To celebrate Christ's Resurrection, I want to share a poem I wrote 20 years ago. It takes us from Genesis through Revelation.
Preparing Our Hearts for Resurrection Sunday: Piece by Piece “HisStory” Unfolds
To celebrate Christ's Resurrection, I want to share a poem I wrote 20 years ago. It takes us from Genesis through Revelation.
Preparing for Resurrection Sunday: The Message and the Messenger
When Christ speaks, He's not merely reciting truth, He's the author of it.
Even more, He's not merely the author, He's truth itself.
He's not simply the greatest messenger of truth, He's the greatest message.
From the beginning Christ has been God's Word:
♥ In the whispers of the prophets
♥ In the proclamations of His earthly ministry
♥ In His passionate cries of pain and forgiveness from the cross
♥ In the sweet music of the resurrection
God's message still whispers, proclaims, cries out, and sings to every soul today. And those of us who listen and believe must proclaim, cry out, and sing His message too.
Today, I'm singing. Will you join me?
"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2).
We Will Be Judged for Our Approval or Our Silence
This is a subject that is heavy on the hearts of many Christians. I pray that this devotion will inspire you to speak up at this important time in history (See Proverbs 31:8 and Proverbs 24:11-12). Please read all of the notes. Thank you.
The Wrong Way and the Right Way to Determine Truth
I used to live next door to a couple who wasn't married but living together. They were good neighbors.
Once I was in an organization with a woman who was a Mormon. She was friendly and helpful.
I know atheists who are reasonable and generous.
Why am I telling you this?
Because none of these people made me change my beliefs about God's moral values, the danger of cults, or the truth about salvation in Christ. That's because genuine beliefs aren't based on human influence. They're based on knowing God and His Word.
Sadly, some churches change their views about divorce when a respected church member gets divorced without biblical reasons.
Some people change their views about cohabitation and same-sex relationships when loved ones start living together or come out as gay.
When a church or individual changes their views about moral commands in Scripture, they're choosing human relationships over their relationship with God.
But remnant Christians understand that God's commands always have been and always will be healthier and more loving than worldly philosophies.
So answer this question carefully: Do friends and family determine your moral values? Or do you trust the Word of our all-knowing, unchanging, loving God? See some of His words below.
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For more on this subject, see Being Christ-Followers in a Sexually Immoral Culture.
Some pertinent Scriptures
Galatians 1:10: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Mark 8:38: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.”
1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Pondering Christ's Love
It’s easy to take the Lord for granted even when we love Him deeply. So today, let’s take some time to thoughtfully ponder these truths:
Dear Christians, Don't Fall for "Suicide-Propaganda"
Christians are being ridiculed for our beliefs.
The world wants Christians to quit sharing God's loving warnings about the soul damage of LGBTQ lifestyles, as if our beliefs are dangerous to the well-being of others (Romans 1:16-32; John 15:18-21; Luke 6:22).
That's propaganda. Differing viewpoints are part of culture and part of life. If disapproval causes suicide, Christians have more reason to complain than LGBTQ persons.
🗸 No one is forcing LGBTQ businesses to hire Christians who disagree with their mission.
🗸 Social media isn't hindering posts with LGBTQ viewpoints and protecting posts with Christian viewpoints.
🗸 Laws aren't being proposed that limit LGBTQ freedom of speech, and no one is trying to make it illegal for a counselor to promote LGBTQ lifestyles.*
🗸 The press isn't calling LGBTQ persons haters or Christianphobes.
But these prejudicial things are being done to Christians.
If LGBTQ persons are more depressed and suicidal than heterosexuals, it's because they're made in the image of God and in their heart of hearts they know that their lifestyle goes against God's loving design (Romans 1:20).
I frequently hear Christian groups stressing kindness toward LGBTQ persons. But I can't say I've ever heard of LGBTQ groups stressing kindness toward Christians.
Blaming LGBTQ suicides on Christians is simply part of shame-game propaganda. Stand firm, dear Christians, and put your hope in God!
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* In some locations, it's illegal to biblically counsel someone struggling with LGBTQ urges even if that person wants that help. Appropriate biblical counseling is being compared to inappropriate methods of "conversion therapy," and pastors and Christian counselors are being prohibited from sharing biblical truths in these areas.
For a thorough understanding of the biblical view of homosexuality, see these resources:
Biblical Teaching on Sexual Lifestyles (a collection of short devotions)
What the Bible Teaches about Gender
Gay Revisionist Theology (a collection addressing various false teachings used by gay revisionists)
Questions, Not Answers (the testimony of a former lesbian)
Statistics: You can find studies that claim LGBTQ suicides are due to their feelings of rejection and studies that claim other causes. Even if every person left a suicide note stating the cause, we'd have trouble drawing conclusions since suicidal people are not thinking clearly when they kill themselves. Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the U.S. and also the lowest LGBTQ population. We could create a number of contradictory theories about suicide based on Wyoming, but they would also be conjecture, not fact. As Christians, we know that our God is 100% true, good, and right, and He warns us that LGBTQ lifestyles damage people's souls. It seems both biblical and logical that such lifestyles would lead to a higher ratio of despair, depression, and suicide.
5 Steps for Accurate Bible Study
1. Identify the purpose of the book or passage. Some people call this the author's intent. The ultimate author of Scripture is the Holy Spirit, and He used human authors to write for specific purposes. For example, the author of Proverbs explains the purpose in Proverbs 1:1-6.(1)
2. Identify the audience. You want to know if a command was given for everyone (Matthew 28:16-20) or only for a specific time or group (Matthew 10:5-6).(2)
3. Identify figurative language. The Bible uses poetic language, especially in the poetical books.(3) It shouldn't be taken literally. For example, see Psalm 98:8.(4)
4. Read in context. This gives you a fuller understanding of the passage and prevents misunderstandings. Words taken out of context can lose their true meaning.(5)
5. Study thoroughly. Find out everything the Bible says about a subject before drawing conclusions.(6)
(2) See the four short articles: Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today?
(3) Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon
(4) For more on this: 4 Facts about Figurative Language in Scripture and Can I Take the Bible Literally?
(5) See Context Adds Clarity. For an example of a common out-of-context mistake, read Self-Esteem's Twisted Proverb.
(6) To see how easily we can misunderstand prayer, read Pieces Parts.
Agape Probably Doesn't Mean What You've Been Taught in Bible Study
It's important that we share our faith accurately, honestly, and biblically (2 Timothy 2:15). Sadly, there are some very popular misunderstandings about God's love.
I've written at length about the misleading use of the word “unconditional” when describing God's love (see links below). It has produced enormous misunderstandings.
Today I want to take a bit longer than my usual one-minute devotion to address another error that is often combined with “unconditional love” misunderstandings.
Why am I discussing these errors? Because there's nothing more important than sharing our faith accurately, and we need to be aware of how widespread some errors have become.
So let's look at the popular misunderstanding of the Greek word agape.
“AGAPE [ah GAH pay] — a Greek word for love used often in the New Testament (John 13:35; 1 Cor. 13; 1 John 4:7–18). Contrary to popular understanding, the significance of agape is not that it is an unconditional love, but that it is primarily a love of the will rather than the emotions. The New Testament never speaks of God loving unbelieving human beings with emotional love or a love that expects something in return. But He loves with His will (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). The reason for this is that God can find nothing enjoyable about a sinner on whom His wrath still abides. So He loves by His will; it is His nature to love.” [underlining is mine] *
When a Stingy Poor Man Becomes Rich
Generosity has more to do with our hearts than our pocketbooks. And generosity doesn't simply apply to money. It applies to time, effort, and consideration.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).