Responding to Trials
Modern Christians tend to misplace a good portion of their compassion. Often when they learn of someone who is struggling or hurting, regardless of the reason, they are quick to offer…
Modern Christians tend to misplace a good portion of their compassion. Often when they learn of someone who is struggling or hurting, regardless of the reason, they are quick to offer…
We must never forget that the church is destined for violent opposition from earthly authorities, but we can gain the necessary strength and patient endurance through a fervent prayer life.
We ought to always be attuned to the practical needs of God’s people, ready to do what we can to demonstrate the love of Christ in tangible ways.
Responding rightly to Christ’s redemptive work should result in a growing love for God that produces good works, love for people, and a desire to obey the Bible’s commands.
We would do well to keep this sinful world and our eternal salvation in perspective, pitying the lost and joyfully anticipating the return of our glorified and exalted Savior.
Joseph provides us with a relevant and compelling example to imitate, demonstrating a courageous and obedient faith amid confusion, fear, and disappointment.
God would have us be vigilant about those who wander away from the teaching and practice of the truth, concerned enough for the ramifications of their falling away to lovingly go after them to bring them back.
We have a God-given responsibility to care for our Christian friends in the church, by humbly being used by God to encourage them as they follow Christ.
As God’s children we must never allow ourselves to become complacent about the plight of the lost, the hope of the gospel, or the urgency of our mission to reach people for Christ.
We must seek to be zealous enough for God’s honor that we find ourselves selflessly grieving over those who reject the truth (with all its commensurate consequences) and sincerely rejoicing over those who repent.
In our evangelism we must do the difficult and often uncomfortable work of exposing sin by presenting God’s holy laws in the context of expressing true compassion and sacrificial love.
We should learn from Christ’s compassion and selflessness, confident that he will provide what is needed when we sacrificially step up to face the challenges he providentially sets before us.
We must be eager to fulfill our responsibility to materially and spiritual meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As God’s children we are required to selflessly band together to support, encourage and strengthen one another when any of us are suffering, persecuted or attacked.
God has called us to buck our culture’s propensity for self-interest and self-promotion and intentionally care for fellow Christians with a sacrificial and empathetic love.
Our quest to fix the problem of inadequate facilities and expand the ministry of our church should begin with a Nehemiah-styled concern and prayer life.
We must care for (and minister to) more and more of the people God already cares so much about.
People who have been freely & sacrificially loved by God should be compelled to love others freely & sacrificially. God doesn’t have any needs but his kids do!