Holding it together

Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us that was central to the creation of the universe and is still bearing the weight of all things. You might say he is holding everything together for us. Can you trust the one who holds all things to hold your life together and to give you grace to face each new personal crisis? 

Blinded by power

 

Psalm 146 warns God's people not to trust in political power, but to trust God for all of our needs. Christians have often been tempted to compromise our core values of love, compassion, and caring to gain power over others. Can you think of a time you've been more interested in "winning" or gaining power than in reaching out to help others?

Preparing for the persecution

 In Luke 19, Jesus tells a strange story to prepare the disciples for the coming persecution the church would soon endure. The story reminds us of the importance of faith and of God's ability to provide for His people even when God seems far away. While most modern Christians do not suffer persecution like the early church, we all have felt seasons where God was distant and we needed faith to believe He cared.

Does your life demonstrate how much you've been forgiven?

 

An unnamed woman demonstrated an unusual amount of care for Jesus. While Jesus was dining with a religious leader, she washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed him with very valuable perfumed oil. The woman was known to be a "sinner," but Jesus is not heard judging her sins. Instead, he corrects those who were offended by her, by telling a story of what love looks like.
(Lk 7:36-50)

Listen up!

  

Jesus often used the words, "He who has ears, let him hear," but while using those words, he also used stories that were not easily understood by the religious leaders (Lk 8:10). It seems like Jesus held back truth for those who really wanted it and were willing to seek him out in private to get it. Do you seek out Jesus today for truth?

Could you share your love in the face of hate?

 When asked, who we should love (Luke 10), Jesus responded with a story about the "good Samaritan." In the story, Jesus described a man who generously cared for another man, who should have been considered his natural enemy. The story emphasizes the care we should take in loving our enemies. How have you been able to show love to those who seem to hate you?

Happy to be here

 

Christians often use Psalm 122 to remind us of the blessing we receive when we attend church. However, we should take care no to mistake our church buildings for God's presence. When we gather, either in person or through virtual meeting (Matt 18:20), we are benefiting from seeing God's spirt in our brothers and sisters (John 14).  How are you finding others to worship with?

What are you worth?

 

Jesus told of a woman who searched diligently for a lost coin (Lk 15:8-10). Once she found the coin, she rejoiced greatly and even called her friends to join her in her celebration. This story reveals how God feels when we return to His care. At times we all feel worthless, but this story reminds us that the creator of everything values us greatly and rejoices when we seek Him. How can you seek Him today?

Have you plead your case?

 

Jesus once told a story about a corrupt judge, who refused to provide justice for a widow who had suffered wrong-doing. Although the judge was not motivated by good intentions, he still did what was right, just so that he wouldn't have to hear the widow complain. Jesus then asked, if even a corrupt judge will answer the pleas of the oppressed, how much more will God? (Lk 18) What are pleading with God over?

Who's your publican?

Jesus told of a highly respected, conservative and orthodox religious leader who prayed in a way that demonstrated his utter disdain for those in worship with him. One of the other worshipers, a social pariah, simply admitted his sin and begged for mercy. Jesus stunned his audience by saying that the social pariah was forgiven by God, but the leader left still in his sin. Can you think of anyone you feel superior to when you are in worship with others? How does this align with Jesus's story? Luke 18:9-14

Do you love God or His gifts?

God loves to give to good things to His children (Luke 11), but we often find ourselves desiring those gifts more than the God who gave them. David sought God more than God's provisions (Ps 27).  Do you find yourself angry when you are not receiving the gifts you have come to expect? Could you be loving the gifts more than the giver?

Fear in the calm

In troubled times, it's easy to forget the absolute power of God. One reminder can be found in Mark 4.  After Jesus calmed the storm, the people became frightened of him, because he was even more powerful than the storm they just survived. Have you come afraid of reaching out to God, because of His power? Can you think of a time you were in awe of God's power?

God cares for the oppressed

God describes Judgement as His calling card (Psalm 9:16), and reminded the oppressed of the many great and terrible judgments He has enacted on oppressors. As Christians, we should take notice of this warning and ensure we are not oppressing or supporting oppression of any population. 

Pslam 42

 Even Jesus felt the loneliness of God's distance, as demonstrated by his words on the cross (Matt 27:46).  When we feel like God has abandoned us, Psalm 42 gives us words to express our pain. How have you felt abandoned by God, and have you been able to pray something as honest as Psalm 42 in those times? While we don't know why God is sometimes distant, we do know that we can trust He will return.

He knows you, do you know HIM?

Most people who believe in God, believe that he already knows all about us. What might be surprised that God invites us to know Him too. In Psalm 86, David declares how good God is, based on David's personal experiences with and on the written history about God. Is it possible that your history is actually God revealing himself to you? Can you compare your story with the story of God's people in the Bible?

A prison of your own making

One of the key principles of Christianity is that we should forgive others, because God has forgiven our great debt of sin (Matt 18:21-35). Those who practice the art of forgiving soon learn that this is actually much more fulfilling and liberating than indulging in thoughts of revenge. Who have you forgiven lately?

Can you trust him now?

As Christians, we believe that Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice for us in the past and will deliver us from the final judgement in the future. However, we tend to trust him less to care for us in our present circumstances (Romans 5).  Can look past your current situation, to the future and to the past to find faith to trust your savior in the present? 

Jump if you can

Christians often refer to "having faith in Jesus," or "salvation is by faith alone," but what does that really mean? Biblical faith includes not just knowing the story of Jesus, or even believing the stories to be true. Biblical faith goes one step further and actually trusts Christ and His sacrifice to be our righteousness, instead of trusting our good works as the key to God's heart. Rom 4.
NOTE: For a better summary of the 3 Components of Faith - see "3 Components of Faith – C.H. Spurgeon" on Hills Bible Church website.

When considering our trials and times of suffering it might be easy to dismiss Jesus' sufferings as something entirely different than what we are experiencing. The good news is that Jesus does understand exactly what you are feeling and relates to your experience as if it were his own (see Hebrews 4:15-16).

Why do I have money?

Ephesians 4:28 encourages Christians to work honestly for their paychecks. Surprising, the reason provided is so that we can give to those in need. This simple lesson helps free Christians from materialism and from defining ourselves by our worldly wealth. Do you believe that your wealth is actually God's great provision given to you to pass on to others?