If you want to pin or bookmark this devotion, please use the permanent link: Dark Chocolate Bible.
Did you know that 100 grams of dark chocolate has as many antioxidants as 100 grams of spinach, prunes, raisins, kale, and Brussels sprouts combined?
Dark chocolate also contains more than 700 compounds that are good for our bodies, and it can help reduce our food cravings.(1)
No, I'm not selling dark chocolate, but I wanted to make a comparison.
Many folks think of the Bible as spinach or kale, something they need, but not something they crave.
But the Bible is more like dark chocolate, something to enjoy. In addition, Scripture is able to heal and strengthen our hearts and minds. It's able to reduce our cravings for the bad things in life. It's also surprisingly rich and delicious.
And it's even better than dark chocolate because you can never eat too much of it! The more you read it, the better you feel.
So every day let’s “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).
(1) Health by Chocolate
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Dark Chocolate Bible.
Bible Love Notes
Our faith in Christ should give us the strength to handle family relationships better than unbelievers (Ephesians 3:14-21).
Why, then, are so many Christians having trouble with saved and unsaved family members?
1. We should be the first to honestly evaluate our actions and repent, even if we've only been 10% of the problem (James 5:16; 1 John 1:9). When was the last time you sincerely apologized?
2. We should be the first to forgive, refusing to keep lists of past offenses (Mark 11:25; Ephesians 4:31-32). Are you keeping lists, claiming there's no use to work on reconciliation?
3. We should be the first to overlook the bad and focus on the good in other family members (Romans 12:9-10; Philippians 4:8). When was the last time you complimented your family members?
The world tells us to set boundaries, demand our rights, and do what pleases us most.
God gives us the power to pursue peace, be considerate and unselfish (Hebrews 12:14; Philippians 2:3; Ephesians 5:10).
If we can’t do these things with our own family members, how small is our faith (Proverbs 24:10)!
Bible Love Notes
Revisionist ("progressive Christian") theology is infiltrating churches, and we need to be on our guard.
I am disturbed with a popular feminist explanation of Matthew 15:21-28.
In this passage, Jesus tests a woman by telling her that healing her child would be like giving the children’s food to the dogs.
Feminist revisionists claim that this woman had to teach Jesus to overcome His bigotry against Gentiles and women. One best-selling feminist author asserts that “Jesus isn’t the hero in that story even though he ultimately heals the child. Rather, the woman is the hero.”(1)
This feminist explanation contradicts Scripture and actually makes salvation impossible:
1. Prejudice is sin (James 2:8-9).
2. Jesus (as both man and God) was/is perfect and unchanging (1 John 3:5).
3. If Jesus sinned even once, He couldn't save us. He had to be "holy, blameless, and pure" (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26-27; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Peter 2:21-22).(2)
4. Jesus created that woman. She had nothing to teach Him (Colossians 1:15-16).
It disturbs me that people would suggest that our Lord and Savior was a bigot.
This can be a difficult passage to understand. For a good explanation of this passage, see today's Bite Size Bible Study Debunking Feminist Views of Matthew 15:21-28.
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(1) This view appears in many "Christian feminist" books and blogs. The quote I've included is from Sarah Bessey's explanation of how this interpretation of Matthew 15 helped her come to the conclusion that Jesus affirms the LBGTQ lifestyle (Penny in the Air). The late Rachel Held Evans, another extremely popular "Christian feminist," also shared this view and later apologized for implying Jesus was a bigot, but added, "I’d like there to be room for interpretations in which Jesus is genuinely moved & influenced by the woman." Christ is always moved by human needs, but He cannot be "influenced" by any human to be more gracious, fair, or loving than He already was/is/will be.
(2) The passages linked to this point leave no doubt as to Christ's perfection and the necessity of His perfection in our salvation. Christ's sinlessness is a clear concept in Scripture and an absolute necessity in our salvation.
Bible Love Notes
