Week Thirty-One, 2020
“HOW TO LIVE”
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
To me, the most important message of the Bible comes in those verses that explain salvation, like Romans 10:9-10 which tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved. But there is so much more.
The Bible is a book of life and living. Paul tells in Titus (2:11-14) that Jesus gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us and to make us His very own people, totally to doing good deeds.
Francis Schaeffer was one of the foremost evangelical thinkers of the twentieth century, and long pondered the fate of declining Western culture. In this brilliant book, How Shall We Then Live? he analyzed the reasons for modern society’s state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God’s revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible’s morals, values, and meaning.
As I look around our country in these present days, Schaeffer’s words could not be more true. We have slipped away from Biblical morality. It is now the age of anything goes and increase of intolerance. There is violence on the streets. Fake news has become the new norm to form public opinion. Recent polls show that American’s pride in their country has reached a new low. Police are now the enemies, and statues and other symbols of those who made America great are being destroyed.
If this country is to survive, it must return to the advice of the Bible on how to live:
Ephesians – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Micah – He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Proverbs – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Jeremiah – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Philippians – Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
Hebrews – Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Ephesians – Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
How shall we then live? The answers are in hundreds of verses in the Bible. Lord, I pray that our land will return to Biblical foundations and live the kind of life they admonish us to lead.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.” – Psalm 100 ESV
Praise Him… For He is a God who saves… a God who heals… a God who loves!
Praise Him for who He is, for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is yet to do.
Praise Him for the day, for the night, for the good times and for the struggles.
Praise Him for wisdom and for the lessons learned.
Praise Him for His guidance, His insight, His direction, His hope.
Praise Him for His creation, His imagination, His detail.
Praise Him for being there in our time of need.
Praise Him for being all we need.
Praise Him for His love, His patience, His forgiveness, His mercy, His grace.
Praise Him for the healing and salvation that only He brings and for the life that He gives.
Praise Him for He is good and His love endures forever.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth for He is worthy of our praise!
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Our God created every one of the one billion trillion stars in the observable universe (that’s 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars). He measures them, names each one of them and the entire universe with the palm of his hand (Isaiah 40:12).
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Don’t push others down in order to pull yourself up. Ken Whitten
If God’s people won’t speak up for Him, who will? Ryan Denison
God has made it possible for us to come to know Him through the visible and tangible things of our world. Have you ever looked at a sunset and been reminded of who’s really in charge in this world? Chris Seidman
Only God can change this world, but He seeks to use us to do so—one by one, day by day. Jim Denison
Change your thoughts and you change your world. Norman Vincent Peale
One time I bought a treadmill, now it’s the most expensive clothes hanger in my home. The Minimalist
God traded His Son for our sin. (GRACE) Ken Whitten
People need to see our faith, not merely hear about it,” wrote Bob Buford in his book, Halftime.