The words “careful” and “care” appear 35 times in the book of Deuteronomy. As Moses prepared the people to go in and take possession of the land, he wanted them to practice careful obedience.
If this was true under the old covenant, how much more under the new? Indeed we should and we must!
It is safe to say that prayer was one of the most important parts of Daniel’s life. Every day he would go to his upper chamber, open his windows toward Jerusalem, and bow down on his knees before his God. He would do this three times a day. And when told that praying to his God would lead him to almost certain death, he refused to give up his time with God in prayer. Daniel valued prayer over life itself.
When Jesus came walking on the water, Peter asked if he could come join him. His faith in Jesus was so strong that he actually walked out on the water toward him. It was only when he saw the wind and took his eyes of Jesus that he began to sink (Matthew 14:30).
The physical persecution of Christians may happen sooner rather than later. This realization has caused many local churches to highten their security. My question is this: Is it important for us to protect the preacher or members of a congregation from these acts of violence?
If you’re bored with Christianity, I want you to stop and think about this. Maybe you think boredom is just the way it is supposed to be. It’s not. It is a symptom of a critical condition. So like any good doctor would do, I’m going to give it to you straight. If you’re bored with Christianity, what that indicates is that Christ is no longer in the center of your life! That’s right, and as you might have guessed, the consequences of that are serious. Open your eyes to what your Savior did for you, crucify self, and let Christ take hold of the reigns. Do that and I can promise you… you’ll never be bored again!
This world offers a wide variety of things that vie for our attention: homes, cars, clothes, music, sports, careers, etc. While many of these things are not what we would typically classify as “ungodly”, these things can act as thorns (or weeds) by choking out our spiritual life so that we become unfruitful. It’s very easy to be consumed by these things (in the same way that weeds can easily consume a lawn). We can become so busy chasing after the world that we have little energy or enthusiasm left for God.
Leaving home for the first time presents real challenges to the hopelessly disorganized (like myself), but the most significant challenges are spiritual in nature. Believe it or not, your mother is more than just the person who helps you keep up with things and your father is more than just the guy who pays for stuff. They’ve done a lot to teach you and train you and guide you. And for some of you, they’re not going to be there to do that anymore a few short months from now. They’ll still call you and you’ll still see them during breaks, but they won’t be there day in and day out to help direct your spiritual life. You’re going to be on your own, and the choices you make the next few years will be critical. Your college years can either set you back or help propel you into faithful spiritual service as an adult. With that in mind I want to give you a few choice words of advice.
Do you really believe in God’s wisdom? Even when it’s difficult? Do we continue trusting in God’s way when we’re being knocked around, or do we retreat to the easy path?
A comfortable, undisturbed life is not what we need. Like the butterfly and like the plants we need struggle. May God give us all the perspective that will allow us to not only endure grievous trials but to find pleasure in them.
Here I am, Lord…
I’m tired of being cautious. I’m tired of playing it safe. I’m ready to take a risk… to do something radical. You’ve called me to take up my cross. So whatever you want me to do Lord… I’m ready.
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