even onto the water. In a sense, Jesus beckons,

“Come closer to me. Be my disciple and learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I am the only way, so I require you to focus exclusively on me in your obedience.“

Then, to underscore the need for this single-minded obedience, the Bible tells us that Peter became distracted. As he sees the wind whipping across the waves, Peter takes his focus off Jesus and he begins to sink into the water. His obedience is now double-minded – and he provides a profound object lesson in what happens when we try to serve two masters.

Here is the way of little faith: We want to walk on water; yet, we insist on being able to focus on whatever we want — sometimes Jesus, sometimes the wind and waves; sometimes Jesus, sometimes our careers and casual pursuits; sometimes Jesus; sometimes “the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).

When we choose to focus on our cares and worries, we elevate our anxieties to the same status as the promises of Jesus. But, which is more important, which should demand our greater attention – the ability of Jesus to care for us or the concerns we have about our circumstances?

And so, rather than obeying the commands of Jesus, we demand he tolerate our distractions and double-mindedness. We live within a mythology that says we can somehow follow after Jesus, yet pick and choose what commandments we will obey — and when we’ll obey.

But, if we want to walk on the water with Jesus, we must hear his directing us, ‘Don’t look at the waves; look at Me.’

By Jon Walker
Used by Permission

10 Questions a Christian Woman Should Ask Herself Before Saying Yes to a Marriage Proposal

Deciding whether to marry a man is one of the biggest decisions a woman will ever make. Here are ten questions, along with corresponding Bible passages, a Christian woman should ask herself before saying yes (click here for the corresponding article for Christian men; all Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version):

1. Is he a Christian who has overall excellent character along with a consistent desire to love and honor God in all things?

The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him! (Prov. 20:7)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom. 12:1)

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, actlike men, be strong. (1 Cor. 16:13)

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (1 Tim. 6:11)

2. Am I willing to respectfully submit to his authority and judgment as the head of the family, “as is fitting in the Lord” (Col. 3:18), even when I disagree with him?

Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. (1 Cor. 11:9-12)

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Eph. 5:22-24)

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (Col. 3:18)

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:3-5)

3. Does he always show me respect, honor me, and protect me from all harm, slander, and appearances of impropriety?

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen. 2:24)

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Cor. 11:3)

Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (Col. 3:19)

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (Heb. 13:4)

4. Do we love and enjoy each other?

Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. (Prov. 5:18-19)

Come, my beloved,
    let us go out into the fields
    and lodge in the villages;
let us go out early to the vineyards
    and see whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened
    and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love. (Song of Songs 7:11-12)

5. Is he a responsible, hard worker who spends his time wisely, loves his neighbor as himself, and would be a good father to our children should we have them?

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Gen. 2:15)

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Prov. 13:4)

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

“‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4)

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thess. 3:10-12)

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Tim. 5:8)

6. Does he faithfully and sacrificially love me, putting my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs ahead of his own?

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Eph. 5:25-30)

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Pet. 3:7)

7. Am I willing to be a godly example to him and faithfully stand by him until death parts us, in both the good and tough times?

He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord. (Prov. 18:22)

“‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:7-9)

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. (1 Cor. 7:39)

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (1 Pet. 3:1)

8. Am I willing to joyfully participate with him in a God-honoring sexual relationship throughout our life together as health and life circumstances permit?

The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. (1 Cor. 7:3-5)

9. Am I willing to lovingly care for the household we build together?

House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. (Prov. 19:14)

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.” (Prov. 31:26-29)

10. Do we encourage each other to grow in holiness as we both die to the old self and live unto God?

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Cor. 4:16)

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Cor. 7:1)

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Eph. 4:25-27)

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:1-4)

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:14-16)

Monday, January 30, 2023

The Lord Your God is with You

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Listen again from the Amplified Bible. “The Lord Your God is in the midst of you, a mighty One, a Savior who saves! He will rejoice over you with joy. In his love he will rest in silent satisfaction. He will exult over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Receive your Father’s smile today. All the affectionate imagery you can muster is only a dim picture of how he feels about you. You have not yet heard or seen or known the majesty of all his great love. You have longed and ached for a father’s embrace, and you have a Father whose heart longs for you. Be blessed as you receive his embrace. Look into his eyes to see him and yourself reflected there. He loves you in the way you were created to be loved. He loves you with his love as strong as death. He has come to overwhelm you with his love. He will pour out over your life everything you need. He has saved the best till now.

One thing is necessary: live at his feet and rest in his presence. Let his peace permeate your mind. Let his love calm your heart. As your Abba delights in his Beloved Son in whom he is well pleased, he delights in you in the same way, because he is in you and you are in him. The prayer of Jesus was “Father, let them know deeply that as you love me, so you love them, they in me and I in you” (John 17:21,26 paraphrased). He loves you beyond anything you deserve or can earn.

Let his love be the foundation of your life, and you will be filled again and again in all the promises he has spoken to you. He wants you to know that you are beloved in the Beloved Son and complete in the finished work of the cross, where he dealt with all sin, wounds, words, and other hurtful things that separate you from his love. God delights in you. There’s power in that little phrase. “I am the one God likes.” We need to live in this truth: “God LIKES me” today, every day, every moment. That doesn’t mean we do everything right, but when we do something wrong, we come to a throne of grace and find mercy to help us in our need. Be blessed as you receive mercy and grace there, that empowering presence of the Spirit to believe the truth and live in it. Allow God to remove all that causes offense.

Coach your soul to let go of the past, the pain, the problems. Turn your back on them as you face your Father. Be blessed with joy and a different peace and a greater rest than you have ever known. Be blessed with refreshing and renewal in his presence, as you pursue all that he has created you for.

Be blessed in your Father’s house where there’s a party in your honor, to celebrate you, just as in Luke 15. He is an extravagant Father. Be blessed as he rejoices over you with great gladness. Be blessed in the wonderful sound of the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.

Be blessed in the name of your Savior who rejoices over you (Zephaniah 3:17).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Why Do Christians Pray, “Thy Will Be Done, on Earth as It Is in Heaven”?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a series on the Lord’s Prayer, line by line. Rev. Campbell Markham is a Presbyterian minister in Perth, Australia.

“Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” — Matthew 6:10 (NASB 1977)

“Australians all let us rejoice, for we are young and free…” So begins the Australian national anthem.

We pride ourselves—whether we are teens or oldies and no matter how long our island continent has been peopled—on our youthful energy and optimism. And on our freedom. Our freedom to do what we want when we want.

There are two distinct ideas of freedom.

Covid 2020 challenged this. Most of us submitted to unprecedented restrictions and lockdowns wagging our tails like loyal Labradors. Are we free?

At a time when our liberty is being pressed and questioned, we should remember that there are in fact two distinct ideas of freedom:

Horizontal freedom is my freedom in relation to other human beings to do just what makes me happy. We might call this anthropocentric freedom. It is the child of our selfishness and the mother of human greed, irresponsibility, tyranny, and misery.
Vertical freedom is my freedom in relation to God. It is the freedom to live according to our God-given nature. It is freedom from an inner slavery to rebellion against God, which constrains us from being what we were created to be. We might call this theocentric freedom. It is the source of humility, generosity, self-sacrifice, and unexpected happiness.

We’ve learned the hard way—like the fish who leapt from sea to sand crying, “Freee-duuum!”—the gasping misery of denying and defying our nature. And this originated in the garden of Eden when Adam rebelled against God’s rule, bringing guilt and a depraved nature upon himself and all his posterity.

Only God wills what is right.

When we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we recognize God’s perfect justice, wisdom, and holiness. He only wills what is right.

We recognize also that the heavenly angels, under the reign of God the King, and untouched by the rebellion of sin, freely and gladly do God’s perfect will.

And we grieve that, right now, God’s will is not done on earth. No one keeps his Ten Commandments. Who even knows them?

We pray, then, that we will know angelic freedom on earth—that our chains of sin will be broken, that we’ll be free to do our heavenly Father’s good will, and that we will live in the delight of this.

Campbell Markham has been a pastor in the Australian Presbyterian Church for over twenty-two years and lives in Perth, Western Australia. He blogs at Campbell Markham: Thoughts and Letters.

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“My sheep recognize My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from Me, for My Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from Me. I and the Father are one” John 10:27-30

Are you one of God’s “sheep“?

Do you know for sure that you are a child of God?

Do you have any question about your salvation? How do you know that Christ is in your life and that you have eternal life and that no one can take you away from our Lord? What is the basis of your assurance?

Frequently, one hears a Christian share the dramatic testimony of how Christ changed his life from years of drug addiction, gross immorality or some other distressing problem. On the other hand, there are many, like myself, who have knelt quietly in the privacy of the home, at a mountain retreat, or in a church sanctuary, and there received Christ into their lives with no dramatic emotional experience at that time of decision. Both are valid, authentic ways to come to Christ.

The apostle Paul had a dramatic conversion experience. However, Timothy, his son in the faith, had learned of Christ from his mother and grandmother in his early youth. The important thing is not how you met Christ, but the assurance that you are a child of God, your sins have been forgiven and you have eternal life. It is not presumptuous or arrogant to say that you know these things to be true, because God’s Word says so

(1 John 5:11-13): “And what is it that God has said? That He has given us eternal life, and that this life is in His Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have His Son, does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life.”

Bible Reading: John 10:22-26

Thought: As one of God’s sheep, I will ask the Holy Spirit to help me be more sensitive and alert to the voice of my Savior, in order that I may follow Him more closely and always obey Him, and especially that I may be sensitive to what He would have me say to those around me who are in need of His love and forgiveness.
https://thoughts-about-god.com/biblestudies_/spiritfilledlife

By Dr. Brill Bright
Used by Permission

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Your Kindness Quotient

How kind are you? What is your kindness quotient?

When was the last time you did something kind for someone in your family: e.g., got a blanket, cleaned off the table, prepared the coffee – without being asked?

Think about your school or workplace. Which person is the most overlooked or avoided? A shy student? A grumpy employee? Maybe he doesn’t speak the language. Maybe she doesn’t fit in. Are you kind to this person?

Kind hearts are quietly kind. They let the car cut into traffic and the young mom with three kids move up in the checkout line. They pick up the neighbor’s trash can that rolled into the street. And they are especially kind at church. They understand that perhaps the neediest person they’ll meet all week is the one standing in the foyer or sitting on the row behind them in worship. Paul writes: “When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10).

And, here is a challenge – what about your enemies? With the boss who fired you or the wife who left you. Suppose you surprised them with kindness? Not easy? No, it’s not. But mercy is the deepest gesture of kindness. Paul equates the two. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV).

Jesus said:

Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you. – If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? ¦ [L]ove your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Show mercy, just as your Father shows mercy. (Luke 6:27-28, 32, 35-36)

Kindness at home. Kindness in public. Kindness at church and kindness with your enemies. Pretty well covers the gamut, don’t you think? Almost. Someone else needs your kindness. Who could that be? You.

Since he is so kind to us, can’t we be a little kinder to ourselves? Oh, but you don’t know me, Max. You don’t know my faults and my thoughts. You don’t know the gripes I grumble and the complaints I mumble. No, I don’t, but he does. He knows everything about you, yet he doesn’t hold back his kindness toward you. Has he, knowing all your secrets, retracted one promise or reclaimed one gift?

No, he is kind to you. Why don’t you be kind to yourself? He forgives your faults. Why don’t you do the same? He thinks tomorrow is worth living. Why don’t you agree? He believes in you enough to call you his ambassador, his follower, even his child. Why not take his cue and believe in yourself?

Be kind to yourself. God thinks you’re worth his kindness. And he’s a good judge of character.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://maxlucado.com/about/

Love is Patient and Kind

“Love never gives up. Love cares for others more than for self” (I Corinthians 13:1).

This story reminds me of how often we make judgements about situations or people without knowing the facts. How wrong we can be.

A bus stopped and one of the passengers noticed a father with several children getting on. The children were very unruly. They wouldn’t sit still and kept changing seats and fighting — all the annoying things that children do when they are out of control.

The father had sat down beside a man who became quite annoyed, thinking, “Why doesn’t he control his children?” Finally, he could take it no longer. He turned to the father and blurted, “Your children are out of control. Why don’t you do something?”

“Yes,” the father replied, “I suppose you are right. But you see, we have just come from the hospital. Their mother died this morning. They don’t know how to handle it and neither do I.”

Wow! Talk about blowing it.

So often our judgments are based on outward appearances. We base them on hearsay or our limited experience. God looks at people’s hearts. Isaiah 11:3 has this to say about Christ, “He will not judge by the way things look. He will not judge by what people say.”

The more we allow Christ to take control of our lives, the less likely we will be to make quick judgements about people or believe rumors. As we ask Him to put His love in our hearts, we will become more like Him.

Lord Jesus, Your love is perfect. Thank You for being so patient and kind with us. When You judge and discipline us, it is because You know all the facts and it is for our good. Love always rules everything You do. We, on the other hand, are so often harsh and self-righteous when analyzing the actions of others. Today, we confess our critical and unkind attitudes to You and ask Your Spirit to enable us to be patient and kind. Amen.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

What Is God's Plan for Your Life Here and Now?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Perhaps one of the most common Bible verses found on bookmarks, in memory lists, and on social media posts is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’”

This verse brings a message we cling to—a message of comfort and future hope while living in places and times full of stress, suffering, sadness, confusion, and anger. We read and recite this verse to direct our hearts and minds forward to a better time in a better place—the pleasant future God has planned for us.

The Context of Jeremiah 29:11

It is important—actually critical—for us to consider the context of this message of hope in Jeremiah 29:11. A small remnant of God’s chosen nation were living in exile in a foreign land, ruled by prideful and violent leaders whose goals were to dominate others while protecting their own view of an ideal culture. It was in this environment of suffering that God told his people how to live.

Patiently settling in for the long haul, God’s people were to build houses and live in them. They were to labor and work within the culture to provide for themselves and to help one another. They were to form and keep families. And, in terms of the culture and the nation, God’s people were to seek its welfare (in the Hebrew, shalom), because their present circumstances depended to a great extent on the good they themselves brought to their communities (Jer. 29:4-7).

Even though we may not live in physical exile from our land, like the people of Israel during the time of Jeremiah, we too suffer in other ways. But just as Israel had a hope then, there is a hope and a future for us today—God’s plan for his people, which is the salvation we have in Christ Jesus through faith by God’s gracious gift. We know that in the immediate context of Jeremiah 29, God’s plan of redemption was Israel’s temporal return to the physical land from Babylonian exile. We also know by reading the context of the entirety of Scripture that God’s ultimate plan is eternal redemption in Christ Jesus.

Neglecting either of the contexts above could lead us to think that the future hope and plan of God is merely our temporal and present good, prosperity, and blessing, and surely we do sometimes experience these providential gifts of God. Yet, he also promises that we will suffer, we will be persecuted, we will know pain, and this life will be a struggle (Phil. 1:29).

Living Here and Now

So what does it mean to live here and now? Even though deliverance from this evil and suffering age has been inaugurated through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, how do we go about patiently waiting for God’s future plan of hope in its final consummation? How are we to live while on the one hand, we are citizens of a future time and place (Phil. 3:20), but on the other hand, we find ourselves in this painful place where we must strive to persevere while suffering?

We find the answer by carefully noticing the context of Israel’s Babylonian exile, and God keeps it pretty simple. Rather than telling his people to overthrow political power, he counsels them to seek the welfare (shalom) of the place where they live. Rather than telling the Israelites to take over centers of cultural influence, he tells them to form extended families. Rather than looking to others to provide for them, he tells Israel to build and produce. The apostle Paul gives similar counsel to believers who now live in the new covenant era:

And… aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 These. 4:11).

Our True Hope and Eternal Future

So while we live in this present evil age (cf. Gal. 1:4) where God has temporarily placed us, he reminds us that there is a future ultimate and eternal hope—and this is his plan, not ours. Though our true hope and eternal future do not rest on temporal things, such as plans for political power or an ultimate cultural transformation, we are not to neglect this creation that God has so graciously and providentially provided to us. As he is patient, so we ought also to be patient, living in the here and now in a manner not like those who have no hope but rather in ways like those who are the redeemed people of God.

We need to be faithfully and patiently present to all of those who are near us as we settle in for the long haul. Since God has fully revealed his plan in Christ Jesus, we now live by faith in grateful and diligent anticipation of his ultimate and eternal plan while building, producing, and seeking the welfare of one another and our neighbors.

Daniel Rowlands is content editor for Beautiful Christian Life.

Shalom: Though the biblical Hebrew word shalom has a broad range of meaning, its specific meaning is dependent on its usage in a particular context. Depending on its context, it may carry a meaning such as success, prosperity, safety, welfare, peace (broadly or individually), rest, salvation, friendliness, completeness, or even as a greeting like “hello.” In Jeremiah 29:7, it is variously translated welfare (e.g. ESV, JPS, NASB), peace (e.g. KJV), and peace and prosperity (e.g. NIV).

Friday, January 27, 2023

A Fruitful Prayer Life

Today on the broadcast I will be talking about

A Fruitful Prayer Life

Must be cleaned by Jesus. [ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.]

Must Cling to Jesus. [Abide in me, and I in you.]

Must Call upon Jesus [ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you]

John 15:1-8 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/F2YPQBb
via IFTTT

A Fruitful Prayer Life

Today on the broadcast I will be talking about

A Fruitful Prayer Life

Must be cleaned by Jesus. [ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.]

Must Cling to Jesus. [Abide in me, and I in you.]

Must Call upon Jesus [ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you]

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/F2YPQBb
via IFTTT

Be Prepared

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Luke 12:40

We desire peace, but war is happening. We desire pleasant weather, but some places have been flooded. We desire health, but many have been affected by the pandemic. Whether we are affected directly or indirectly, it’s real. We all have questions about the world’s adverse events.

I do not intend to distress you. Cheer up and put your hope in the Master.

Prepare yourself. Seek the Kingdom and you will have provision during painful times.

Prepare your hearts above all.

Watch! Neither you nor I know the exact time the Master is coming back. That’s why we get ready. We wait. While our hearts are waiting, our feet are taking steps forward.

Let the lamp of our hearts burn with enthusiasm and expectation. When that lamp produces light, the carrier of that lamp will shine. Choose to shine.

Regardless of the climate of this world, our eyes are to stay fixed on the Master. It’s not easy unless we stand firm and lean on him. Look for his purposes in everything. Watch and pray. The secrets of this season will then be revealed to you—providing wisdom. We want to distinguish between truth and lies. We do not want to be deceived.

Allow God’s truth to take over your heart so you can radiate with hope. Hope beyond world events and what you’re going through.

Be ready! Our hearts should be ready. If you and I hear a knock on the door, we should be able to open with a smile.

Heavenly Father, help me to prepare my heart so I can wait for the return of the Son of Man with enthusiasm. Grant me hope today, in Jesus’ name.

Focus on maintaining a pure heart regardless of what happens, knowing that God can handle this and that he is our sovereign, loving Master.

By Fab Batsakis
Used by Permission

Behold How He Loves Us

Our capacity to actually dwell in Christ’s presence is based upon knowing the true nature of God.

If we see Him as a loving Father, we will draw near; if He seems to be a harsh judge, we will withdraw. Indeed, everything that defines us is influenced by our perception of God.

If we do not believe God cares about us, we will be overly focused on caring for ourselves. If we feel insignificant or ignored by God, we will exhaust ourselves by seeking significance from men. However, once we realize that God truly loves us, that He desires we draw near to Him, a door opens before us into His presence. Here, in the shelter of the Most High, we can find rest and renewed power for our souls.

God’s love is not a reality distant from our needs. The Bible reveals that Lord is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15 KJV). He feels the pain of what we experience on earth. He participates in the life we live, for “in Him we live, and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 KJV). He is not removed from our need; we are His body. He is one with us.

The truth is, we are not alone in our battles. However, if we believe we are alone—if we accept the lie that God does not care—our darkened thinking will isolate us from the loving commitment of God.

Beloved, even in our times of rebellion, the heart of God is not far. Consider the Lord’s relationship with Israel. Though Israel had sinned and was suffering oppressive consequences, the Lord wasn’t far. We read that when the Lord “could bear the misery of Israel no longer” He raised up deliverers (Judges 10:16). God wasn’t distant; He was with them, actually bearing their very misery!

At Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus wept. Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus; He knew it six days before He called Lazarus back from death. He wept because they were weeping.

Do you know that the Spirit of God actually feels our heartache? He is with us in our conflicts and near us in our fears. At the tomb of Lazarus, some would suggest that Christ’s weeping was really over the unbelief of His disciples. I think not. When the Lord wept over Lazarus, those who saw Christ saw a man touched by the sorrows of others. They remarked, “Behold how He loved him!” (John 11:36).

Our healing comes when we behold how He loves us.

We are raised from the dead when He comes to our tomb and calls us by name out of death.

We must personalize God’s love.

He gave His Son for my sins, His word for my guidance and His Spirit for my strength. If the Almighty is for me, who can be against me?

Dear friend, with wide-eyed wonder, let us behold how He loves us, and be healed of our isolation.

By Francis Frangipane
Used by Permission

To learn more about Francis Frangipane visit his website at: http://www.frangipane.org/

How to Make a Decision That Glorifies God

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

I stood at a crossroad. I had decisions to make but felt paralyzed. I was eighteen years old, considering which university to choose for my undergraduate studies. I heard other believers say and had read in Christian living books that I needed to pray and listen for God’s response to my prayers. Others said I wouldn’t hear an audible response from God but would experience a “peace” (whatever that meant) around one of the options. Still others told me to ask God for a sign. I had already tried seeking my answer in Scripture by using concordances and Google searches, but God’s Word remained silent on this issue.

I once heard a story from a girl in a similar position as me who had prayed for a sign, and the next day in her prayer group someone mentioned the name of a university she was considering. She had gotten her sign and made her decision at that moment. I asked God to give me a similar sign, but I received none.

God didn’t intend for our decision-making process to be filled with mystery.

Perhaps you’re standing at a crossroad too. You’re unsure how to move forward. As a believer, you want to make a decision that is pleasing to God and will glorify him. Yet this decision-making process is hazy. Maybe you’re waiting, listening, and searching, but no discernible feelings of peace or voices or thoughts are transpiring. You feel like you’re navigating a dense green forest amidst thick fog with large roots and rocks at your feet. You’re feeling in the dark for something to lead you through, but there’s nothing tangible enough to grab.

What if I told you that it doesn’t have to be this confusing? What if it doesn’t have to be so murky, vague, and filled with so much guesswork? What if decision-making doesn’t always have to feel like a blind leap of faith into a dark pool with no sight of what lurks on the bottom?

God didn’t intend for our decision-making process to be filled with mystery. He gave us his Word to guide us in holiness—to show us what’s pleasing to him and what’s not. But what about where there is no law? While he didn’t make his Word like a concordance for looking up our specific problems and finding an exact solution, he did give us the gift of wisdom.

Biblical wisdom is “the art of living well.”

Wisdom isn’t a skill we can master with a few tips and tricks or lessons. It’s an art that’s learned with study, time, maturity, and experience. Pastor and author Zach Keele defines biblical wisdom as “the art of living well.”[1] It’s an art in the sense that the word wisdom connotes the idea of mastering special skills such as woodworking, sewing, or writing. But it’s also an art of living, in that it takes our skills and knowledge and applies them to our lives. In this way it equips us to live well, even amid hardship and difficulties.[2]

Wisdom is more than knowing right theology or what God commands. It’s also understanding how to use such knowledge in a righteous way. It’s the skill of applying God’s Word to whatever life’s circumstances may present and seeing where the nuances lie. It’s a humble, ever-growing knowledge.

Scripture teaches us how to be wise by teaching us goodness, holiness, and truth.

How do we grow in wisdom? If wisdom is the art of living well, we should turn no further than the book that shows us how to live a life pleasing to God. Scripture teaches us how to be wise by teaching us goodness, holiness, and truth. The Bible even has the entire book of Proverbs, which is dedicated to the nuances and skill of wisdom. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the value of Scripture for living a godly life:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

The psalmist likewise proclaimed,

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. (Ps. 19:7)

The Bible comes from the very breath of God. If you wish to hear the voice of God and know what he wants to say to you, simply open his Word and read it, and through it the Holy Spirit will teach and instruct you and help you apply it to your particular life circumstances.

Wisdom is found in submitting to and learning from the maturity of older and wiser believers.

Wisdom also recognizes when to turn to people who are wiser than ourselves. As Proverbs says,

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. (11:14)

Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (15:22)

By turning to experts, family members, respected church leaders, and fellow Christians, we can find an abundance of wisdom for our decisions. Pride believes that we know best—or perhaps that God would only speak to us—but humility and its partner wisdom tell us to seek the counsel of many. Wisdom is found in submitting to and learning from the maturity of older and wiser believers.

Wisdom is also found in believers who may not necessarily be older than we are, people who can provide another perspective for us. The apostle Paul describes the church as a body made up of different parts and requiring one another to function properly (1 Cor. 12:12–31). As a hand, you don’t have the same knowledge, experience, or perspective as a foot, eye, or shoulder. You need the other pieces of the body to strengthen you where you are weak and teach you where you lack wisdom. We are not only individuals chosen and loved by God but also members of the collective body of believers whom God loves and leads. Look to these members and seek their wisdom.

Faith trusts in the clear and true promises of God and exercises proper wisdom and prudence with each step it takes.

I’ve pursued unwise decisions before because I felt “the nudging” of the Holy Spirit. I’ve watched others do the same. Sometimes we believe the riskier or more outrageous the idea, the more likely it came from God. But that’s not the case. God isn’t just power and glory—he’s the Creator of wisdom and order, too.

We’ve been led to believe that faith means stepping out into the dangerous, ravenous forest on our own with no torch, weapons, or tools. If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not exercising faith in your decision-making, they say. Yet that’s not the ordinary picture Scripture paints for us. There are times when faith does mean proclaiming your faith to hostile people or holding to Christ even when faced with deadly persecution. But that doesn’t mean our faith must be blind and unprepared, expecting God to provide miraculously and do the impossible (though he certainly can).

Rather, faith trusts in the clear and true promises of God and exercises proper wisdom and prudence with each step it takes. We can search Scripture, ask godly friends and leaders, and assess our options before deciding. We can take time to slowly process and turn ideas over in our minds and wait until we are confident in our decision. That’s still faith in God, and no less faithful. Rather, in living by such careful wisdom instead of rash decisions that bring about many problematic results, we can bring more glory to God.

Brother or sister in Christ, seek to grow in wisdom, and don’t feel ashamed that you’re not living by strange, indiscernible feelings or taking risky jumps of blind faith. Make each decision with God-given and Spirit-led wisdom, which comes from his Word and fellowship within his beloved church.

Lara d’Entremont is a wife, mother, biblical counselor-in-training, and Editor at Large for Beautiful Christian Life. You can find more of her writing at laradentremont.com.

[1] Zach Keele, The Unfolding Word: The Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2020), 206.

[2] Ibid, 206–207.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

1. Election is a biblical doctrine.

2. Election is a big doctrine.

3. Election is a beautiful doctrine.

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“… Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus.

Further Reading

1. Is he a Christian who has overall excellent character along with a consistent desire to love and honor God in all things?

2. Am I willing to respectfully submit to his authority and judgment as the head of the family, “as is fitting in the Lord” (Col. 3:18), even when I disagree with him?

3. Does he always show me respect, honor me, and protect me from all harm, slander, and appearances of impropriety?

4. Do we love and enjoy each other?

5. Is he a responsible, hard worker who spends his time wisely, loves his neighbor as himself, and would be a good father to our children should we have them?

6. Does he faithfully and sacrificially love me, putting my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs ahead of his own?

7. Am I willing to be a godly example to him and faithfully stand by him until death parts us, in both the good and tough times?

8. Am I willing to joyfully participate with him in a God-honoring sexual relationship throughout our life together as health and life circumstances permit?

9. Am I willing to lovingly care for the household we build together?

10. Do we encourage each other to grow in holiness as we both die to the old self and live unto God?

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Monday, January 30, 2023

Further Reading

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

There are two distinct ideas of freedom.

Only God wills what is right.

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Are you one of God’s “sheep“?

Do you know for sure that you are a child of God?

Further Reading

Saturday, January 28, 2023

How kind are you? What is your kindness quotient?

Further Reading

Further Reading

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

The Context of Jeremiah 29:11

Living Here and Now

Our True Hope and Eternal Future

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Friday, January 27, 2023

Prepare yourself. Seek the Kingdom and you will have provision during painful times.

Prepare your hearts above all.

Further Reading

Our capacity to actually dwell in Christ’s presence is based upon knowing the true nature of God.

Our healing comes when we behold how He loves us.

We must personalize God’s love.

Further Reading

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

God didn’t intend for our decision-making process to be filled with mystery.

Biblical wisdom is “the art of living well.”

Scripture teaches us how to be wise by teaching us goodness, holiness, and truth.

Wisdom is found in submitting to and learning from the maturity of older and wiser believers.

Faith trusts in the clear and true promises of God and exercises proper wisdom and prudence with each step it takes.

Related Articles:

Recommended:

**1. Election is a biblical doctrine.**

**2. Election is a big doctrine.**

**3. Election is a beautiful doctrine.**