The God of Weeping and Laughing

A single event can bring tears and laughter. Consider Ezra 3, when the new temple's foundation was laid. The young people shouted for joy with excitement, while the older men wept loudly. We can take comfort in knowing that the God of happy shouting is also the God of great despair. No matter what you are feeling, God should be a part of that experience.

Honor cannot be seized

When viewing an altercation for the "seats of honor" at a dinner, Jesus told a short story about a man who took a position of honor that did not belong to him. The story ends with the man being shamed while he is sent to a place of less significance (Luke 14).  How do you seek honor that might not belong to you? Can you take comfort in the fact that Christ gave up his position of honor for you?

 

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?

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

God can protect you, but will He?

The famous story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan 3:16-28) provides modern Christians with a sound way of anticipating God's deliverance, while accepting His hard decisions. The faithful trio believed that God could save them, but were willing to accept God's plan, even if He decided not to. What trying circumstances do you want to be delivered from, and have you asked God to do this?

David prays alone

Psalm 51 is David's prayer for forgiveness, after committing a cowardly act of murder and betrayal. David doesn't bring all of the sacrifice his wealth would afford, but rather, he declared that God wanted a contrite and broken heart. What acts of sin are you afraid of confessing to God? Could you find the joy that David ultimately discovers, by admitting your wrong-doing and trusting God to still love you?

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. 

Not Enough

Although good works are a natural outcome of our faith, we must always remember that they are NOT the source of our salvation (Philippians 3:9). As Christians, we should be constantly humbled by the sacrificial death of Christ, where he took our punishment for us, and gave us grace in return. May we always give grace to others, just like Christ gave grace to us.

Life Follows Christ

Isaiah 35 paints a uniquely beautiful picture of redemption. In the first two verses we read of the desert rejoicing in blooms of life as the Messiah strolls through. These verses speak not only to a day of topographical changes, but also to the life Jesus Christ can bring to the deserts of our lives. What dry and lifeless places in your life would you like to see blossom at the touch of Jesus Christ?

Is GOD just an ornament?

Matthew's gospel describes the announcement of Jesus' birth as 'God with us Matt 1:23.' Thinking about what it might mean to be in GOD's presence, is that something we really want or do we just want to add God to our current box of personal ornaments?

What is the good news of the gospel?

The basis of Christianity is not in a set of rules or behaviors. It is the sacrifice that 

Christ made for us and His current position as ruler of our lives. I Co 15

Samuel's child-faith

1 Samuel 3 tells the story of a boy whose spiritual mentors and leaders were greatly lacking. The boy,

Samuel, demonstrates the kind of wide-eyed wonder we associate with our earliest faith in Christ.

We might all be able to remember a time when faith was fresh and we were so busy praising God 

enjoying the miracle of salvation that we didn't think to find fault with those around us. What

would it take for you to return to that state?

Be Lifted Out of Adversity

When faced with adversity of any sort, the Christian can take comfort in a God

who declares himself to be God and God alone (Psalm 86:10). The dangers and devices of this

world cannot thwart Him, or even give Him Pause. Read Judges 7 for an example of how God

works. We may still be wary of the sharks but take comfort in the declaration of God.

This is Faith: Believing in the Impossible or Improbable

Misplaced faith is a dangerous thing and can lead to pain and oppression or worse. In Hebrews 11,

Noah is said to have trusted GOD - while it is dangerous to put your faith in preachers or other

leaders, the Bible always speaks of those who trust God as good and faithful people. Sometimes

trust or faith has been proven to be a good thing...Noah's trust is an example. Can you think of 

a time you've either experienced or observed trust being a good thing? Maybe in a parent or spouse, or even in a teacher or doctor? Before we label all faith as bad - we should consider if it is ever good.

What's at Your Core?

If we probe deeply enough, each of us will find the core beliefs that drive our behaviors. Proverbs 23:7 gives insight into how to know who we are. Simply, what you believe, drives what you do. How do your REAL beliefs show up in what you do?

Compassion in Crisis

How should we respond to a tragic crisis? Does our first impulse match with

the actions of the good Samaritan? In the parable, Jesus describes a man

who should have been an enemy demonstrates great compassion and care. 

We are all broken people in a broken world - may we find the strength to

follow the teaching of Christ and show compassion to each other.

Absolutes

The concept of absolute truth has been abused by religious leaders for many years.

The Bible does affirm such absolutes by declarative statements about God's character.

Passages such as Deuteronomy 32:4 and John 14:6 declare God and His Son to be Truth. 

Since it would be logically impossible to absolutely deny absolute truth, maybe we should

reconsider the argument and how it applies to the gospel of Christ.

Holding Tight - but to what?

We often pride ourselves on how strong

our faith is, but the emphasis of faith

is on the object of our faith - not the 

amount of faith we bring.

It's better to have a weak grip on a real lifeline,

than a strong grip on a poor lifeline.

John 14:6