2021-06-23
2 Timothy 3:16 NCV
Another question we might have is: How can we trust the Bible when humans wrote it? One way to work through this question is to think about writing a letter to someone – do you write the letter or does the pen? The pen is just the instrument you use to get your words down on paper. In a similar way, God used humans as instruments to write His ‘letter’ to us. Josh McDowell, a Christian apologist, says: ‘Here’s the picture: 1,500 years, 60 generations, 40 authors, different walks of life, different places, different times, different moods, different continents, three languages, writing on hundreds of controversial subjects. Yet when they are brought together there is absolute harmony from beginning to end.’
In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read: ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults , and for teaching how to live right’ (NCV). Here’s what Billy Graham had to say about Scripture: ‘If I didn’t believe that the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ held the answer to this world’s baffling problems, I would go back to the farm and the rural life that I love and spend my days in peaceful solitude.’
We can trust the Bible because even though the words were written by humans, every word was inspired by God and His voice speaks through them. John said: ‘I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God so you will know you have eternal life’ (1 John 5:13 NCV). So many of the Bible’s prophecies and promises have come true, and although living out its principles isn’t always easy, it always proves to be the best and right way to live.
Jer 7-9; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 8; Prov 14:9-12
2021-06-22
Romans 2:4 NLT
Another question that people might ask about Christianity is: Isn’t the church full of hypocrites? The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word for ‘actor’. Hypocrisy is ‘the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold’. The true church of Jesus Christ is made up of true believers; hypocrites are ‘pretenders’ who sit among God’s people. Jesus even had one among His twelve disciples – Judas.
People have left the church because of hypocrisy, and there are many people in churches today who are just pretending to be believers. They might think going to church makes them look good, or they might be going in order to deceive people for their own purposes. But even the most faithful believer isn’t perfect, so we’ll still continue making mistakes and going wrong, even when we’re true believers and churchgoers.
But we need to be careful of judging others, as we don’t know their heart and motives. Struggling with something, questioning God, or making mistakes doesn’t automatically make us hypocrites. There might even be people in our church who genuinely don’t realise or understand that just going to church doesn’t make them a Christian. ‘You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things…Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?’ (v.1-4 NLT). Don’t worry about hypocrites in the church; God will sort them out, the ‘wheat’ from the ‘tares’ (see Matthew 13:30).
Jer 4-6; Luke 2:1-7; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 14:5-8
2021-06-21
2 Peter 3:13 NIV
For the next few days, let’s take a look at some of the big questions people ask about Christianity, and that we might even have asked ourselves. First: How can a loving God allow suffering? This is one of the hardest questions to answer, and we may never find the answer until we get to heaven and realise all God’s purposes.
In the beginning God created Adam and Eve, and they lived in a perfect world free from suffering – it was heaven on earth. But God also gave humans free will. So when Adam was faced with a decision – to obey God or disobey Him – he was able to make a choice himself, without God’s input. He chose disobedience, and that decision brought sin, death and misery into the world.
Free will is a gift, and if God stepped in and made all our decisions for us, we’d no longer have free will. But He’s not a dictator – He loves us and gives us the freedom to love or reject Him, to ask for His advice or go our own way. Adam’s choice means we now live in an imperfect, broken world, not the one God intended us to inhabit.
But ‘we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found…at peace with him’ (2 Peter 3:13-14 NIV). When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we have the assurance that we’ll go to heaven and live in a glorious earth made new without sin or suffering. But in the midst of the pain and suffering of our imperfect world, we can always draw close to our God and receive His comfort and strength.
Jer 1-3; Luke 1:67-80; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 14:1-4
2021-06-20
Psalm 68:5 NLT
Today is Father’s Day. It can be a difficult day for those of us who haven’t had a good experience of fathers, or haven’t known a father-figure in our lives, or have lost a loving father. So today, let’s spend some time reflecting on some of the things the Bible says about God, our heavenly Father.
1) ‘Father to the fatherless, defender of widows – this is God, whose dwelling is holy’ (Psalm 68:5 NLT). Even if we’re lacking an earthly father, we’re not alone. God is our source of protection, strength and guidance.
2) ‘Lord, you are our father. We are like clay, and you are the potter; your hands made us all’ (Isaiah 64:8 NCV). We are God’s creation, and He cares for us. He’s our role-model, and He wants to shape us to become like Christ.
3) ‘For us there is only one God – our Father. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord – Jesus Christ. Al things were made through him, and we also were made through him’ (1 Corinthians 8:6 NCV). As well as being our creator, God is our provider, meeting our needs through the things He blesses us with and the skills and gifts He’s given us.
4) ‘God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others’ (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT). God is our comforter and sympathiser. We can draw close to Him and confide in Him whenever we’re in trouble, have a problem, or a worry. And He wants us to share His love with others. Our earthly fathers aren’t perfect and might make mistakes, but in God, we can be confident that we always have the best possible Father.
1 Ki 17:1-7; 1 Ki 18:41-46; Mark 4:35-41
2021-06-19
Joshua 22:23 NLT
In the Bible, an altar represented different things. It represented sacrificing to God by giving Him the best sheep in the flock. It represented worshipping God and putting Him above all else in life. It represented humility, acknowledging our need of God and our total dependence on Him.
But it’s also possible to build an altar ‘for ourselves’. But when we do that, we take away God’s rightful place in our lives and begin to put ourselves first. We begin to think we deserve the best of everything; we put our own needs first; we start to rely totally on our own wisdom and judgement; we lose our humility. That’s why Jesus sets the following standard for discipleship, and it’s a high standard: ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’ (Matthew 16:24 NKJV).
Paul wrote: ‘If you use your lives to do the wrong things your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life’ (Romans 8:13 NCV). Our old, ungodly, sinful natures need to be sacrificed each day – we won’t get rid of them without a struggle. And the power to do this can only be accessed by spending time in prayer with God and constantly renewing our minds with the Word of God. To build an altar to the Lord, we must destroy the altars we’ve built to ourselves, and let our new, Christlike natures shine through.
Hosea 11-14; Luke 1:57-66; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 13:25
2021-06-18
Deuteronomy 15:8 NLT
God instructed the Israelites, ‘If there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need (v.7-8 NLT). Generous people focus on what they can give to others, not what they can get from them. The more we respond to God’s promptings to give, the better our attitude becomes towards giving.
We might think that the amount we have of something determines the amount we should share. But with God, it’s not what we have that matters; it’s what we do with what we have. And that’s determined by our attitude. It doesn’t mean we should be reckless with what we have, or give everything away so that God will be pleased with us. We need to always seek His guidance in what to give and how we can best serve others.
And that’s something we can start doing today. Whether it means spending more time with family, being an encourager for someone who’s struggling, or helping people in our church or community, it’s about putting our own desires on hold for a while so we can bless someone else. The Bible says, ‘Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!’ (Proverbs 31:9 MSG).
To stay generous, we need to trust God first of all, remembering that He’s blessed us with what we have now and will meet all our needs, then make a habit of giving up our time, attentiveness, money, and resources whenever He directs us to.
Hosea 6-10; Luke 1:39-56; Ps 139:7-12; Prov 13:24
