When we recognize our questionable choices and use them to serve others, our humility earns us the right to share a positive message. If we follow Jesus, such compassion born from his grace enables and empowers us to share that grace with the world.
When we recognize our questionable choices and use them to serve others, our humility earns us the right to share a positive message. If we follow Jesus, such compassion born from his grace enables and empowers us to share that grace with the world.
The paradoxical truth is that we will not turn to Jesus as our “actual hope” unless we recognize that we need what he alone can provide.
The king of the universe cannot honor rebellion against his reign lest he deny his holiness and permit that which harms his subjects. He calls us to seek his glory because to do less would be idolatry on his part and ours. Conversely, when we enthrone him in our hearts and serve him with fear and reverence, we experience his best in and through our lives.
The Constitution grants us freedom of religion because we need it. We need the God we are free to worship and trust. We need the biblical truth we are free to proclaim. We are so immoral that we need the morality taught by God’s word and empowered by his Spirit.
As our nation’s birthday approaches, I want to urge us to give our country the best gift we can offer her people: lives that demonstrate the character of Jesus. What he did through early Christians to transform the world, he wants to do today through you and me.
Yesterday we noted that if we are to impact our culture as the first Christians impacted theirs (cf. Acts 17:6), we must recover their sense of urgency for our message for the lost, our mission for the culture, and our moment for our souls. Today let’s add the urgency of depending intentionally and unconditionally on the One whose message and mission we serve in this moment.
Early Christians had no courts or governments to which they could appeal for the protection of their religious liberties. In fact, they had no such liberties. And yet they “turned the world upside down” and were used by God to spark the most transformative spiritual movement in human history. If we wish to make the impact they made, we must do what they did.
Yesterday, we focused on the fact that God has given us what we need to do what he intends us to do. Today, let’s add this fact: To experience his best, we must give our best to him every moment of every day.
Why does the secularized culture seem to be winning as the church seems to be receding? Here’s one factor: We must do what God says to experience what he intends. Jesus instructed us to remove anything that causes us to sin (Matthew 18:8-9). We must let go of all that is not of God and surrender all that is. Then and only then can he use us fully.
Yesterday, we discussed the courage that is needed in a “post-truth” culture to tell people truth they don’t want to hear. Today, let’s close our week-long conversation about truth by focusing on the courage God’s people have always needed to follow him fully in a fallen world.
