How do you react when your wrong decisions cause pain and trouble for yourself and others? What do you do when others then bitterly blame you and accuse you?
We all make mistakes in judgment. And we all sin. There are consequences to these mistakes and sins. Surely we must take responsibility for those consequences.
But every mistake, every sin, and every conflict is an opportunity for God to display His sovereign goodness. And thus every error and sin of ours provides us with the opportunity to trust in Him, and thus to glorify Him.
Consider present conflict in your family, among your friends, or in your workplace. Limit your thoughts to those conflicts for which you are in large measure responsible: Your sin, or your error of judgment, has led to this dispute. How should you respond biblically? How can these problems lead to God's glory?
This is the situation David finds himself in at the beginning of 1 Samuel 30.
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In a speech on the economy this week, President Obama quoted from Matthew 7, Jesus’ closing words in the Sermon on the Mount. A house built on sand falls when the storms come, but the house built on the rock stands. He used this picture to contend that we must build our economic house on a solid foundation. While those from different political ideologies will disagree about whether or not the president’s economic policies provide a solid or shaky foundation for future economic growth, all will agree that our economy needs to be built on rock, not on shifting sands.
But Jesus is talking about something much more important than the US economy. He’s talking about whether or not you enter the kingdom of heaven – that is, whether you rejoice with Him or you suffer apart from Him for all eternity.
Consider the verses immediately prior to Jesus’ story about the two houses:
As you contemplate the death and resurrection of our Savior this weekend, I encourage you to read the passion and resurrection accounts in the four gospels. Justin Taylor has posted…
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, see this link.)
Why did Jesus have to die?
Tomorrow we remember the death of Jesus on the cross. There are many possible perspectives on this event: It was a tragedy, as an innocent man suffered horribly at the hand of His enemies; it is an example to us, as Jesus focused not on Himself but on others; it is a major event in world history, as Christianity was born at the cross.
But there have been millions and millions of innocent people put to death. There are other ways for God to give us good examples, and other important events in history. These perspectives don’t answer the question: Why did Jesus have to die?
The third chapter of Romans provides us with the threefold answer:
- Jesus had to die because man is thoroughly sinful;
- Jesus had to die because God desires to display His perfect justice;
- Jesus had to die because God desires to display His perfect love and mercy.
Beth writes today on her blog about the true, joyful community she witnessed after church this Sunday, looking around at the people from nine different language groups and various ages…
An Anglican church in central London has produced two excellent 3-4 minutes videos aimed at skeptics. The first, "That's Easter: Life to Death" highlights the pervasive nature of sin and…