Some “Christians” are more offended when a preacher calls out sin than they are by the sin itself.

Anyone can say that "Christ is Risen" on Easter Sunday, but do you live like “Christ is Risen" every day?

That is what will show the world that the Resurrection is real.
@StudyBibleFam

Reading the Bible won't change you if you don't intend to obey it. We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

Why is Good Friday so good?

- We're all sinners who deserve God's wrath forever in Hell.
- Good works can't cancel the debt we owe.
- So God sent his only Son to pay that debt on the cross!

Repent and believe in Jesus, the only way to Heaven, and your sins will be forgiven.

April 4: Forgive, Forget, and Comfort

#Devotional

Deuteronomy 5:1–6:25; 2 Corinthians 2:1–11; Psalm 33

There is a subtle type of grudge that festers. When we extend forgiveness, the challenge isn’t necessarily in the moment of reconciliation. It’s extending that moment and letting it permeate the interactions that follow.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul doesn’t just ask the Corinthians to forgive. He asks them for much more: “So then, you should rather forgive and comfort him lest somehow this person should be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Therefore I urge you to confirm your love for him. Because for this reason, also I wrote, in order that I could know your proven character, whether you are obedient in everything” (2 Cor 2:7–9).

Patronizing superiority suits our selfish desires, but grudging forgiveness doesn’t heal a community. Paul calls the Corinthian church to much more. He wants them to live sacrificially. That’s why, when Paul calls for the offender in Corinth to be reprimanded, he specifically turns to address those who were affected by the sin. The solution was intentional, ongoing forgiveness and an outpouring of love. He then reminded the Corinthians of Christ’s sacrifice, which they didn’t deserve (see Col 3:13). Forgiveness is undeserved—a reminder we all need.

Are you holding on to a grudge against someone—perhaps even someone you’ve already forgiven? How can you let go of your grudge and extend the love that has been shown to you?

April 4 - We Must Defend and Proclaim the Word

#LifeOfChrist

“‘For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished’” (Matthew 5:18).

In considering our obligations to the divine Scripture, two other major obligations are crucial for the Christian. First, he or she must defend the Word of God. We should strive for the integrity, authority, and purity of the Bible. As Jude exhorts us, we must “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). Charles Spurgeon wrote this about defending the Word:

The everlasting gospel is worth preaching even if one stood on a burning fagot and addressed the crowds from a pulpit of flames. The truths revealed in Scripture are worth living for and they are worth dying for. I count myself thrice happy, to bear reproach for the sake of the faith.

Lastly, those who love the Lord live to proclaim God’s Word. Spurgeon is again relevant:

I would stir you all up to be instant in season and out of season in telling out the gospel message, especially to repeat such a word as this: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Whisper it in the ear of the sick, shout it in the corner of the streets, write it on your tablet, send it forth from the press, but everywhere let this be your great motive and warrant.

Ask Yourself

If you’re not a preacher, you may feel somewhat excluded from this biblical mandate. But in what ways can proclamation be a part of your life? What opportunities are available for you to inject God’s truth into discourse or conversation?

DAY 4: How is God characterized in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32?

https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-04-04

Jesus is not a mascot for our agendas, we are servants for His mission.

Weak men crave comfort. Godly men pursue holiness, even when it hurts. Die daily. Stand firm. Pursue Christ. Don't give up.

The best advertisement for any local church is its members living as true followers of Jesus beyond the church walls.

When Christians take the Bible seriously, it’s usually not unbelievers who get annoyed… it’s lukewarm Christians that do.

Let us grieve our sin more deeply than we grieve our suffering.

Buddha lived, died, stayed dead.
Muhammad lived, died, stayed dead.
Confucius lived, died, stayed dead.
Zoroaster lived, died, stayed dead.
Earthly kings lived, died, stayed dead.
Celebrities live, die, stay dead.

Jesus lived, died, rose again.
There is no one like JESUS!

Woke Christians: Jesus ate with sinners!

Me: Yes, and the dinner conversation was – “Repent and believe, or perish.”

Just like Satan did in the garden, the world always attacks the authority of the Bible. If they can destroy our foundation, the rest of our faith will crumble.

Don't let the devil win. Hold fast to the Word of God, believers.

The CROSS shows SACRIFICIAL love 💔➡️❤️ The RESURRECTION shows VICTORIOUS power! ⚡

Let your marriage display BOTH: sacrificial love every day and resurrection power when things feel dead! Eph 5:25 + Rom 6:4 💪

Which one does your marriage need MORE of right now — sacrifice or power? #StrongMarriage #Easter

Before you point out everything wrong with the church, ask yourself:

Are you praying for her?
Serving her?
Submitting to Scripture within her?

Criticism is easy. Faithfulness is harder.

April 5: Treating the Symptom

#Devotional

Deuteronomy 7:1–8:20; 2 Corinthians 2:12–17; Psalm 34:1–22

I regularly predict that something will only take me an hour when it actually ends up taking two. I’m beginning to think that this is a sign of a larger issue: the tendency to underestimate the severity of a problem. In medical offices, this is called treating the symptoms and not the disease. In street ministry, it’s known as getting addicts off the street rather than helping them understand their addiction.

Addicts rationalize sin. And eventually, sin becomes everything in their lives, which means they rationalize away who they are. If we’re all honest with ourselves, we would see that, like the addict, we like the “gray” area far too much. We want to push the boundaries in the name of freedom, rationality, or cultural appeal.

In Deuteronomy 7:1–8:20, Moses was uninterested in pushing boundaries. He even told the Israelites to stay away from foreigners who worshiped other gods because they would corrupt the fledgling worship of Yahweh (Deut 7:3–4). Paul makes a similar point in 2 Cor 6:14: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers, for what participation is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” Paul’s statement is part of a larger discussion on why the world is as black and white as God makes it out to be. In 2 Corinthians 2:15, Paul writes, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

Christ-followers are meant to be a good smell to the world of God’s work and goodness, and it’s impossible for them to do this if they are not living in His “light.” Corruption infects everyone affiliated with it. We are meant to bring the light into the darkness, not become part of the darkness. Interacting with culture and those who don’t believe is not the same as becoming one with culture and those who don’t believe.

When we see a symptom, we need to recognize there is a disease behind it. We’re all metaphorical addicts. The difference between Christ-followers and the rest is that we recognize the condition and seek Christ, who can heal us and save us.

In what ways are you rationalizing your sin or problems? What can you do to understand it the way God would like you to, and what can you do about it?

April 5 - God's Law Not up for Annulment

“‘Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 5:19).

People resent prohibitions and demands on their behavior. Even believers, out of ignorance, misunderstanding, or blatant disregard, sometimes want to water down God’s standards. But when anyone “annuls” (breaks, sets loose) any part of God’s Word, he or she is not following Christ’s example.

Jesus did acknowledge that not all of God’s commands are of equal importance. He told a pharisaical lawyer that one divine commandment is above all others and that another is second (Matt. 22:37–39). Thus all the other commandments fall somewhere below those two and vary in significance.

Our Lord’s point here in the sermon, however, is that we must not annul—by ignoring, modifying, or disobeying—even the smallest aspect of God’s law. Some commands might be greater than others, but none should be disregarded. Paul did not pick and choose what he would teach. He did emphasize some issues more than others, but he omitted nothing (Acts 20:27). And we certainly must not teach others to disregard or disobey any portion of the law. To do so shows that our disobedience is conscious and intentional.

Jesus does not restrict His warning to formal teachers. By example, every Christian teaches those around him to be more obedient or more disobedient. Our words of respect for God’s Word present a guide for others. To speak disparagingly of the Word or to ignore its requirements presents testimony to others of the law’s unimportance to us. This ought to be the furthest thing from our agenda.

Ask Yourself

On what subject matters do you find yourself most tempted to comment, “I know what the Bible says, but . . .”?

DAY 5: How is Moses described at the end of his life?
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-04-05