Fretting

Some time ago I had a telephone call from a man well known in his profession and active in his church where, as a layman, he carries on an earnest work of teaching. He made an appointment to see me, and within a few moments was at my doorstep, greatly perturbed. Something had happened to disturb his peace of mind. An incident had occurred which caused some people to criticize him. Someone had failed to consult him in a professional capacity at a time where his position and attainments would have made him the logical man to consult. He was disturbed and agitated; his feelings were ruffled. He was hurt. What should he do about it?

Fretting

One of the great tests of our spiritual advance is the way in which we "take" criticism. Some Christians cannot stand any criticisms of themselves or their work, and become fretful in the face of it.

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The Pattern of This Age -- Part One

The Pattern of This Age
Romans 12:1-2
Theme: "Isms."
This week’s lessons teach us about the dangers of secularism, humanism, relativism, and materialism.
 
Lesson

There are some verses in the Bible that are enriched when we read them in other translations. Romans 12:2 is one of them. In the New International Version the first part of Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." This verse has two key words: "world," which is actually "age" (the Greek word ain, meaning, "this present age" in contrast to "the age to come"), and "conform," which is a compound having at its root the word "scheme." So the verse means, do not let the age in which you live force you into its scheme of thinking and behaving.

Run Away... and Fast

The devil may yell "Coward!" after you, but do not be afraid to run away. There is only one method of meeting temptation - flee to the Lord. If it is necessary, the Christian can flee to the Lord in the very midst of a great temptation, but it is better for him to flee even from the situation where the temptation will be greatest.

Run Away... and Fast

The devil may yell "Coward!" after you, but do not be afraid to run away. There is only one method of meeting temptation - flee to the Lord. If it is necessary, the Christian can flee to the Lord in the very midst of a great temptation, but it is better for him to flee even from the situation where the temptation will be greatest.

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7 Exoduses (Part 3)

The overarching themes of the Exodus principle are hardship, deliverance and blessing. We might also label them as, suffering, salvation and glory. We observed how both certain individuals in redemptive-history and the nation of Israel experienced a displacement, of sorts. They were removed from the place of blessing – the promised land or the promised people in Peter’s case. In their time away from the place of blessing, they find themselves amongst pagans and suffering at the hand of pagans. God’s people cry out to him and he delivers them from oppression, granting them great material and or spiritual blessing as they are saved.

In the previous two posts in this series (see here and here), I sought to set out the Exodus principle as we observe it applied both to individuals and to the nation of Israel. Before moving on to the theological center of the Exodus principle, namely, Christ and his experience, we should briefly take stock of two other matters.

Do We Rush On?

I was once taking a walk at sunset in a North India hill station. My host led me on a path that followed the flank of the mountain, and to one side was a vast panorama of beauty. Here and there smaller, private paths led from this main path to the homes that were dotted over the hillside. At one of these junctions was an odd sight. The owner had planted a post on either side of his private path and between these posts had placed a gate. The posts were strong, the gate was heavy, a chain held it shut, and a padlock secured the chain, but the posts were not connected to any fence. Within a step of one of the posts was a well- worn path that led around the gate, and anyone who wished could have walked on the path and gone his way as readily as if the postholes had never been dug or the gate planted across the path.

Do We Rush On?

Hundreds of millions of people pray each week, "Lead me not into temptation." But there are many Christians who pray this prayer, either intelligently or unintelligently, and immediately rush into temptation and force themselves to live and act in its shadow.

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Service That Makes Sense -- Part Five

Service That Makes Sense
Romans 12:1-2
Theme: Reasonable sacrifices.
This week’s lessons explore the reasons we should be eager to offer ourselves to God.
 
 
Lesson

In the final analysis, only that which is spiritual will last. Everything else, everything we see and touch and handle and sometimes even covet here, will pass away. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away" (Matt. 24:35). If that is true of the heavens and the earth, it is certainly true of the small perishable things you and I give so much of our lives for. On the other hand, although "the world and its desires pass away," we are also told that the one who "does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17). And so do his works!

Enemy Strategy

The nation was horrified when it learned that Japan had sent ambassadors of peace to talk peace while the aircraft carriers were moving into place for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The enemy had tricked us with a very old strategy. He had made us think that his intentions were good when they were really bad, and he had hidden his presence from us in order that he might more effectively strike at us. There is an ancient proverb which says, "Beware of Greeks, bearing gifts." The same trick that deceived us had been used often in ancient times.

Enemy Strategy

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Service That Makes Sense -- Part Four

Service That Makes Sense
Romans 12:1-2
Theme: Reasonable sacrifices.
This week’s lessons explore the reasons we should be eager to offer ourselves to God.
 
 
Lesson

Today I want to continue to list answers to yesterday's question: Why is it reasonable to serve God sacrificially? It is reasonable because such service is God's will for us, and his is a good, pleasing, and perfect will. Christians often get greatly hung up on the idea of discovering "what God's specific will is" for their lives. In my judgment, there clearly are specific plans for our lives that God has determined in advance, because he has predetermined all things. The difficulty is that he has not revealed these to us. But although these specific details are not made known, general but very important things are, and the most important of these general things is that God wants us to be like Jesus Christ.

While I was surfing...

I found two articles this morning worth passing along here. While they are unrelated they nevertheless have something to say about the aesthetic that is evangelicalism. The first post by David Murray concerns forgiveness. Murray asks if we are obligated (indeed, is it even possible) to forgive someone who does not want it?

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The Snake's Head

It was a startling headline, but the article that followed told a startling story. The Associated Press dispatch was from San Antonio, Texas. The headline was "Snake's Head Bites Man." The news item was as follows: "The severed head of a rattlesnake bit a man here. Olin Dillon, snake handler at a local reptile garden, severed the snake's head yesterday. When he attempted to remove the snake's head from the chopping block, the fangs struck one of his fingers. He was hospitalized. Jack Davenport, garden director, said the bite resulted from muscular reflex action and that Dillon received more venom than from the usual bite."

The Snake's Head

It was a startling headline, but the article that followed told a startling story. The Associated Press dispatch was from San Antonio, Texas. The headline was "Snake's Head Bites Man." The news item was as follows:

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