wordofgod: April 2023

Sunday, April 30, 2023

4 Things to Stop Believing about Suffering

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.

Suffering is one of the most opportune times for false theology to pop out. Well-meaning people’s palms sweat with fear of what to say, and tears fill their eyes as they listen to us share our painful story. I am thankful that more often than not I’ve received abundant kindness and encouragement from others in my suffering. But we all also have those experiences where we are on the receiving end of words that only poke at our fresh wound.

Or perhaps it’s not other people feeding you a bad, discouraging theology. Maybe all the false teaching is coming from your own aching, deceitful heart—the lies float through your head every day, though no one is saying them to you.

We’re all going to face suffering in this life—it’s sadly inevitable. Yet, what is also inevitable are the lies. Sometimes we aren’t given the option of ignoring them, but we can choose whether or not to believe them. In the midst of suffering, we can set our minds on truth, what the Bible actually says about our pain. Here are four misconceptions about suffering and the truth to which we can cling.

1. It could be worse! You need to put a positive spin on it.

I remember the pain this statement struck in my heart when someone said it to me after my first miscarriage. A positive spin? How do I put a positive spin on losing a baby? They tried to comfort me that “There was probably something wrong with the baby” and “At least you’re young.” Yes, this suffering could have been much worse, but that doesn’t negate that it is still a tragedy.

As I read the Psalms, I don’t see them saying, “It could always be worse than everyone hating me” or “At least they haven’t killed me yet!” Instead, the psalmist acknowledges and pours out his grief to God. The psalmists don’t seek comfort in thinking on how their situation could be worse. They don’t try to think of their suffering in a “positive light.” Some psalms never get to a positive point—some simply cry out in pain. The other psalms of lament take courage in what they know to be true about God. They refer back to God’s faithfulness of the past and trust that he will be faithful to them now. Consider Psalm 42. Here we see sorrow and hope in harmony, not pitted against one another:

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
    have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life. (Ps. 42:5-8)

We want to totally eradicate the pain of suffering. We want the mourning process to go quickly. But grief and suffering aren’t scheduled. It’s not wrong to be sad, nor is it sinful to grieve. God gave us emotions, and we should acknowledge them. God doesn’t rush our mourning but instead comes near and comforts us.

2. There is something greater just around the corner.

“A rainstorm always leads to a rainbow,” so they say. I understand the sentiment and the desire to encourage others that a difficult time is on the heels of something greater. Yet, I think of Paul—he suffered shipwrecks, beatings, arrest, stoning, slander, and much more, and at the end of his life was martyred. I wonder what he would say to the statement “Something greater is just around the corner.” Many of the apostles endured immense suffering and persecution, and it only got worse as time went on. And this continues to be the case for believers all over the world.

Thomas Boston takes a much more practical look at this in his book, The Crook in the Lot. He writes,

There is a crook made by a train of cross dispensation, whether of the same or different kinds, following hard on one another, and leaving lasting effects behind them. Thus in the case of Job, while one messenger of evil tidings was yet speaking, another came. Cross events coming one on the neck of another, deep calling to deep, make a sore crook.[1]

As much as we want to be assured that we have something joyful in the days ahead, we are promised something better—perfect eternal life with God himself, which is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:4-5). This is a real promise to cling to in suffering.

3. Perhaps God is punishing you for your sin.

As we face trial after trial, we may find ourselves looking around every corner, wondering what’s next. We begin to analyze our lives, searching for some kind of cause or reason. What have I done to deserve or provoke this?Job’s friends continually pressed their thumbs into his wounded heart and said, “God doesn’t do this to just people! What have you done? Repent and God will relent” (see Job 4:7-11 and 8:1-22). Maybe you don’t have friends saying this to you, but your own heart may be hissing these words.

This is a distortion of the gospel and a misunderstanding of God’s discipline and wrath. Our punishment for sin, God’s righteous wrath, was already endured on the cross by Christ. Christ drank the full cup of wrath that we deserved, every last drop of it. There’s not even a sprinkle of God’s wrath left for his children:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1)

God does discipline his children, but he does so in love, not in anger or vengeance. He wants our ultimate good, which is holiness (Rom. 8:28-30); therefore, he disciplines us to lead us away from sin and to sanctify us (Heb. 12:7-11). Still, not every ounce of suffering is for discipline.

It is true that sin has brought corruption and misery into God’s good creation, and we suffer as a result. The error of Job’s friends though, was that they reversed the order and said, “If you are suffering it must be because you sinned.” Jesus said, “No.” When asked about the man who was blind from birth, Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). The point is there are times when suffering may be for reasons other than sin, so we shouldn’t break our hearts trying to figure out what sin has brought on our suffering. We do know that God doesn’t inflict punishment on his redeemed children, and he doesn’t abandon them; rather, he comes near to those who are brokenhearted (Ps. 34:18).

4. You’re not over that yet?

We’re impatient, especially in suffering. We try to speed up the healing process and put high expectations on our recovery. Boston notes,

[Suffering] made by a cross dispensation, which, however in itself passing, yet has lasting effects. Such a crook did Herod’s cruelty make in the lot of the mothers in Bethlehem, who by the murderers were left weeping for their slain children, and would not be comforted, because they were not.A slip of the foot may soon be made, which will make a man go limping ever after.[2]

The effects of suffering don’t have a time limit. Some soreness may always remain with us, especially in loss. Healing may never come on earth, but this where we once again fix our eyes on eternity:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev. 21:4)

In heaven, mourning will finally be done away with, but until then we rightly grieve a world that is not as it should be and groan with the earth waiting for redemption (Rom. 8:19-23).

Right theology matters, even in suffering.

While wrong theology can condemn and cause heartache, right theology can lift up weary pilgrims. This is why we must saturate ourselves with truth and surround ourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ who know the truth. When difficult times come, we then can ground ourselves not in that which brings more sorrow but rather in life-giving hope from God’s word.

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] Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot (East Peoria: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2017), 7.

[2] Boston, Crook, 6.

Thought

So often our worries are so heavy because we refuse to put them down. Let’s cast our burdens on the Lord. Let’s consciously put our future in his hands. Let’s trust our worrisome fears to his care. We know he loves us and longs to sustain and comfort us because of what he has done to save us.

Prayer

Holy God and loving Father, I consciously place my fears, worries, anxieties, and burdens in your hands. I know that I have so little power to change the outcome of these events and I trust that you will work what is pleasing to you, and best for me, out of these situations. Forgive me for my anxious thoughts and for letting my own worry become an idol that robs you of my full trust. Strengthen and empower me to trust you more by the power and presence of your Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware
Used with permission

Saturday, April 29, 2023

My Grace is Sufficient

Paul wrote, “There was given me a thorn in my flesh, from Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness‘” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

The cancer in the body. The sorrow in the heart. The child in the rehab center. The craving for whiskey in the middle of the day. The tears in the middle of the night. The thorn in the flesh. “Take it away!” you’ve pleaded. Not once, twice, or even three times. You’ve out-prayed the apostle Paul, and you’re about to hit the wall. But what you hear Jesus say is this: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Sustaining grace. Grace that meets us at our point of need and equips us with courage and wisdom and strength. Sustaining grace. It doesn’t promise the absence of struggle, but it does promise the presence of God.

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

The post My Grace is Sufficient can be found online at Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God.

from Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God https://ift.tt/28K9QVl
via IFTTT

My Weakness, God’s Strength

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

For years I puzzled over the meaning of these verses in 2 Corinthians 12. They didn’t make sense. How could power be made perfect in weakness? And why would anyone boast about being weak?

Then I had to subject myself to nuclear-bomb strength chemo in order to save my life from aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 46, and these verses became crystal clear. Before cancer, I boasted in my own strength. I was a control freak and fiercely independent. I didn’t “need” anyone’s help.

But when chemo made me helpless as a newborn kitten, I finally realized control was an illusion. I humbly learned that I had no power of my own. I had zero strength and learned to lean fully on God for the first time in my life.

In weakness I finally rested solely in Christ’s power and could honestly “boast” in the grace of God rather than in my own feeble efforts. As a result, my faith grew stronger than it ever would have if I’d remained in my “independent woman” state.

What are you struggling with today? You are not meant to go through this alone. Draw closer to our Lord instead.

In your weakness, lean on God’s holy strength. He won’t let you down. Instead, he will lift you up and may bring people into your situation to help you. If so, thank him, and them.

Father, I thank you for all the times I am weak and helpless so I can be reminded how much I need your strength. Help me never to rely solely on my own meager efforts, but only in your all-sufficient grace. Amen.

By Katy Huth Jones
Used by Permission

Would you like to know God and have him walking beside you, helping you, as you go through this tough journey? You can begin this personal relationship with God today if you sincerely want Him to give you direction from now on.

Why don’t you ask Jesus Christ to come into your life,

“Lord Jesus, I need You! I am hurting, confused, feel rejected and emotionally scarred. Will you please come into my life, forgive my sins, heal my body, soul and spirit and walk beside me as I walk through this tough journey. Would you please direct my life from now on? Thank you! Amen”

___

The post My Weakness, God’s Strength can be found online at Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God.

from Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God https://ift.tt/aXMK78I
via IFTTT

Friday, April 28, 2023

Motherhood: Choosing Growth Over Achievement

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.

Achievement. It’s one of those words that stirs something up inside of me. I was that kid at school in the front row with my hand raised, always hoping for the right answer or the gold star. That continued into adulthood as I waitressed my way through college and then sought a career in sales—both positions allowing me to have a very tangible way in which I could gauge my success for that day.

My world was rocked by becoming a parent in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

Fast forward several years and my husband and I were awaiting the birth of our first daughter. We had decided together that as long as we could afford it, I’d quit my full-time job and stay at home to raise our little bundle of joy. Like many first-time mothers-to-be, I thought I was ready. That little bundle came into the world, and my world was rocked, in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

She became my everything. I lived and breathed her every thought, move, and whimper. I experienced a deep-seeded joy and fulfillment that I had known nothing of before motherhood. And I most definitely experienced a to-the-bone-exhaustion I had not known before. I have written several articles on motherhood and could write several more—it’s such a fascinating journey. But the reason I’m referencing it now is because one of the things that blindsided me about becoming a mom was that I felt for a long time it robbed me of my ability to seek achievement. I had heard a lot about what I would gain from motherhood, the rewards and the additional duties, but I hadn’t considered what I would need to give away.

It felt as if I had lost some pretty big pieces of myself while gaining the beloved title of mom.

I experienced so many changes in such a short amount of time that it took me a while to put my finger on it—then I realized what was bothering me. It felt as if I had lost some pretty big pieces of myself while gaining the beloved title of mom. While we all wear many hats and fulfill many roles in different seasons of our lives, caring for small children tends to trump them all since their needs are so constant and immediate.

“I had heard a lot about what I would gain from motherhood, the rewards and the additional duties, but I hadn’t considered what I would need to give away.”

My identity seemed to shrink down to a walking breastmilk supply, the kisser of boo-boos, the reader of stories, and the maker of snacks. Now at times these can be glorious titles, but at other times a mother can take a glimpse of herself in the mirror and barely recognize the person she once was. I remember almost mourning the person who had disappeared, and then of course feeling immediate guilt, as if that somehow cheapened my love for my children.

Motherhood provides a platform for God’s sanctifying work.

Motherhood is actually by far the largest area of my life in which God has done his sanctifying work. He has shown me, in a very real way, how to die to myself. How to put the needs of others over my own. How to be wronged time and time again and still offer forgiveness. These things don’t come naturally, and motherhood provides that platform. Now that I’ve been a mom for almost a decade, with three little girls to call my own, I feel like I can see in hindsight why I struggled with the feeling of loss during those early years.

I watched my husband, former coworkers, and friends continue to climb the corporate ladder or gain graduate degrees. They progressed in their careers and continued to conquer and acquire new achievements. And there I was at home feeling like it was a perpetual Groundhog's day. I had considered going back to work several times since having children, even tried it for short durations a time or two, but it felt like they were too young for me to find that balance and that the cons outweighed the pros. So where did that leave me? To wait until my youngest was in school to begin “achieving” again? Well, that thought was a bit depressing.

There’s that one remaining bucket for me—the achievement bucket.

And let me qualify my feelings. I have a deep love and understanding of what a high calling motherhood is. I feel so fortunate to have the children I do and be able to stay at home to love, nurture and raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. If life consisted of ten buckets, I feel like being a wife, mother, and homemaker fills nine buckets to overflowing. But then there’s that one remaining bucket. For me, it’s the achievement bucket.

While I know I am accomplishing many things while in the home, there's a certain type of achievement that isn’t touched by those experiences. And maybe it’s not an achievement bucket for you. Maybe it’s a creative outlet or other kind of passion. I think it is important to foster interests that aren’t necessarily connected to our roles as mother.

“I learned that I could be growth-focused instead of “achievement”-oriented.”

God created us as complex beings with beautiful minds, artistic talents, the desire to create, to explore and conquer. Of all of his good creation, humans are the only creatures that were created in his image. Then God said,

“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26-27)

Every good and true quality we have is a mere reflection of an attribute we have received from our Maker. We honor him and even reflect part of his glory when we cultivate these beautiful attributes.

I learned that I could be growth-focused instead of “achievement”-oriented.

I knew there was more available to me than I was taking advantage of, even as a stay-at-home mom. And then one day my husband came riding in on his white horse and introduced the idea of growth over achievement. It was a game-changer. He knows me so well and understood my deep desire to stay at home and have the kids and homelife be my primary focus, but that I also wanted more. I had been stuck on the fact that in my current circumstances I wasn’t able to be “achievement”-oriented, but I could absolutely be growth-focused.

Maybe I wouldn’t be gaining a formal degree or earning a promotion, but I could still grow as a person. I could discover and cultivate interests that would open up new worlds for me, all the while still remaining completely available to my family. At this point it’s actually a running joke with friends that have known me for any length of time. If some time passes and we are catching up after a couple of months, they inevitably ask, “So, what are you up to now!?”

While being a stay-at-home-mom, I’ve worked part-time as a marketing representative, started a cake business from my home, been the informal event planner for women’s events at my church, started an interview-coaching consultation business from home, thrown myself into the CrossFit and fitness community, sold jewelry and beauty products for multilevel-marketing companies, cultivated a love for cooking and entertaining, been informally named the wedding planner for our congregation’s weddings, and also began freelance writing.

“The opportunity to learn new things, meet new people, and gain new skills is such a gift. And we honor God when we use our talents for his glory (1 Cor. 10:3).”

These were all things that I pursued in one way or another in the past decade and was passionate about for varying amounts of time. Were they all “successful”? By practical standards, the answer is no. Were they part of my journey, and did I enjoy and learn something from each experience? Yes!

I have learned to embrace the journey and not just the destination.

I have watched how incredibly quickly time passes. I want to be able to experience and grow as a person as much as possible. God has created this beautiful universe that we live in, with so much to discover, that I want to have hands and eyes wide open to what he may have available to me. I’ve had so many conversations with women who have expressed an interest in trying something new or pursuing a “side hustle” of some kind, but then shoot down the idea because of the possibility that “it won’t work out.”

I’m not even sure what that means. If we don’t create a Fortune 500 company and make millions? If that new passion doesn’t stay at the forefront of our lives forever? I understand our time is precious and we can’t pour ourselves into any and everything that comes our way. Yet, very few things we do or try in life are going to be permanent, or even long-lasting. Especially as parents, the seasons of life and the demands of our families are changing constantly.

We must consider the value, worth, and goodness of our pursuits by biblical standards.

So how do we determine what to pursue? Well that’s the fun part: it’s entirely up to you, your abilities, desires, and what draws you in. Like anything else in life, we must consider its value, worth, and goodness by biblical standards:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.(Phil. 4:8)

If it’s a sound pursuit that your spouse is on-board with, why not give it a try? What’s the worst that can happen? The opportunity to learn new things, meet new people, and gain new skills is such a gift. And we honor God when we use our talents for his glory (1 Cor. 10:3). May we indeed bring our heavenly Father glory and ultimately further his kingdom in the endeavors we pursue. And as we learn and grow, may we continuously be in awe of his grandeur and beauty and the world he has created around us.

Erica Chase is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, and SoCal native. She loves cooking, baking, event planning, and finding pretty much any reason to gather with friends and family over a delicious meal. This article was originally published on October 15, 2019.

Recommended Book:

Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms by Christina Fox

from BLOG - Beautiful Christian Life https://ift.tt/cm3waTA
via IFTTT

Rules for Christian Households

Today on the broadcast I will be talking aboutRules for Christian HouseholdsColossians 3:18-25Col 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.Col 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.Col 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.Col 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.Col 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;Col 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.Col 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.Col 4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/q4Q6YE0
via IFTTT

Rules for Christian Households

To Love Like God

Does God only love Christians?

Does this question even need to be asked? Unfortunately, yes, because there is an impression out there that that He does. I encounter it in innuendo and assumption. I used to encounter it in myself and the attitudes caught from a strongly Pharisaical upbringing, and I have found it to be an attitude that is hard to get rid of.

The way this usually works out is that God doesn’t love anyone I don’t love, and the human inclination is to not love anyone who is not like me. That makes God’s love an extension of myself, instead of the way it should be, with me as an extension of God and His love. I have much to learn about God’s love. God is love; I am not. I am the one who needs to change. I am the one who needs to learn to love like God.

“God is love” (1 John 4:16), says John. God is synonymous with love. How could God not love His entire creation? It is His nature to love.

“God so loved the world that He gave...” (John 3:16).

The tragedy of God’s love is that it is not universally received. “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). What a tragedy. Do you think God feels that tragedy? Personally, I think that is why the prophet Isaiah called Him a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. That is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem because He wanted to gather everyone up and bring them to Himself, but they would not all come.

How is it that God being God would create a world where His love was limited by the free will of those He created, making Him appear helpless to do anything about those who would reject Him? I honestly do not know how this works, but I do know God feels these feelings because He has expressed them in the inspired scriptures handed down to us.

My point today is not to enter into a theological debate over this, because that is where these discussions often lead, but to capture some of the nature of God in His love for us and suggest that we should at least share in these same attitudes and emotions, primarily that we should be governed more by the tragedy of those who reject God’s love than in their judgment or their wrong doing.

Do we weep or do we condemn? If you ever catch yourself shaking your head in judgment and condemnation, stop. Stop judging and weep instead. That’s what God did, and He even has the right to judge (and will someday). The cross has put that judgment aside so that He can love. Can we do any less?

So if you love like God, you will love and hurt at the same time.

by John Fischer
Used by Permission

Thursday, April 27, 2023

When Pastors Water Down the Truth of God’s Word

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.

“We keep our preaching basic because we have so many new believers. If we give them too much doctrine, they won't be able to understand it.” I can't remember how many times I've heard church planters and pastors say such things. Sadly, as their ministries begin to grow numerically, mature believers in the congregation are left to languish in spiritual malnourishment and discouragement.

Ministers need to learn how to break down, rather than water down, the truth of God’s word.

On the other hand, there are those churches (though significantly fewer in number) in which ministers seem to wear their academic interests on their sleeve in the pulpit. They burden the congregation with highly nuanced theological subjects or phraseology in the name of faithfulness. Whether it is compromising ministers diluting God's word to the spiritual malnourishment of the congregation or ivory tower pastors caring little about bringing along new believers, one of the great needs of our day is for preachers to learn how to break down, rather than water down, the truth of God's word.

We find this important principle at work in the ministry of the sixteenth-century theologian John Calvin. On the whole, Calvin tended to reserve his more academic prowess for his work The Institutes of the Christian Religion and his commentaries rather than for his sermons. In his essay, “Calvin’s Sermons on Ephesians: Expounding and Applying Scripture, " Randall C. Zachman helpfully observes,

[Calvin's] sermons differed from the commentaries both in terms of their audience and their objective. The commentaries have, as their audience, the future pastors...with the goal of revealing the mind of the author with lucid brevity. The sermons have, as their audience, ordinary Christians within a specific congregation with the goal of expounding the intention or meaning of the author, and of applying that meaning to their use, so that they might retain that meaning in their minds and hearts, and put it into practice in their lives.

Calvin sought to adjust himself in different ways to his readers and hearers, distinguishing between what he wrote for the academy and what he proclaimed from the pulpit. A brief comparison of his commentary on Genesis and his sermons on Genesis serve to demonstrate this difference of approach. To be sure, it is a task of no small difficulty.

Ministers must be careful to neither deny the sovereign working of the Spirit nor intellectually insult the congregation.

In our day, when ministers water down God's word they almost always do so from behind a missiological smokescreen. Insisting that a robustly theological ministry is a detriment to reaching the unchurched, they introduce a number of serious problems.

First, ministers—perhaps inadvertently—give the impression that the ability to impart spiritual understanding lies within the power of the messenger rather than in the working of the Spirit and word of God. In essence, they suggest that the outcome of their teaching is commensurate with the supposed intellectual ability of the hearers. This not only denies the sovereign working of the Spirit of God through the word of God—it levels an intellectual insult at the people to whom they minister.

Ministers shouldn’t assume that everyone grows at the same spiritual pace.

Second, such reasoning carries with it the faulty presupposition that everyone grows at the same slow spiritual pace. Such ministers forget that most of the weighty apostolic letters were written to new Gentile converts who lacked much, if any, familiarity with the Old Testament. Yet, the apostle Paul wrote some of the deepest and most profound truths to new converts in Rome, Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, etc. These letters included appeals to oftentimes less familiar verses of the Old Testament, as well as to some of the most difficult and nuanced theological argumentation in all of the Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15-16).

Those ministers who fail to break down God's word for his people usually do so from behind an ecclesiastical smokescreen. They treat each member of the congregation as if he or she should be at the same spiritual place in understanding by virtue of the fact that they are members of the church. This is often driven by unrealistic and undistinguished spiritual and intellectual expectations of every believer. They too have faulty presuppositions that everyone will grow at the same spiritual pace—failing to factor in the spiritual infancy of new believers.

Those who water down the truth will often appeal to 1 Corinthians 3:2 where the apostle Paul writes,

I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.

Ministers who fail to break down the truth will almost always point to Hebrews 5:12-14 where the writer rebukes the congregants for their spiritual immaturity when he says,

For though, by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

So, how can we reconcile these two truths of Scripture that seem to lay in stark contrast with one another?

Ministers must be faithful to avoid both theological dilution and ecclesiastical elitism.

Calvin's comments on 1 Corinthians 3:2 are exceedingly helpful. First, Calvin explains that the minister must learn to "accommodate himself to the capacity of those he has undertaken to instruct." He writes:

Christ is at once milk to babes, and strong meat to those that are of full age, (Hebrews 5:13, 14,) the same truth of the gospel is administered to both, but so as to suit their capacity. Hence it is the part of a wise teacher to accommodate himself to the capacity of those whom he has undertaken to instruct, so that in dealing with the weak and ignorant, he begins with first principles, and does not go higher than they are able to follow (Mark 4:33).

He then goes on to warn ministers against watering down the truth in preaching:

[We must] refute the specious pretext of some, who...present Christ at such a distance, and covered over, besides, with so many disguises, that they constantly keep their followers in destructive ignorance...their presenting Christ not simply in half, but torn to fragments....How unlike they are to Paul is sufficiently manifest; for milk is nourishment and not poison, and nourishment that is suitable and useful for bringing up children until they are farther advanced.

Pastors must be faithful to their call to break down God’s word so that his people “may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ."

How important it is for ministers of the gospel to, at one and the same time, avoid that theological dilution by which we fail to bring up children “until they are farther advanced” while rejecting that ecclesiastical elitism that refuses to “accommodate to the capacity” of those we are instructing. Rather, it must be the goal and aim of our ministries to be faithful to the call to break down God's word…

…until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ." (Eph. 4:13-15)

Rev. Nick Batzig is the pastor of Church Creek Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charleston, South Carolina, and an associate editor for Ligonier Ministries.

This article is adapted from “The Need for a Ministerial Breakdown” from reformation21.org.

Today on the broadcast I will be talking aboutPut On the New SelfColossians 3:1-17Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

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

The Debt We Always Owe

Recently, the Lord enabled me to get out from under a debt that would have taken years to pay off. As soon as it was paid, I logged into my account to look at the zero next to my loan and to bask in the feeling of “Paid in Full.”

That night, I read these words in Romans,

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” Romans 13:8

No matter how many bills we pay or loans we pay off, there is one debt we will always owe

We will always owe love.

We can love the people today who God puts into our lives, but they will always need to be loved tomorrow. It’s impossible to love too much or to love enough.
Too many people are looking for ways to get out of this debt. Divorce rates are high because someone chooses to pay off that debt and stop loving. Families are torn apart because the debt gets too heavy, and love stops being an option. Neighbors fight, coworkers gossip, in-laws bicker.

Love is paid in full, and it’s not supposed to be.

I thought I was done with debt that day. Seeing that “zero” gave me indescribable joy.

But I’m not debt-free.

I have people in my life who need to be loved. Today. Right now. Tomorrow. Always.

I owe them love, and I always will.

When you think you’ve loved enough or you want to stop loving, put a little more on the account.

Love to the full, but never let it be paid in full.

“Love never fails.“ 1 Corinthians 13:8

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

Learning from Failure

Read: Luke 22:31-34

The disciple Peter was a man of great faith and bold action. But as readers of the New Testament know, his brash style sometimes led him to make humiliating mistakes. More than once, this disciple had to wear the label of “miserable failure” rather than that of “obedient servant.”

We can all relate when it comes to falling short of expectations. Obedience to God is a learning process, and failure is a part of our development as humble servants. When we yield to temptation or rebel against God’s authority, we realize that sin has few rewards, and even those are fleeting.

Failure is an excellent learning tool, as Peter could certainly attest. Through trial and error, he discovered that humility is required of believers (John 13:5-14); that God’s ways are higher than the world’s ways (Mark 8:33); and that one should never take his eyes off Jesus (Matthew 14:30). He took each of those lessons to heart and thereby grew stronger in his faith. Isn’t that Romans 8:28 in action? God caused Peter’s failures to be put to good use as training material because the disciple was eager to mature and serve.

God doesn’t reward rebellion or wrongdoing. However, by His grace, He blesses those who choose repentance and embrace chastisement as a tool for growth.

We would probably all prefer to grow in our faith without ever making a mistake before God’s eyes, but we cannot deny that missteps are instructive. Failure teaches believers that it is much wiser and more profitable to be obedient to the Lord. That’s a lesson we all should take to heart.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission
from charlesstanley.com

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Are You a Productive Bee? 7 Ways God Has Gifted Christians to Serve

Are You a Productive Bee 7 Ways God Has Gifted You to Help Others.jpg

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.

A kind couple recently gave me a heavy jar of honey from their own bees—a precious treasure to sweeten our toast and tea over the cold winter months. I appreciate the skill and effort (and possible bee stings) given to producing such a gift. And let’s not forget the bees themselves, who labor like titans! Thousands of forager bees brave birds and hornets to collect those minuscule sips of nectar, while drones, builders, guards, and nurses toil at home for the queen and her honeycomb kingdom.

In Romans 12:1-8 Paul pictures the church in quite a similar way: every Christian pitching in and working hard and doing what they have been created to do, producing together a sweet and valuable Gospel harvest to bless their community, nation, and world.

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. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:1-2)

Paul urges us, in light of all that God has done for us, to offer everything back to him. We do this by not patterning ourselves according to godless society (Christians must be counter-cultural), but instead by being transformed by the renewal of our minds. Renewed minds know how to please God and to serve Christ’s body in the way God has gifted us to serve.

When it comes to serving, we must be careful not to over- or underestimate our gifts:

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Rom. 12:3)

And this is sober thinking:

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. (Rom. 12:4-6a)

The feet, for example, do not exist by themselves or for themselves, but work, in a unique and important way, with and for the other parts. A foot shouldn’t think, “I’m a V.I.P., and this body exists to serve me,” but rather “I’m one part of the body, and I exist to work with and for the other parts.”

Paul applies this principle to each and every church member:

Let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Rom. 12:4b-8)

A comparison with similar gift-lists (see 1 Cor. 12:8-10; Eph. 4:11) shows that this is not an exhaustive list, but it does generally cover the field. Your gifts are going to fit somewhere across this list.

1. Has God gifted you to prophesy?

To prophesy is “to speak God’s words after him,” which at the very least applies to preaching and proclaiming God’s word. It could mean more than this, but it cannot mean less.

Every Christian reads God’s word on their own. Many meet with a small group or class to study God’s word together. The preached sermon is however the only time when the Word is proclaimed to the whole church together, when the church together is called to repentance and faith.

This is why we invest very heavily in preaching: to identify and carefully train and test future preachers, and to set aside a large chunk of the pastor’s week for sermon preparation.

If God has gifted you for this, such prophecy must be in agreement with “the faith,” the life-giving Gospel that our Lord Jesus has entrusted to us.

2. Has God gifted you to serve?

Diakonia referred to the work of domestic servants: work done not for self but others. Our world doesn’t honor servants. If we work hard it is usually for money, recognition, and self-gratification. This mindset breeds frustration in the home and dissonance in the workplace. We will not recognize the high calling and nobility of serving if we think according to this world’s pattern.

Jesus was a perfect servant. He woke early to pray—for others. He labored all day and every day—for others. He toiled into the night—for others. Even on the Sabbath he did good works! Jesus incessantly healed, fed, and taught people. His life was one great act of service.

Has God gifted you to serve? Then serve, Paul says. Stop wondering and start serving. How? Love always beats a pathway. Don’t stand back. Write your name all over the church roster. Go and ask what needs to be done. Find needs. Do the small tasks, the hidden and unsung tasks, the revolting tasks. Be faithful with a little—Jesus will give you much.

3. Has God gifted you to teach?

Paul means Bible-teaching: one-on-one discipling, Sunday school, youth group, Bible studies, preaching the sermon, or evangelism. Parents must be Bible teachers to their children.

The human soul is stupendously complex. God has given us a Bible to match—to address—every possible complexity and human need. The attacks on the Christian come in a million different forms and from a million different directions, and this big, deep, and complex Bible more than equips us to withstand. But we need to know it, and praise God that he equips teachers for the task. If teaching is your gift, teach. Speak to your elders about this.

4. Has God gifted you to encourage?

The Greek word parakaleō comprises the root kal, “to call” and the preposition para, “beside.” It means to invite or call to one’s side, to appeal or exhort (it’s the very first word in Romans 12), to request and implore, to comfort and cheer up, and sometimes to console or conciliate. “Encourage” beautifully captures the basic idea: “to impart courage” (the word courage itself is derived from the French word cœur for heart).

If you don’t appreciate the power of this gift, you have forgotten the power of words. When we speak, we express our heart, our mind, our self, to another. Our soul addresses or impacts—to one degree or another—the soul of another. Thus, words have tremendous power to build or demolish, to heal or infect, to illuminate or dim, to fortify or cripple, to vivify or kill. God has gifted some Christians to use the power of words to call, cajole, comfort, console, and conciliate. Is this your gift? Then encourage!

5. Has God gifted you to give?

I am always in awe of those who have business acumen, of those who can buy, sell, manage, and produce the goods and services we need, and who do this so adroitly that they amass a surplus of resources. These clever people have been especially privileged to help others in need.

But every Christian is called to live simply, to deny self in order to share with others. That was the dirt-poor widow, whose gift so moved the heart of Jesus. That was the Macedonian churches:

For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord. (2 Cor. 8:2-3)

Is giving your gift? Paul senses the danger: that we will give pitifully (Luke 21:4), or for applause (Matt. 6:2), or with a false show of generosity (Acts 5:1-2), or reluctantly (2 Cor. 9:7). And so Paul urges us to give, and to give with simplicity and sincerity.

6. Has God gifted you to lead?

I think of Churchill in mid-1940. Britain had just watched Europe topple to the Nazis, one nation after another, and many wanted to do a deal with Hitler: “Given that we are next to be conquered, what concessions can we beg from the Fuehrer?” Capitulation disgusted Churchill. He would not have it. He used his awesome power of words to convince Britain to eschew capitulation, to fight solely for victory. It had to be victory or death. Churchill set the example: he kept a Bren gun in his car boot, determined to fall in a hail of German bullets rather than wave a white flag.

Has God gifted you to lead his people: whether a group of ten, fifty, a hundred, or a thousand? (Exod. 18:21). If God has gifted you to lead, then lead with what Paul calls spoudē: eagerness, enthusiasm, goodwill, and devotion.

7. Has God gifted you to be merciful?

Jesus once described a man who was forgiven a debt of millions of dollars who then choked the man who could not repay him a few hundred dollars (Matt. 18:28). Things turned out very badly for this wretch, and every Christian is warned to extend to others the same forgiveness that we ourselves have received.

In this Romans 12 context, mercy takes on the sense of acts of practical love (see Matt. 15:22; 17:15, Luke 17:13; 18:38). Some are gifted to show this ministry of mercy to others. This is demanding and draining and easily breeds a begrudging spirit. Thus, Paul urges: “If you are gifted to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (cheerfully translates hilarotēs—you can see the connection).

You are living in a beehive.

Paul urges Christians to serve, to serve well, and to serve gladly. For bad service is like smoke in the eyes, and receiving resentful service is like drinking vinegar.

I love to read on our front steps. I like the quiet, the cool air, and Hobart’s beautiful city and river in my peripheral vision. But the bricks press against my left leg, slow the circulation, and put it soundly to sleep. When I try to stand, it is so numb that it makes me laugh. It is now a useless deadweight: barely holding me up, let alone conveying me. I have to take care not to fall. For a time, my slumbering limb cripples and jeopardizes every other part of my body.

Every person in the church must ask: Have I gone to sleep? God has given me to prophecy, serve, teach, encourage, give, lead, or show mercy. Am I absconding? Am I AWOL? How should I be serving my family, my church family, and my city?

Yes, there are changing priorities and seasons of life. A young mom must for many years devote herself to children and home. Men must work hard to feed and house their families. A person on crutches cannot mow another’s lawn. A child cannot preach and lead.

But a young man who idles in front of a computer screen while a young family or an old couple struggles to maintain their garden is delinquent. For a young single man with strength in his arm and love in his heart can lift a mountain of burdens from the shoulders of his church family—and his own family. Why else did God bless you with those muscles and broad shoulders?

A young woman who whiles away her time in front of Netflix and Instagram while a mother with little ones struggles to wash her family’s clothes should be ashamed. For a young single woman, having done her homework and household chores, can come with the wings of an angel to help a harassed young mom or a widow who now struggles to vacuum her carpets.

A retiree can “scatter abroad their gifts” of financial support, fellowship, and joy to their church family. Or perhaps God has gifted you to lead on the board of management as a deacon or in the eldership? A widow who disciples, helps, and encourages others is like Abigail who brought “loaves of bread, skins of wine, dressed sheep, roasted grain, raisin cakes, and pressed figs” to David and his famished soldiers.

The frailest who give themselves to pray can, like Samson, carry the gates of hell upon their shoulders far away from their church and their struggling brothers and sisters.

Within the hive there are all kinds of bees: workers, drones, builders, guards, nurses, cleaners, and a queen. There are no lazy bees. May our churches be the same. God has gifted you to serve your family, your church, and your city. Find and use your gifts as soon as you can, and the honey will flow.

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.

from BLOG - Beautiful Christian Life https://ift.tt/3p0aUnd
via IFTTT

Let No One Disqualify You

Today on the broadcast I will be talking aboutLet No One Disqualify YouColossians 2:16-23Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.Col 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

from Daily Bible Benefits with Pastor Bob Daley https://ift.tt/BsD2Tlp
via IFTTT

Let No One Disqualify You

The Holy Spirit Enlightens

“But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in.” 1 Corinthians 2:14

Although I have been a Christian for more than 35 years, I still have much to learn. I am far from perfect. And I do not ever expect to be – in this lifetime. Only our Lord Jesus Christ was without sin.

However, I know from experience that the more time I spend with God through reading. studying, memorizing and meditating on His Word, with the help of the Holy Spirit to interpret God’s truth to me, the more I become like our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

When you spend time daily in Bible reading and study, your life will change.

After reading God’s word consistently for several months, you will be amazed by the things God has done in your life.

How can we understand the Bible? How can we experience its life-changing influence in our lives?

The nonbeliever and the disobedient, carnal Christian have difficulty in understanding the Bible because they must rely on their human faculties in their attempt to understand things that are of a spiritual nature in God’s Word.

As Paul writes to the church at Corinth,

“…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned” (KJV).

BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 2:9-13

Since the Holy Spirit inspired holy men of old to record God’s Word, the Bible, I will ask Him to interpret God’s message to my own life, and, today, I will encourage others to depend on the Holy Spirit to live a supernatural life

By Dr. Bill Bright
Used by Permission

As the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, along with his wife, Vonette, Dr. Brig 4 billion exposures to the Gospel of Jesus Christ since 1951.
On July 19th, 2003 at the age of 81, Dr. Bill Bright went home to be with the Lord.

Sunday, April 30, 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. It could be worse! You need to put a positive spin on it.

2. There is something greater just around the corner.

3. Perhaps God is punishing you for your sin.

4. You’re not over that yet?

Right theology matters, even in suffering.

Related Articles:

Recommended:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Further Reading

Saturday, April 29, 2023

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Friday, April 28, 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.

My world was rocked by becoming a parent in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

It felt as if I had lost some pretty big pieces of myself while gaining the beloved title of mom.

Motherhood provides a platform for God’s sanctifying work.

There’s that one remaining bucket for me—the achievement bucket.

I learned that I could be growth-focused instead of “achievement”-oriented.

I have learned to embrace the journey and not just the destination.

We must consider the value, worth, and goodness of our pursuits by biblical standards.

Related Articles:

Recommended Book:

Does God only love Christians?

Further Reading

Thursday, April 27, 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.

Ministers need to learn how to break down, rather than water down, the truth of God’s word.

Ministers must be careful to neither deny the sovereign working of the Spirit nor intellectually insult the congregation.

Ministers shouldn’t assume that everyone grows at the same spiritual pace.

Ministers must be faithful to avoid both theological dilution and ecclesiastical elitism.

Pastors must be faithful to their call to break down God’s word so that his people “may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ."

Related Articles:

Recommended:

We will always owe love.

Further Reading

Further Reading

Wednesday, April 26, 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. Has God gifted you to prophesy?

2. Has God gifted you to serve?

3. Has God gifted you to teach?

4. Has God gifted you to encourage?

5. Has God gifted you to give?

6. Has God gifted you to lead?

7. Has God gifted you to be merciful?

You are living in a beehive.

Related Articles:

Further Reading