Show Yourself to Be Mighty to Save
Heavenly Father, You have provided us with everything we need for life and godliness! In your Word, we find “precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:3-4). One of those promises comes to us from the words of David in Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1-2). Teach us to rest in that promise even now. When…
Mindful of the Lessons We Are Learning
Heavenly Father, we come to you because we know that you alone have the answers to our greatest needs. You are faithful and kind to hear us when we call upon you. When everything else in our world is turned upside down, you remain upright. You are steadfast and sure. You are our Rock when every other foundation is shifting sand. We are grateful that it seems the earliest predictions of this coronavirus crisis are not bearing out in reality.…
Looking to a Sovereign God in Uncertain Times
Heavenly Father, we come to you during a time of great uncertainty. We do not know how long our nation will be stuck in isolation, nor do really have any idea of the magnitude of this Coronavirus crisis. Some of us do not know what our job situation will be at the end of this. Most of us are preparing for some level of financial impact. We come to you during this time of uncertainty, because we know that you…
Sermon Reflection Questions on 1 Peter 1:3-5
As you spend this week in private and family worship I wanted to supply you with a few questions that might help you and your family to reflect upon our sermon from last Sunday (“Doxology of Hope” 1 Peter 1:3-5). I recommend taking 1-2 questions each day as you have time rather than trying to cram it all into one session. Discuss examples from Peter’s life that reflect an impulsive personality. He seems to be frequently caught up in present circumstances without…
Receiving Comfort from the Doctrine of Divine Impassibility
The doctrine of divine impassibility is best illustrated by considering the problem of human passibility. This past Sunday, we looked at Acts 14. The first missionary journey included a stop in Lystra where the people thought Paul and Barnabas were gods after they witnessed the healing of a man crippled from birth. The people were prepared to offer sacrifices to Zeus (Paul) and Hermes (Barnabas) when the apostles tore their garments and declared, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like…
Encouragement for Reading Through the Whole Bible
I love reading God’s Word, but I still haven’t found the perfect Bible reading plan. I find myself switching from one plan to another. Sometimes I want to listen to the audio while I read along. Other times I want to read at a fast pace. And there are also times where I want to slow down and prayerfully consider every word I read. There is no such thing as “the best way” to read God’s Word. The question is,…
Overwhelming Obligations
I hope you have recovered from your loss of an hour on Sunday. You’re going to need your rest with such a busy week ahead. We can be overwhelmed with a schedule that involves various obligations on top of our commitments to fellowship with members of our church family, friends, and neighbors. When doing everything is impossible, it is easy to shut down and do nothing. We like our routines. We like to keep our calendars open and free from obligations. Routines are important.…
Sharing the Gospel and Our Sriracha (or The Priority of Christian Hospitality)
Sriracha makes everything better. That green capped bottle should be a fixture at every meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even dessert. If you’re between meals, let’s set aside that spicy-sweet cocktail for a minute to consider something even more important–hospitality. I realize that very few things show hospitality better than sharing your bottle of Sriracha, but–crazy as it is–Sriracha doesn’t suit everyone’s palate. So, for the Christian, Sriracha is optional while hospitality is not. Our practice of Christian hospitality is an indicator of…
Overcoming Hesitation: Your Mission, Should You Accept
What I find interesting about Saul’s conversion experience is that Luke spends almost as much time writing about Ananias (Acts 9:10-17) as he does Saul (Acts 9:1-9, 18-19). Ananias had an important role to play as the agent through whom God healed and commissioned Saul. But Ananias hesitated to accept that role (Acts 9:13-14). Of course, no one can really blame him for questioning the sincerity of Saul’s conversion. He had a reputation for being ruthless as he himself would…
The Radical Impact of Saul’s Conversion Experience
The conversion experience of Saul of Tarsus was as significant as it was shocking. Derek Thomas suggests that the spiritual transformation of Saul “ranks among the most significant events in world history.”1 Paul’s missionary journeys took the gospel beyond the regions of Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The letters of the Apostle Paul account for nearly a quarter of the New Testament. Only Luke wrote more than Paul.2The man who sparked a great persecution (Acts…