wordofgod

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Using Money Wisely

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.

Unless we live a totally self-sufficient existence where we produce everything we need, we will likely need money at some point.

Money is a medium of exchange for trading goods and services. By trading our goods and services for money, we can then use that money to purchase necessities and wants from other people and businesses.

Money isn’t the root of all kinds of evils; rather it’s the love of money that springs forth into evil (1 Tim. 6:10).

Those who love money will never be fully satisfied by their pursuit of wealth.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. (Eccles. 5:10)

The author of Hebrews connects the love of money with a spirit of discontentment:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5).

Now it’s easy to see why people would have a love for money. With money we can buy beautiful and safe homes, good health care, quality food, attractive clothing, and many conveniences of life. Yet, most of us either know or have heard of wealthy people who are miserable. The rich deal with the same relationship conflicts and self-worth struggles that others face, and their wealth can actually make matters worse in a multitude of ways.

Money is difficult to obtain and easy to lose.

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Prov. 13:11)

Something that has been around for a long time and is not going away until the Lord’s return is get-rich-quick schemes. People who know a lot about money or are master-manipulators can easily take advantage of people who are ignorant or naive about money.

Many people work hard to earn money and then fall prey to online or in-real-life scammers who entice them with seemingly easy ways to build wealth quickly. These predators especially like to target vulnerable people, such as the elderly and lonely. They may even show romantic affection for their targets in order to take advantage of them. As the old adage goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Even people who have a decent knowledge of how to manage money can be tempted against their better judgement where the heart is involved via greed or romance. We must guard ourselves and our families against our own foolish judgment and not let the crafty take advantage of and defraud us.

With money comes power and responsibility.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Tim. 6:17-19)

We can use money for good or for evil. Many wealthy people have done much good for others and society in general by using their financial resources to help their fellow human beings and animals, for the building and running of hospitals, schools, shelters, food banks, and arts programs, protecting the environment, and supporting various noble social causes. Yet, the wealthy have also harmed people and society in general by using money to oppress others and promote people and organizations that are at enmity with the Word of God.

Since money is such an integral part of life, it’s good for God’s people to learn how to handle money wisely. Just because someone is a popular finance influencer on social media doesn’t mean he or she is giving sound financial advice. Weigh carefully the credentials and experience of the people you follow on the topic of finances. If you know people who have managed their money well over the years, consider asking them for some suggestions on how to become better educated on earning, investing, and spending money well.

We are to love God and our neighbor, not money.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. (Prov. 19:17)

How are we to use our money to be a blessing to God and others? This requires wisdom. Sometimes giving money to people in need will only exacerbate the problem if they are struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction, a general lifestyle of irresponsibility, or some ongoing sinful behavior. Some charitable programs with honorable goals are run inefficiently or even line the pockets of the people running the charity.

There will certainly be times when we give our money, time, or other resources to help an individual, group, or organization only to discover later we were misinformed or deceived about the true nature of the circumstances. At least we can know our hearts were in the right place, but it is far better to wisely steward our resources to help the truly needy who will benefit the most from our assistance.

No amount of money is more important than Jesus.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. (Prov. 22:1)

The money we earn or inherit is God’s gift to us, and we are to steward it to his glory in all things. There is no amount of money that is worth compromising our standards, conscience, or our Christian faith in any way.

Money should never be more important to us than our Savior Jesus. This was the challenge Jesus put forth to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22. It wasn’t that his money was evil but rather that the young ruler wasn’t willing to put Christ first over his riches. And if our riches keeps us from trusting in Jesus for our salvation, then it is better to walk away from our wealth than perish in hell.

When our heart’s desire is to love God and our neighbor, we are positioned to use our money to lay up treasures in heaven.

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (Prov. 11:4)

Death is the great equalizer. We can’t take our money with us, and no amount of money can save us from God’s judgment. Our only hope is the righteousness of Christ Jesus counted to us by faith in him alone.

When our hearts have a godly perspective on money, then we’re positioned to use our money to lay up treasures in heaven. It is good and honorable to work hard and invest to earn money to provide for ourselves, our families, and others in need. Yet, money itself is not the end goal; rather, it’s a tool God has given us to love him and our neighbor. May we be wise and humble stewards of all material possessions God entrusts to our care.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)

This article is adapted from “Using Money Wisely” from Beautiful Christian Life’s August 2024 newsletter.

from Blog - Beautiful Christian Life https://ift.tt/GMaEklJ
via IFTTT

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Is the Christian Life More Like Colorado or Nebraska?

Scotts Bluff from the town of Scotts Bluff, looking south (north face) across the North Platte River valley; image by Chris Light from Wikimedia Commons (cropped); shared under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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.

For most of my conscious life I have listened to other Americans complain about having to drive across Nebraska on I-80. As soon I tell non-Nebraskans that I am a Cornhusker they have two comments: 1) Your football team isn’t what it used to be; and 2) I-80 is the most boring part of their drive across the country.

Okay, I-80 across Nebraska is a little plain, pun intended. The Eisenhower administration didn’t want exciting interstates. They were as much for winning the Cold War (and landing bombers, if it came to that) as they were about your trip to grandma’s house. I-80 follows the Platte River, and it is flat. People will often contrast their experience of the mountains with the prairies. As a plainsman I appreciate the mountains (who doesn’t?), but I think the Christian life is more like Nebraska than it is like Colorado.

For many believers the Christian life is the quest for intense, mountain-top, emotional experiences. The assumption is that these sublime experiences are the norm and that those less-exciting periods of life are abnormal, inferior, disappointing, and perhaps a sign of some spiritual failure. When people say, “we really worshipped today,” what they are sometimes saying is, “We had an intense emotional experience during worship.”

North American Christians have come to expect an intense emotional experience in worship.

Since the First Great Awakening (18th century) and particularly since Charles Finney’s (1792–1875) practice of and lectures on revival, North American Christians have come to expect the unexpected, an intense emotional experience in worship. That’s what many congregations seem to mean by “revival.” That’s why, in so many services, congregations sing carefully coordinated songs designed to produce a certain affect and effect. Christians sometimes become addicted to the experience of euphoria produced by such use of worship music. When people say, “God seems to have left me,” what they may be saying is, “I’m not having the sort of intense experiences I expect a Christian to experience.”

We search for sublime religious experiences in other ways too. That is part of the allure of conferences. There’s nothing wrong with a good conference, but a well-organized conference with outstanding speakers and highly skilled, practiced musicians and/or singers is, by definition, unusual. It’s not the norm. A conference is like an all-star team in comparison to your hometown ball team. The all-star shortstop never misses a grounder. He always makes the double play. Your hometown shortstop, however, has lost a step (or maybe he never had it), and he’s in an uncomfortably long hitting slump. The all-star team is only temporary. It’s not meant to be permanent. Sic transit gloria mundi.

The clearest New Testament instruction about the nature of the Christian life is, in fact, rather ordinary.

The issue isn’t really music and conferences but our dissatisfaction with the ordinary. Does the New Testament promise us that the Christian life is a series of extraordinary emotional experiences? I don’t see it. Yes, there are extraordinary, objective miraculous acts of the Spirit (e.g., in Acts) and there is clear witness to the supernatural work of the Spirit in the apostolic congregations (e.g., 1 Corinthians). But it’s not obvious that we’re supposed to experience the same thing today or that those acts by the Spirit, in the church, had a lot to do with emotional experience.

I understand that’s a matter of considerable debate, but the idea that the New Testament phenomena are unique is not a revolutionary view in the history of the church. The clearest New Testament instruction about the nature of the Christian life, which seemed to have the post-apostolic life of the church in view, is, in fact, rather ordinary. Christians are to love God and their neighbors, honor and pray for the king, fulfill their vocations in this world quietly, and pursue godliness. I suppose when Christians do those things there’s a sense in which it is extraordinary, but now we’re using the word in a different sense.

I don’t mean to say that our Christian life must be relentlessly boring.

Our expectation that the Christian life is a series of intense emotional experiences has much more to do with the 19th century than it does with the New Testament, Patristic Christianity, medieval Christianity, Reformation, or post-Reformation Reformed orthodoxy. In most of those periods, our best writers weren’t generally counseling believers to seek the unusual or the extraordinary. There are exceptions, to be sure, but that’s just it. They were exceptions.

I don’t mean to say that our Christian life must be relentlessly boring. It doesn’t, but I do think that we probably need to recalibrate our meters. There is beauty along I-80 in Nebraska. If you look carefully, among the trees between the road and the Platte River you will see deer. If you look carefully enough, at the right time of day, you might see quite a few. Deer are beautiful—unless, of course, they run in front of your moving vehicle. I enjoy watching the old barns, Aermotor windmills, and cattle as we go by. The song of the Western Meadowlark has a remarkable way of cutting through the wind and the sound of tires on the pavement.

The Christian life is mostly ordinary, and that’s fine.

It used to be that near Grand Island one might see a bald eagle. It’s not the dramatic beauty of the Rockies (the mountains, not the ball club) but it is beauty. There are striking scenes among the buttes along Nebraska highway 71 between Colorado and Scottsbluff. There are great vistas of canyons, hills, and prairies along US 136 and US 34 in southern Nebraska, just above the Kansas line. It’s there, but one has to know where to look for it.

The mountains are breathtaking and memorable, but they are more the exception than the rule. The Christian life is more like a quiet state highway on the plains interrupted by quiet small towns, a few stop lights, followed by more highway. It’s occasionally striking, but mostly it’s ordinary and that’s fine. Ordinary is all right.

This article by R. Scott Clark is adapted from “Is the Christian Life More Like Colorado or Nebraska?” at heidelblog.net and was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on September 10, 2020.

The Fruits of Affliction in the Christian Life

Photo Credit: Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash

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.

What is your favorite verse or passage when you are going through a difficult season? When you are in a trial or are afflicted with some kind of suffering, to what biblical truths do you turn? For many believers, Romans 8:28 is a favorite verse:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

In the midst of our heartache, we often cling to the truth that good will come from it. But what is that good we hope for? Sometimes, we think of the good in terms of the physical, earthly, here-and-now kind of good, such as: Maybe the job I lost will result in an even better job. Maybe this broken dream will pave the way to an even better dream. Maybe this relationship fell apart because there’s a better one waiting for me.

The fruits of affliction are not always material or tangible.

While there are times in our life when we look back on a trial and see how it paved the way to something better in the here and now, there are other good things that result from affliction—and they aren’t material or tangible. They aren’t things we can see with the naked eye. They are internal and spiritual. As such, they have eternal significance.

John Newton is well known for penning the much-loved hymn Amazing Grace, but he also wrote numerous letters during his lifetime. Many of these letters are still published today. His letters point to the grace of God in the life of the believer.

In one letter, he writes about the fruits of affliction in the believer’s life:

Though afflictions in themselves are not joyous, but grievous, yet in due season they yield the peaceful fruits of righteousness. Various and blessed are the fruits they produce. [1]

There are numerous fruits of affliction in the Christian life.

What are those fruits? Newton mentions a number of them:

1. Prayer: “By affliction prayer is quickened, for our prayers are very apt to grow languid and formal in a time of ease.” How true is this! When we are in a season of suffering, we are more likely to turn to the Lord in prayer than we are in times when things are going well. In my own life, I find my prayer life deepens and flourishes during times of hardship, for the trial reminds me how dependent I am upon God’s grace.

2. Scripture: Newton says that afflictions help us understand the Scriptures, particularly God’s promises to us. Many of God’s promises in Scripture have to do with his help to us in times of trouble, and unless we are in a season of affliction, we will not know those promises firsthand. “We cannot so well know their fullness, sweetness, and certainty, as when we have been in the situation to which they are suited, have been enabled to trust and plead them, and found them fulfilled in our own case.” Trials show us more of who God is in his wisdom, power, and faithfulness.

3. Testimony: Our afflictions provide the opportunity to testify to others of God’s grace. When people see how God has brought us through a trial, God is glorified. Our lives then become living testimonies of God’s mercy and grace and give us an opportunity to share the reason for our hope.

4. Strength: Newton says that some graces are only revealed through affliction, such as resignation, patience, meekness, and long-suffering. Just as the practice of lifting weights develops our muscles, so too does affliction develop characteristics in us that can’t grow apart from the work of affliction in our lives. “Activity and strength of grace is not ordinarily acquired by those who sit still and live at ease, but by those who frequently meet with something which requires a full exertion of what power the Lord has given them.”

5. Compassion: Newton also says that affliction helps us have compassion for others who suffer. While we can have sympathy for others in affliction without experiencing such suffering ourselves, it is not as strong as when we have experienced it ourselves. Likewise, suffering helps us know more of the sufferings of Christ.

6. Humility: Lastly, Newton says that trials and suffering help us see the true content of our hearts. Affliction awakens sins in our hearts we didn’t realize were there. “This discovery is indeed very distressing; yet till it is made, we are prone to think ourselves much less vile than we really are, and cannot so heartily abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes.” Seeing the truth about ourselves produces the fruit of humility.

Romans 8:28 promises good to come through our trials and afflictions. Though the trials are not good in and of themselves—far from it!—God uses them for our good. Newton’s letter points to some of those good things as being the fruit of affliction’s work in our lives. Have you seen any of this fruit in your own life?

This article is adapted from “Fruit Bearing Affliction” at christinafox.com and was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on May 20. 2019.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

What Does It Mean to "Put Off the Old Self" and "Put On the New Self"? — Ephesians 4:20-24

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.

In Ephesians 4:20-24, the apostle Paul writes:

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

What is Paul saying about the “old self” and the “new self” and how is this passage connected to a believer’s new life in Christ?

All Christians should strive both to mortify sin in their lives and to grow in godliness.

The Christian life is one of mortifying our sinful desires (also known as the mortification of the flesh) and living unto God by keeping his commandments (also known as vivification).

The Heidelberg Catechism, first published in 1563, is a highly regarded summary of the Christian faith and has the following to say about a believer’s conversion:

Q. What is the true repentance or conversion of man?

A. It is the dying of the old nature and the coming to life of the new. — The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 88.

Q. What is the dying of the old nature?

A. It is to grieve with heartfelt sorrow that we have offended God by our sin, and more and more to hate it and flee from it. — The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 89.

Q. What is the coming to life of the new nature?

A. It is a heartfelt joy in God through Christ, and a love and delight to live according to the will of God in all good works. — The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 90.

All who are in Christ have the benefits of justification and sanctification.

Our justification does not come some day in the undetermined future, based on our own works. Every true believer is declared righteous in Christ and has both legal and relational standing as God’s children. All believers are coheirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).

Christians not only have the benefit of being justified in Christ, but they also have the benefit of sanctification. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and is at work conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).

Even the thief on the cross, who had but a very short time left to live, showed his repentance (his confession of his unworthiness) and his faith in God’s promises (his request for Jesus to remember him):

But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 20:40-43)

Where there is true faith, there is also mortification and vivification, signs of the Spirit’s work in a person’s life.

Christians should be diligent to “put off the old self” (Eph. 4:22) by mortifying sin, and “put on the new self” (Eph. 4:24), by striving to live unto God. And, as the apostle Paul encourages God’s children, every believer can be confident “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

This article was originally published under the title “Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New Self — Ephesians 4:20-24” on August 8, 2022.

from Blog - Beautiful Christian Life https://ift.tt/NS2PVhE
via IFTTT

Monday, November 4, 2024

The Comfort of Knowing God Is in Control

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's providence—what is it? The Westminster Shorter Catechism has a clear and concise definition:

God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving, and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. (WSC 11)

In other words, since God is creator and ruler of all, everything that occurs happens according to his will, even things that appear to be and are awful. Tragedies like war, crime, and the death of a loved one happen according to the will of God.

God by his permissive will determines to allow for a time and purpose the sinful acts of humankind.

Yet, there are distinctions to be made. God is not the author of evil—Scripture is clear about that (James 1:13). God is perfectly and completely good and holy. Yet, God by his permissive will determines to allow for a time and purpose the sinful acts of humankind. The most notable example is the crucifixion of Christ Jesus:

”This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." (Acts 2:23)

It was God's will that his Son die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins; yet, it was sinfully done by human hands. From this we vividly learn that even our own sinful acts can and are used by God for his purposes, which are always "holy, wise, and powerful."

Over time, just as the flower of a bud opens, God begins to reveal the good he brings about through our sufferings.

So what are we to make of God's providence when hurt and pain and sadness come from tragedies in our lives? In the hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way," written by William Cowper (1774), the last two stanzas help us answer this question:

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour.
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan his work in vain.
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

Cowper encourages us that, while recognizing the bud of some tragic and painful event in our lives may have a bitter taste, over time as the flower opens God begins to reveal the good he brings about through such suffering. God may show us the sweetness in full bloom, just as we see from Christ Jesus' resurrection after his crucifixion. The most terrible suffering and death of all time brings forgiveness, salvation, and love, even though at the time Jesus' crucifixion seemed the most unjust death imaginable.

God's providence brings about stronger faith, humility, and greater dependence on him.

Likewise, many of us can surely look back over our own lives and see in our past the failures and errors of trying to have things our way. We can see our sins and sad results in the lives around us while looking on our sin with guilt and regret and crying out to God for forgiveness and renewal. And as we reflect, we can see even the good that God's providence has brought about—stronger faith, greater dependence on God, and humility as we look on others who struggle like we have struggled.

God rules over all that happens, preserving us and governing everything that goes on. Knowing God is in control we can be encouraged that, even when we can't see what God plainly has in mind, we can patiently wait and trust in him that he is most wise, good, and loving in everything that comes to pass.

This article was originally published in Beautiful Christian Life’s November 2022 monthly newsletter, “God’s Providence” and was first featured at Beautiful Christian Life on May 23, 2023.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Living in Light of the End

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.

Each of us will come to the end of our days on this earth. According to author David Gibson, every Christian should be focused on living life backward in the meantime. What does that mean?

God has called us to participate in the ordinary pursuits of life, such as eating, working, playing, sleeping, serving our neighbor, marrying, having children, and worshipping him. While we have control over our decisions on certain matters, many aspects of life are simply beyond our control. In his book Living Life Backward Gibson writes, “We are each writing the story of our lives, but we are not the main author” (p. 52).

We need to take comfort in God’s sovereign hand over all.

We often wrestle with past choices we have made: Should I have moved here? What if I had pursued a different vocation? Should I have married this person? Additionally, what we are able to choose to do depends upon the stage of life in which we find ourselves. It has been said that “youth is wasted on the young,” meaning that we would do a much better job of living life if only we knew when younger what we came to learn over time.

It’s part of life in this world to mourn our poor choices and wish we could have known the consequences of our decisions at the time and taken a different direction. Yet, God uses our experiences both to teach us wisdom and to sanctify us, growing us in holiness and conforming us to the image of his Son, and what may have seemed to be a less than ideal path is actually where God ordained for us to travel in his perfect will.

By living life backward, we can make wiser decisions along the way.

Knowing that we are limited in knowledge can cause us to freeze in fear, becoming filled with worry that we will make mistakes in future decisions, but we need to take comfort in God’s sovereign hand over all, including our own choices. Gibson reminds us that

It is part of living well to accept two things: first, we are enclosed within time’s bounds, and, second, God is not. What we do comes and goes, but “whatever God does endures forever” (3:14). (p. 52)

We cannot become wise by hiding from the world and living in a bubble. Because you’re not God, you’re going to make mistakes. Yet, these mistakes are permitted in God’s perfect wisdom, and he will use them to grow your faith and wisdom. By focusing on living life backward, thinking about what we want to accomplish and who we want to be when our time here on earth in done, we can make wiser decisions along the way.

Consider grabbing a cup of coffee or tea and taking ten to thirty minutes today to ponder what you want to accomplish before the end of your life, focusing on the nurturing of your relationships and loving and serving those whom God has placed in your life while you’re here on earth. Write down some short, intermediate, and long-term goals either in a journal or an electronic note and go back now and then to revisit what you wrote and make adjustments as needed along the way. As the old saying goes, aim at nothing and you’re sure to hit it!

If you’re not sure what to do, begin with trusting in Christ as your Savior and then strive to keep God’s commands with a thankful heart.

As Christians we have the consequent duty to obey our heavenly Father in all we do. Even though we are saved by the perfect work of Christ counted to us through faith alone in Christ alone by God’s grace alone, how we live as Christians matters. The apostle Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Roman church:

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living….So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Rom. 14:7-9, 12)

In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes the preacher declares:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with[d] every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Eccles. 12:13-14)

The end here on earth ushers in the beginning of our eternal state in God’s presence.

We can always take heart that no matter how close or far away we are at any point in time when it comes to accomplishing our plans, it’s God’s will that matters most and he is sovereign everything in our lives:

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Prov. 16:9)

Be humble, recognize how limited your knowledge is, seek godly counsel from Scripture and wise people in your life, pray without ceasing, rest in God’s sovereignty and your sure hope in Christ, and focus on this day that has been given to you. When looking backward as you approach death, rejoice that this “end” is also the beginning of eternal life in the presence of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This article has been updated since its original publishing date of July 7, 2024.

Friday, November 1, 2024

How Does God Speak to People Today?

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.

“Speak, for your servant hears.”— 1 Samuel 3:10b

At one time or another, the question “How can I hear from God?” has likely crossed every Christian’s mind. With heartfelt conviction believers want to know what God has in store for their lives and what they should do to best please their heavenly Father. The wide range of suggested answers, however, has caused no end of confusion and controversy for many. So how can we hear from God? How can we know his will for us?

God tells us how he speaks to us.

The direct answer comes from Hebrews 1 where, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the writer to the Hebrews says:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Heb. 1:1–2)

Before Jesus came to earth to begin his redemptive work that reached its zenith at the cross, God spoke to his people directly and through the prophets. We read of Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, and the other inspired prophets who spoke, as they heard from God, to give his people the law to reveal sin and to disclose his plan of salvation that would free us from our guilt and condemnation.

The law was clear, but the promises of redemption were less so in the Old Testament. In Genesis 3:15, when God tells Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, we find the first reference to God’s promise of a redeemer. Adam and Eve are given this promise as they sit in horror of their disobedience, but the details of how their disobedience would be undone were less than clear to them and their offspring.

Abraham didn’t understand fully how God would fulfill his promise.

It was the same with Abraham. When God promised to give him offspring more numerous than the stars of heaven, Abraham didn’t understand how or exactly why. Yet, he trusted in the promise by faith. It was the same for Moses. Told to return to Egypt to demand the release of the Hebrew slaves, Moses was more than a little reluctant to go (Exod. 4:1, 13; 6:12). God had spoken, however, and his people believed.

Hebrews 11 says that the Old Testament believers, including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, Samuel, the prophets, and countless others, trusted in the revealed word of God to guide them and assure them of eternal life (Heb. 11:16).

With the birth of Jesus, the prophetic office reached its pinnacle—Jesus was The Prophet foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 (Acts 3:23; 7:37). As the last of the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist said plainly,

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” (John 1:29–30)

So, beginning with the ministry of Jesus, God spoke to his people by his Son (Heb 1:2). In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7; see also Luke 6:17-49) Jesus teaches us how to live to please God. He pronounces that he is the one who “came down from heaven,” being “the bread of life” and the “good shepherd” (John 3:13; 6:48; 10:11). Because we trust by God’s grace that Jesus is the promised One to deliver us from sin, we love him, listen to his words, and obey his teaching.

“In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”

So when the writer to the Hebrews says, “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,” it means we hear from God through the Word, Christ (John 1:14; Rom. 10:17). When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left behind his apostles and gave them the special task of recording all that he said and did. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these men recorded all that God ordained as his word, so that we can hear God speak to us today.

So our plea “Please speak, O Lord” is answered by hearing God’s word faithfully preached and by reading the Bible. Unfortunately, for many people this answer is not altogether satisfying because they desire more intimate communication. They want to receive direct revelation from God.

God speaks to us through the preached word.

It’s critically important to recognize that, according to God’s word, there are no modern-day apostles or prophets who can bring new or specific revelations from God. Yet, God has graciously provided a way for us to find answers to our questions. Let me explain.

It is vital for every believer to be involved in a Christ-centered, Bible preaching and teaching church. The Holy Spirit that indwells every believer gives gifts as God chooses for the building up of the saints. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:27 and following that some are given the gift to teach, others wisdom and knowledge to correct, admonish, and encourage fellow believers.

By the preached word, God speaks to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. While there is no new revelation, there is biblically-based wisdom available from people in the church who speak, counsel, and advise regarding the correct course of action in various circumstances. It is in the body of Christ where we find instruction, worship, discipleship, and fellowship.

We also hear from God when we pray and meditate on his word.

The Bible is not a magic “answer book” of which we can ask a question and then turn to a random page to find the answer. That’s not how it works. Instead, we hear from God in our prayer time and devotions when we meditate on significant passages of Scripture. By drinking daily of the Bible, the Spirit points us to truths so the Bible becomes a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The Bible claims to be living and active to discern God’s truth for us, and it does just that:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12; see also Ps. 119:105).

The Bible even answers specific questions by giving us the guidelines for making proper choices. “Where I should live?” The answer is where there is a good church in which you can serve and grow. “Whom should I marry?” is answered by “Do not be unequally yoked,” meaning marry a Christian (2 Cor. 6:14). “What job should I take?” Take the one that honors Christ, provides for your family, contributes positively to society, and uses the talents God has given to you.

Do you want to hear God speak to you? He will through his word. And let us pursue the holiness that God is working in us by the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers because of his precious Son.

This article was originally published on August 15, 2019.

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Those who love money will never be fully satisfied by their pursuit of wealth.

Money is difficult to obtain and easy to lose.

With money comes power and responsibility.

We are to love God and our neighbor, not money.

No amount of money is more important than Jesus.

When our heart’s desire is to love God and our neighbor, we are positioned to use our money to lay up treasures in heaven.

Related Articles:

Thursday, November 7, 2024

North American Christians have come to expect an intense emotional experience in worship.

The clearest New Testament instruction about the nature of the Christian life is, in fact, rather ordinary.

I don’t mean to say that our Christian life must be relentlessly boring.

The Christian life is mostly ordinary, and that’s fine.

Related Articles:

Recommended:

The fruits of affliction are not always material or tangible.

There are numerous fruits of affliction in the Christian life.

Related Articles:

Recommended:

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

All Christians should strive both to mortify sin in their lives and to grow in godliness.

All who are in Christ have the benefits of justification and sanctification.

Related Articles:

Monday, November 4, 2024

God by his permissive will determines to allow for a time and purpose the sinful acts of humankind.

Over time, just as the flower of a bud opens, God begins to reveal the good he brings about through our sufferings.

God's providence brings about stronger faith, humility, and greater dependence on him.

Related Articles:

Recommended:

Sunday, November 3, 2024

We need to take comfort in God’s sovereign hand over all.

By living life backward, we can make wiser decisions along the way.

If you’re not sure what to do, begin with trusting in Christ as your Savior and then strive to keep God’s commands with a thankful heart.

The end here on earth ushers in the beginning of our eternal state in God’s presence.

Related Articles:

Recommended:

Friday, November 1, 2024

God tells us how he speaks to us.

Abraham didn’t understand fully how God would fulfill his promise.

“In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”

God speaks to us through the preached word.

We also hear from God when we pray and meditate on his word.

Related Articles:

Recommended: