Do not dig up in doubt what you planted in faith! As the Apostle Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6). Or as the Lord told Haggai, “Be strong, do the work, and do not fear,” and leave the results up to God!
Our liberty in Christ is not license to sin. Receiving His righteousness we have been set free from the external law written on stone tablets and received the Spirit of the law written internally on our hearts. We are not called to legalism but to love. We are not under law, but under grace. Yet, this freedom is not to dabble in sin, but it is freedom to serve God and one another. As Victor Frankl once wrote of America, “Our statue of LIBERTY on the East Coast should be supplemented by a statue of RESPONSIBILITY on the West Coast.”
After the Assyrians had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, they sought to overthrow Judah as well. In response, Judah asked for help from Egypt. God spoke through Isaiah rebuking Judah for trusting Egypt rather than God for their deliverance. In His mercy, He offered salvation to those who would return and find rest in Him. He offered strength to those who would trust Him with quiet faith. Who or what are you trusting for your deliverance?
David was a king and a warrior, he waited on no one, but God alone. What are you waiting on today? Find a quiet place where you can get alone with God and wait on Him to speak to you through His Word.
013 – May 20th through September 17, 2013 – Justin Norden managed our OYB site during my summer sabbatical.
After numbering the ways the Lord had blessed him, the psalmist considered how he might respond. What would be appropriate? How do you repay the One who gives us all? The apostle Paul’s response seems best: Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom.12.1). In other words, we render all that we have, all that we are, all that we think, all that we say, all that we sing, all that we own, all that we love… to God!
Jesus came that we might have life. The Greek word here is ζωή zóé, which speaks of both physical and spiritual life. This life originates with, and is sustained by Jesus, who is Life. “Zoe” life is described both by its quantity (eternal), and its quality (abundant). Receiving Jesus, we receive His life. Many focus on the eternal nature of this life, but miss Christ’s emphasis on its “abundance” for the present. In Christ we are to thrive, living life to the full, bearing fruit, and exploding with vibrance all around!
A man who was blind from birth was healed by Jesus. The Pharisees questioned him asking the manner in which he received his sight. His simple testimony was impossible to dispute. “I once was blind, but now I see.” We can learn from this man’s witness. We don’t have to be theologians to bear witness. Just tell others what Jesus has done for you!
When David burst onto the scene in Israel’s history, everything he did succeeded. All the people loved him, but King Saul was jealous. It’s hard for an older man who has labored for years to see such success come to one so young. For those of us who are closer to Saul’s age, how can we begin to mentor and bless the “Davids” of our generation, rather than belittle their youth? Who knows. Perhaps the Lord is with them. And so, shouldn’t we be with them too?
I am a life long student of God’s Word. Both my mother and my grandmother read the Word to me from birth, so that its stories have always been familiar to me. Yet, now as a man in my 5th decade, I still find something new in God’s Word every day. It’s more than an intellectual pursuit. My mother didn’t just read the Word to me, she delighted in the Word. And her obsession became mine. Do you know the joy of studying God’s Word?