God is so sovereign over the disasters and disappointments of our lives that he is able to make all of them serve our everlasting joy.
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Dear Christian,
1.) Remember God’s promises.
2.) Remember God’s faithfulness.
3.) Remember God’s past deliverances.
1.) Remember God’s promises.
2.) Remember God’s faithfulness.
3.) Remember God’s past deliverances.
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When the civil authority trespasses the limits of its authority, it is the duty of the church to condemn such a violation.
John Murray
John Murray
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
❤5
I was not created to live "my truth".
I was created to live the Truth.
I was created to live the Truth.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ means:
It's a historical fact. Our faith is built on truth, not myth.
Death is defeated. Sin and the grave have no final say.
We are justified. His resurrection proves our sins are fully paid.
A new creation is coming. Our hope is not in this fallen world.
Jesus reigns. He is alive, ruling, and returning!
It's a historical fact. Our faith is built on truth, not myth.
Death is defeated. Sin and the grave have no final say.
We are justified. His resurrection proves our sins are fully paid.
A new creation is coming. Our hope is not in this fallen world.
Jesus reigns. He is alive, ruling, and returning!
❤7
No matter what you’re facing, know that there are brighter days ahead. Keep trusting in the Lord 🤍
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Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
And raised this life up from the dead
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. - Philippians 1:9 NLT #verseoftheday
May challenge: Make your home a GARDEN of grace! 🌷🕊️ Pull weeds of bitterness quickly and plant seeds of forgiveness and joy instead! Col 3:13 💞 What weed do you need to remove today? #StrongMarriage #May
Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.
John Calvin
John Calvin
I didn't choose Jesus.
He chose me.
All I did was say "Yes."
He chose me.
All I did was say "Yes."
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9 ways we should read the Bible:
1. Prayerfully (Ps 119:18)
2. Meditatively (Josh 1:8)
3. Contextually (2 Tim 2:15)
4. Regularly (Ps 1:2)
5. Humbly (James 1:21)
6. Obediently (James 1:22)
7. Expectantly (Heb 4:12)
8. Reverently (Isa 66:2)
9. Persistently (Matt 4:4)
1. Prayerfully (Ps 119:18)
2. Meditatively (Josh 1:8)
3. Contextually (2 Tim 2:15)
4. Regularly (Ps 1:2)
5. Humbly (James 1:21)
6. Obediently (James 1:22)
7. Expectantly (Heb 4:12)
8. Reverently (Isa 66:2)
9. Persistently (Matt 4:4)
❤6
Christians who fear cultural labels more than biblical faithfulness have already chosen their authority.
All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. - Jude 1:25 NLT #verseoftheday
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While the world boasts in their works and accomplishments, I will boast only in Christ.
Let May be the month your marriage LEARNS to dance in unity! 💃🕺 Move together in step with the Holy Spirit — graceful, joyful, and strong! Ps 149:3 ❤️ Who is leading your marriage dance right now? #StrongMarriage #May
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May 5: Believing in the Impossible
#Devotional
Judges 8:1–9:21; Philippians 2:12–18; Psalm 67:1–7
Too often, we’re cynical about circumstances. When people come to us for advice, we want to list all the reasons why they shouldn’t take a certain course of action. We want to dissuade them. But what if we had a little faith instead?
In Judges, we find someone who is surprisingly idealistic. When the men of Ephraim oppose Gideon, he says,
“What have I done now in comparison to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hand the commanders of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” (Judg 8:2–3).
Gideon cleverly couches his request in the middle of compliments; he places positives on either side of it. He wins back their favor:
“And their anger against him subsided when he said that” (Judg 8:3).
Gideon’s motives were flawed, theologically or interpersonally, but his actions do teach us something fascinating. People often want to be told that they can accomplish the impossible. Those who believe in the impossible can often accomplish things that others can’t. Of course, Gideon was audacious; he and the men from Ephraim could have been crushed by these warring nations of mightier strength and military intelligence. Surprisingly, in this circumstance, he succeeded (Judg 8:15–17).
We shouldn’t necessarily look to Gideon as a shining example (he makes lots of mistakes). But this incident is a reminder that we need to carefully consider our interactions with those we influence. What if we chose to be encouraging? What if we didn’t default to cynic mode? When someone comes to you for advice, consider the work that God might be working in that person. If He deems that they are worthy, they will accomplish their work—even if everything looks bleak at first.
Who can you encourage? How can you affirm people’s calling?
#Devotional
Judges 8:1–9:21; Philippians 2:12–18; Psalm 67:1–7
Too often, we’re cynical about circumstances. When people come to us for advice, we want to list all the reasons why they shouldn’t take a certain course of action. We want to dissuade them. But what if we had a little faith instead?
In Judges, we find someone who is surprisingly idealistic. When the men of Ephraim oppose Gideon, he says,
“What have I done now in comparison to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hand the commanders of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” (Judg 8:2–3).
Gideon cleverly couches his request in the middle of compliments; he places positives on either side of it. He wins back their favor:
“And their anger against him subsided when he said that” (Judg 8:3).
Gideon’s motives were flawed, theologically or interpersonally, but his actions do teach us something fascinating. People often want to be told that they can accomplish the impossible. Those who believe in the impossible can often accomplish things that others can’t. Of course, Gideon was audacious; he and the men from Ephraim could have been crushed by these warring nations of mightier strength and military intelligence. Surprisingly, in this circumstance, he succeeded (Judg 8:15–17).
We shouldn’t necessarily look to Gideon as a shining example (he makes lots of mistakes). But this incident is a reminder that we need to carefully consider our interactions with those we influence. What if we chose to be encouraging? What if we didn’t default to cynic mode? When someone comes to you for advice, consider the work that God might be working in that person. If He deems that they are worthy, they will accomplish their work—even if everything looks bleak at first.
Who can you encourage? How can you affirm people’s calling?
May 5 - What’s Wrong with False Giving?
#LifeOfChrist
“‘When you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full’” (Matthew 6:2).
Giving to the poor literally means any act of mercy, but it came to mean more specifically the giving of money or goods to the needy. Jesus did not say “if” but “when” concerning our giving—in other words, He expects us to do so. But just as sympathy for the needy does not help them unless something is actually done toward their need, so giving money provides us no spiritual blessing unless done from the heart.
Those who, like the Pharisees, give to impress others with their piety and generosity will receive no further reward. When we give with this false motive, we receive back only what people can give; we thereby forfeit God’s blessings.
Many times, of course, the pretense people use to draw attention to or make an impression with their giving is not so obvious. They know, especially if they profess to follow Christ, that other Christians will resent ostentatiousness. So they seek to make their giving “accidentally” noticed. But any strategy designed to draw attention is still a basic form of trumpet-blowing hypocrisy, which can appear in vari-ous forms. Whenever we make a point of doing our giving publicly to be noticed, rather than doing it privately simply for God’s reward, we behave more like the hypo-crites of Jesus’ day, not like His children.
Ask Yourself
What are some of the ways that giving can be done for personal recognition, even within the decorum of outward humility? How does one guard against this need for acknowledgment? What are we forgetting when we’re tempted to crave the credit for every dollar we share with others?
#LifeOfChrist
“‘When you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full’” (Matthew 6:2).
Giving to the poor literally means any act of mercy, but it came to mean more specifically the giving of money or goods to the needy. Jesus did not say “if” but “when” concerning our giving—in other words, He expects us to do so. But just as sympathy for the needy does not help them unless something is actually done toward their need, so giving money provides us no spiritual blessing unless done from the heart.
Those who, like the Pharisees, give to impress others with their piety and generosity will receive no further reward. When we give with this false motive, we receive back only what people can give; we thereby forfeit God’s blessings.
Many times, of course, the pretense people use to draw attention to or make an impression with their giving is not so obvious. They know, especially if they profess to follow Christ, that other Christians will resent ostentatiousness. So they seek to make their giving “accidentally” noticed. But any strategy designed to draw attention is still a basic form of trumpet-blowing hypocrisy, which can appear in vari-ous forms. Whenever we make a point of doing our giving publicly to be noticed, rather than doing it privately simply for God’s reward, we behave more like the hypo-crites of Jesus’ day, not like His children.
Ask Yourself
What are some of the ways that giving can be done for personal recognition, even within the decorum of outward humility? How does one guard against this need for acknowledgment? What are we forgetting when we’re tempted to crave the credit for every dollar we share with others?