A Man in Chains Tells Us How to Rejoice

Philippians 4:8 is one of the most recited verses in Scripture, with good reason. It tells us about a life-focus that will keep us from despair. It won’t keep us from hardship or trial, but it will keep us from hopelessness: 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Paul wrote this beautiful verse under divine inspiration from God when he was under house arrest, literally chained to a Roman soldier. 

His life was marked by unjust, cruel, unkind, evil persecution for boldly sharing God's truth. Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 for a few examples. 

I know from life experiences that it's extremely hard to maintain a positive mindset when going through difficulties, especially when they're caused by others and are completely out of our control. We need not literally be in chains to feel like we are chained.

That’s when two other verses Paul wrote under divine inspiration also give us encouragement: 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Philippians 4:8 and 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 are excellent verses to memorize, hiding them in your heart as reminders of God’s care for your soul.

 

For more encouragement in difficulty, see Absolutely Nothing! and 5 Ways to Process Problems Biblically.  

 

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the book Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full description of the book Lies in Disguise. A much needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

 

 

 

Evolution Is a Lie in Disguise (Part 2)

 

 

These one-minute devotions explore the error of evolution and the way it has been used to undermine Christian creation beliefs.

 

To see Part 1: Recognizing Evolution Is Nonsense

 
Do You Believe in Devolution? It’s Fact, Not Theory.
Evolution or devolution? One is a fact, one is a weak theory. This one-minute devotion explains.

Popular Evolution, Unpopular Creation 
Are you overwhelmed by the vast majority of scientists who believe in evolution? This devotion will be helpful.

 

“Dumb” Things Christians Believe
On Darwin's 200th birthday, Newsweek called Christians "dumb." Newsweek represents what the Bible calls "fools." This one-minute devotion explains.

Intelligent Design and Unintelligent Theories
Where is the wise man of this age? Evolution has created a theory of foolishness that defies the evidence.

 

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Psychobabble or God's Word: Which Will You Choose?

Sometimes I’m overcome with sadness about the way God’s Word is dishonored by those calling themselves Christians. Recently on social media, someone discredited my devotion Why Salvation Requires Repentance, saying:

“If we live our lives obsessed with sin, either our own sin or others' sin, then we are living in sin consciousness instead of righteous consciousness. We either live by God’s grace or condemnation.”

She went on to misuse several Scriptures to “confirm” her psychological claims that God doesn't want us thinking too much about our sins.

No matter that the devotion included 19 Scriptures to support the fact that we Christians should take sin very seriously, this professing Christian disagreed. And she wasn't alone. Others gave her the thumbs up.

She believes taking our sins seriously is being “obsessed with sin.” And she believes our focus should be “righteous consciousness,” an explanation not found in Scripture. I'd call it psychobabble. 

It’s amazing how easily some Christians can replace solid scriptural principles with man-focused “wisdom.” 

Boundaries and other “self-care” psychological teachings are now prominent in “Christian” literature, replacing forgiveness and self-sacrifice with estrangement and self-love. And many professing Christians are choosing to become victims of psychobabble instead of choosing to be “more than conquerors” through Christ's love (Romans 8:37). 

We need “biblical consciousness,” viewing ourselves honestly as Romans 12:3 commands, and seeking to work out our salvation deliberately and consciously every day (Philippians 2:12-13).

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To understand more about this woman's claims, see We Are Those Who Have Died to Sin, Not Antinomians. And gain more insights from Psychology, Boundaries, Marijuana, or Scripture? 

Want to be able to recognize and steer clear of psychobabble? Lies in Disguise can help. See info below image to find out more. 

LIES IN DISGUISE: Check out the subject of each chapter, the endorsements, and the important purpose of Lies in Disguise HERE.

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide for Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE.

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HOW We Do Things Is Important

HOW we do something often matters more than WHAT we do. Check out the links in each of the bullet points below:

• HOW we disagree with our parents, pastor, or elders 
• HOW we confront a friend about ungodly behavior 
• HOW we comment on a website 
• HOW we comfort a friend who is hurting 
• HOW we deal with a "prickly person" 

 

Even if the principle is right, our method can be wrong.

• Arrogance and discernment do not equal biblical discernment.
• Bluntness and passion do not equal biblical passion. 
• Rudeness and confrontation do not equal biblical confrontation. 

Our modern culture promotes selfishness and pride, but we are called to "put off" these attitudes and "put on" new attitudes. Ephesians 4:17-32 is an excellent passage for understanding how our faith changes our attitudes and communication with others.

And those truths are reinforced throughout Scripture: Philippians 2:1-4 tells us to have humble motives; Colossians 4:6 encourages gracious speech; Ephesians 4:32 and 5:15-16 describe kind behavior. We should "do nothing from selfishness," know "how to answer everyone," and "make the most of every opportunity."

So let's thoughtfully, carefully, and biblically consider how we do things as well as why we do them.

Would you like to do a short Bible study on this devotion? Check out today's Bite Size Bible study.

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the book Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full description of the book Lies in Disguise. A much needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

 

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Second John Defines Genuine Love

Second John has only 13 verses. But I love how it concisely explains the meaning of love.

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” Verse 6

Culture defines love as approval, but God ties love to obedience because all of His commands are loving and given for our best good.

 

When 2 John was written, the church was dealing with a number of false teachings, such as antinomianism which taught that you could know God while disobeying His commands. (See We Are Those Who Have Died to Sin, Not Antinomians.)

This reminds me of the progressive Christian movement (also called the ex-vangelical movement). These extremely popular New York Times best-selling authors have rejected Bible-believing faith and created a new Jesus who approves of ungodly lifestyles. (See Wilderness Wanderers.) 

Along with many others in our world, these false teachers have redefined love as if 2 John 1:6 says, “This is love: that we walk away from God’s commands and make everyone feel comfortable in their sins.” 

They embrace lies about gender, unborn life, sexual perversion, and creation. They smile and give a thumbs up as people damage their souls (2 Corinthians 4:4), calling Christians “hateful” when we share God’s loving warnings. 

 

I'm glad that God defines love, not mankind. We can be assured that we are acting in love when we “walk in obedience to his commands.”

 

 

For more about God's definition of love, see Enjoying Obedience and The World's Definition of Loving Others and God's Definition.

 

And click the image to discover how Lies in Disguise can help you better understand God's love and avoid harmful half-truths being taught in many churches. Find out the subjects of each chapter, read some reviews, and find out where to buy it at a discounted price.  

 

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide for Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE.

 

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The Gospel According to Oprah

Years ago, talk show host Oprah Winfrey said she started rejecting Christian beliefs when she heard that God is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 6:15).  She said she couldn't believe in a god who was “jealous of her” (source/ video /video minute 7:50).  

 

It's amazing that anyone would think God is jealous of them!!  In truth, God is jealous for us.

He knows what's best for us and wants us to devote ourselves to Him and His purposes, not to false gods. And self-love is a false god:   

 

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

 

It's hard to believe Oprah thinks our perfect, infinite, all-knowing, glorious God envies her.

“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.”  Galatians 6:3

When we focus on ourselves, we don't understand God's incredible grace because we don't understand our incredible sinfulness and desperate need for a Savior. Instead of being humbled by God's undeserved love for us, we're emboldened by our unreasonable love for ourselves.

 

Let's pray for Oprah and others like her. 

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To read more about the meaning of God's jealousy, see: Our Jealous God.

And check out Lies in Disguise, a book that can help you better understand the way self-love is damaging church and culture and how to combat it with Scripture: Full description of the book, Lies in Disguise. 

 

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide for Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE. 

 Picture of Oprah Creative Commons. 

 

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Should We Be Offended by "Onward Christian Soldiers"?

I recently heard “Onward Christian Soldiers” given a heavy metal sound (here). And while I’m not a fan of heavy metal music, I found this version inspiring.

 

The song was originally written in 1864 for a British Sunday school class marching from one village to another.
 

It has received some backlash and even been removed from some hymnals because people were offended by equating Christians to marching soldiers. Some have even associated it with the social gospel instead of true faith. But I think this criticism shows a failure to understand that the Christian life is a battle. 

• We are fighting our enemy, Satan.
• We are seeking to rescue the unsaved from his deadly arrows of deception. 
• We're seeking to stop his attacks on faithful believers. 

You won’t find negative attitudes toward soldiers in Scripture. Jesus claimed that a Gentile soldier had amazing faith, better than any He’d seen in Israel (Matthew 8:5-13).*
 

In addition, Scripture sometimes equates us to soldiers in a spiritual battle:
 

Paul tells Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3).

And Ephesians 6:10-17 describes spiritual battle gear every Christian needs, both defensive and offensive: the full armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit.

 

See also Acts 10,  Philippians 2:25, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Philemon 1:2.

If we aren’t taking the battle seriously, we are going to fall prey to “the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

 

So let's march onward, Christian soldiers! 

 

* See 3 Reasons the Centurion's Faith Amazed Jesus and Reflect on This. 

The battle we fight today is filled with half-truth propaganda. I encourage you to check out Lies in Disguise, which can make you aware of popular half-truths and prepare you to refute them. Click the image to read the chapter descriptions, reviews, and sites where you can purchase it at discounted prices.   

And if you're a Bible Love Notes subscriber, you can get a free PDF study guide to Lies in Disguise. Find out more HERE.

Info about the hymn: source 

 

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Recognizing Evolution Is Nonsense

These one-minute devotions explore the error of evolution and the way it has been used to undermine Christian creation beliefs.

Nothing Magically Evolved
Evolution is a religion. No matter what evolutionists claim, they need a great deal of faith to believe it.

 

Why Our Beliefs about Evolution Matter
What we believe about our origins has a huge impact on everything in our lives. This one-minute devotion explains.

Scripture Warns of Scoffers 
Did you know Scripture warns that people will scoff at God as Creator?

 

The Bible Says They Are Without Excuse 

According to Scripture, most people are fools when it comes to origins. The Bible says they're without excuse. 

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Amid the Crowd: Our Struggle and Our Victory

 

 

Jesus says we'll be hated if we reject worldly beliefs and follow Him (John 15:18-19). It's comforting to know that despite the world's rejection, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:18-39).

My dear aunt Donna recently shared this poem with me, written by her friend Jane Dill Thomas.* I think it beautifully expresses both our struggle and our victory:  

 

 Amid The Crowd
by Jane Dill Thomas

Had I been at the cross that day
As Jesus bled and died
Would I have dared to call Him, Friend,
With soldiers by my side?

Would I have cried amid the mob
To set my Savior free?
Would I have known that Christ alone
Would reign eternally?

How does the world differ
In its views of Christ today
And how can I influence men
By what I have to say?

Today I walk amid a crowd
That’s ready to condemn
And often find I’m hesitant
To say, “I follow Him.”

But Jesus gives me words to speak
To ears that want to hear.
He daily fills me with His love
And takes away my fear.

And as I pray for deeper faith
And courage to be strong
My Savior gently leads me
And chastises when I’m wrong.

So how can I be silent
When the crowd calls out to me?
My Jesus wants the world to know
His love brings victory!

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* Jane Dill Thomas was born into a Christian family and gave her life to the Lord at age ten. As an adult, she did several years of ministry on the Navajo Ganado Mission, where she met and married her husband in 1968. She enjoys writing poetry.

For more inspiration, see Why We Need to Remember that We Were Born for Such a Time as This and Don't Fear Speaking Up. 

 

 

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How God Judges a Person's Contribution

Sometimes we think valuable Christian work belongs to the talented people in life, those with the greatest skills.

But God cares about motive and character more than talent. 

He gives us a biblical motive for everything we do, and the focus is not on our gifts:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

He tells us that our character is important, no matter the task: 

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10

He assures us that He has specific purposes for each of us:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10

Whenever we judge a man's skill above his character and motives, we make a serious mistake. God is looking for men and women who love Him, obey Him, and seek to do everything for His glory and purposes.  

Let's be that kind of person!

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For a devotion about my least favorite task, see Cleaning Bathrooms. And I think you'll also enjoy How God Views Careers.

 

Free Subscription to 1-Minute Bible Love Notes. Have a one-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday.

10 Reasons You'll Love the Book, Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs, and a great gift for people who love God's Word.

Full Description of the Book, Lies in Disguise. A much-needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.

 

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