Psalm 119:7 – I will praise You with an upright heart when I learn Your righteous rules. THEME OF THE DAY: HOW TO ENSURE OUR WORSHIP IS ACCEPTABLE Drop the word “worship” in a conversation among Christians. The dialogue will get lively quickly, even emotionally charged. We will hear words like, “Worship must be culturally relevant to reach today’s audience.” Be careful…
Psalm 119:71 – It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. THEME OF THE DAY: SEEING PAIN THROUGH THE RIGHT LENS. I know envy is a sin. If we categorize sin, which we should not, envy may seem like a “little” sin, but it is anything but. It leads to a whole lot of spiritual…
Psalm 31:15 – My times are in Your hand. THEME OF THE DAY: FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CONTROL FREAKS. I admit I am what might be called a “control freak.” As things unfold in my life, I want to control the unfolding to include circumstances, and at times, sadly, even people, to my desired outcome. When it comes to a person wanting…
Hebrews 11:13-16 – These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone…
So, here is the scenario; imagine you and your family were the determining factors that kept your local church “in business” week to week. Would your contributions in giving of your resources, your active service, and faithful attendance keep your church open or would it have to close due to inactivity?
There are times, perhaps more than I want to admit, that I wish the Christian life would be easy and not so demanding. Let’s face it. We cannot honesty read the New Testament and come away with a description of following Christ as easy, requiring little effort and not demanding the surrender of our entire bearing to His Lordship. Yet, equally so throughout the New Testament we find the Christian life defined as spiritual freedom, liberty, delight, full of joy, and providing true contentment to the soul. I can see where a person may say, “Okay, which one is it?” The Bible teaches the Christian life is hard, yet, easy. The way to harmonize the two is found in the illustration Jesus uses in today’s scripture and that of the yoke.