Category: Jesus - The Apologetics Blog

Value

7/22/2014

Psalm 139:13 "For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb."

God values human life. Before we were even born, God began investing in our lives by forming us in our mother's womb. After we were born, God still valued our lives enough to send His Son to die in our place. God values us.

God even valued our lives before we were born. Before we were born, He knew how many hairs would be on our heads. He knew every step that we would take. He knew every choice that we would make. He had a plan for our lives before we were even born. He began investing in our lives before our birth.

The value that God places on our lives can be taken as a demonstration of how much He loves us. Not only did He have a plan for our lives before we were born, but He also sent His own Son to die in our place. God wouldn't have given up that much if He did not love and value us. Because God values human life so much, we need to value it, as well.

We even need to value our own lives. There are some days when I look in the mirror and don't like the person I see. However, I don't see things the way God sees them. God values us even when we don't value ourselves. God loves us, even when we don't love ourselves.

The Spirit-Led Mindset

7/21/2014

Romans 8:6 "For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace."

The way we think is just as important as the way we act. We don't usually think about this when we get the results we want out of our actions. Choosing to think differently can have a real impact on the way we live our lives. Paul the apostle was not shy in talking about the way we think.

There is a major difference between the Spirit-led mind-set and the mind-set of the flesh. This difference comes because, well, the flesh does not always want the same things for our lives that God's Spirit wants. God can see the entire chessboard, and ultimately places the pieces on the board in the strategic location that is best. We can only see a limited part of the chessboard and have a tendency to try out our own plans instead of trusting the Chess-master.

Whereas the mindset of the flesh ultimately tears us down, the Spirit-led mind-set ultimately builds us up and brings us closer to God. The mind-set we have can have a godly effect on our lives, or it could be the beginning of our self-destruction. Which effect it has depends on the mind-set we have, and the mind-set depends on who (or Who) is in charge of our lives.

If we really want to change the way we think, there is no better place to start than prayer and meditation on God's word. Set aside a time to talk to Him and to listen for Him to talk back. Seek Him, and as you follow Him you will find that your way of thinking changes. The more you pursue Him, the more radically your mind-set will change. This change is ultimately for our good and God's glory!

Don't Despise The Youth

7/20/2014

1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

Think of one person that you look up to because of their walk with God. Some of you thought of someone who was old and experienced, while others of you thought of someone young and full of life. Even though each of us may have thought of people of different age groups, all of us thought of someone who walked with God.

Since I became a Christian some 9 years ago, I have run across several people younger than I who have set an excellent example for anyone in the church to follow. Even though I am older than those to whom I refer, I still look up to them. It is not someone's age that makes them an example, it is the lifestyle they live as they walk with Christ.

For those of you who are reading this who consider yourselves young, do not allow others to tell you that you cannot set an example for Christ. Set the example. Study Scripture. Run the race. Follow God.

Forgive Us Our Debts

7/19/2014

Matthew 6:12 "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

As I read this passage in preparation for today's devotional, I thought about all the people who have hurt me and asked myself, "Have I forgiven all of them?" If I still held something against anyone who came to mind, I knelt down on my knees and told God that I forgive them. After this, I felt so much better than before I chose to forgive them.

When we come to God to ask for forgiveness for our sins, we need to ask ourselves if we have forgiven those who have wronged us. If we expect God to forgive us for our offences against Him, and if we are supposed to follow the example that God gave us through Jesus, shouldn't we also forgive those who have wronged us in the same way that Jesus asked God to forgive those who nailed Him to the cross? The answer is yes.

Sometimes, people in our life will continue to hurt us. We don't have to sit there and take the hurt, but we do have to forgive those who have hurt us. If someone keeps hurting us, we may need to cut them out of our life. However, we still need to forgive them.

Our Daily Bread

7/18/2014

Matthew 6:11 "Give us today our daily bread."

When was the last time you asked God for something? When was the last time that, after you prayed, you trusted Him to do things? Even if He didn't do things the way you thought they should be done?

While giving the model prayer, Jesus showed the disciples that they should pray for daily bread. The life of Jesus is a testament to His faithfulness in living this principle out and setting this example for His disciples (for one example, see John chapter 6). Jesus not only taught the disciples to pray for their food, but to, in obedience, trust God to provide it.

What if we began to live life this way? What if we were to pray, each and every morning, that God would provide us with what we need? What if we trusted Him to do this? What if we changed our lifestyle to reflect this trust in God?

God's Will Vs. Our Will

7/17/2014

Matthew 6:10 "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

When you wake up each day, what is the first thing that you do? If you don't do this already, what if you were to take a few minutes each morning to spend with God. During this time, inquire about what He wants you to do today.

We want to do things our way because we think that we know best. We want to do things to be accomplished according to our plan by doing things the way that we want. If we would stop long enough to realize that we don't know best, we would be in much better shape.

When Jesus was praying the model prayer, He asked for God's will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven." Did you get that? By showing the disciples to pray this way, Jesus was in essence saying that it is not our will that needs to be done here, but God's will. Not only should we live this, but we should pray for it!

The next time our knees hit the ground, we should make it a priority to pray that God's will be done, not our own. Then, we should resolve to obey Him when He tells us what His will is. In this way, God is able to use us to accomplish His will.

An Example In Prayer

7/14/2014

Matthew 6:9a "Therefore, you should pray like this:"

Do you pray? If your answer is yes (and it should be), the next question is this: How do you pray? The simple answer is that we look to the example that has been given to us. That example came through God's Son.

Jesus was teaching His disciples, when He turned to the subject of prayer. After instructing His disciples not to pray like the hypocrites pray, Jesus demonstrated to His disciples how we should pray.

First, Jesus taught us that we should pray to God in secret. We should not seek glory from men when we pray. Prayer is meant to be a time spent with God. Therefore, to use prayer as a means of receiving glory from men makes one a hypocrite.

After instructing His disciples to pray in secret, Jesus shows the disciples how we should pray. These famous words have become known as "The Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 5:9-13). We should use this as a model when we pray. If He has given us the example, shouldn't we follow it?

He Is Faithful

7/11/2014

1 Thessalonians 5:24 "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."

Have you ever known someone who has always done what he or she says he or she will do? If you're a Christian, you know Someone! As Christians, we know that Jesus Christ is always faithful to do what He says He will do.

Paul reminded the church at Thessalonica of this truth. After commanding the Thessalonians to rejoice, pray, be thankful, hold onto good things, and stay away from evil things, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that Jesus Christ is faithful.

Jesus is faithful not only to be with us as we hold onto good things and stay away from evil things, but He is also faithful to guide us through life. He will be there when we need Him to be, and He will help us to remain faithful to Him when difficulties arise.

In the end, we realize that there is no one who is more faithful than Jesus Christ. Once we realize this truth, we can live at peace, knowing that the God of the universe will not leave us, that He knows everything that we need, and that He is faithful to provide for us. He is faithful!

Don't Despise Prophecies

7/8/2014

1 Thessalonians 5:20 "Don't despise prophecies,"

What God says comes true. We recognize this as fact. Why is it, then, that so many people seem to hate what God says? I am referring, of course, largely to those who are of the world and do not know God. When we come to know God, we come to know that He can be trusted.

As Christians, we cannot hate what God says. Although we may not understand what He is doing at times, we have no reason to distrust Him or to despise His words. How are we any different from the world if we don't trust His words?

Some of the Israelites trusted God's word that He would send a Redeemer to bring salvation not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well. God sent His message to prophets, who faithfully told the Israelites God's word. Some despised God's word, and killed the prophets.

Eventually, the Redeemer came to earth and the people hated Him as well. When they were done listening to Him, they crucified Him. It was the hatred for God and His word that crucified Jesus. However, despite the attempt to keep Him down, God's word still came true. Salvation was still uniquely provided through Jesus Christ.

We can all learn a lesson from this. We have no reason to resent or despise God or His word. In fact, we have every reason to trust His word. Let's not be like those who placed Jesus on the cross, but rather like the ones He came to after He was resurrected from the dead--willing to listen and doing our best to obey His word.

Don't Stifle The Spirit

7/7/2014

1 Thessalonians 5:19 "Don't stifle the Spirit."

How many people have you told about Jesus today? Honestly? How often do we stop to tell others about Jesus Christ in the middle of our busy days? I suspect that, for some if not many of us, the answer is, "only when the opportunity comes up and bites us." This is particularly alarming.

The Thessalonians were commanded not to "stifle the Spirit". God's Spirit lives in those of us who are disciples of Christ so as to help us live our lives in such a manner that our lives point to Christ. Part of our lives pointing to Christ includes telling others about Christ whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The next time we are given the opportunity to tell someone about Jesus, let's not miss it. In the meantime, let's let our lives reflect Christ so that those to whom we present the Gospel may have an opportunity to see Christ in us. Let's work with the Spirit of God instead of working against Him. This might make all of the difference in the world for someone's soul.