Resolve 2 B Blessed

RESOLVE 2 B BLESSED

Deuteronomy 11:26-28:  “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.”

           

            Doctor Jekyll or Mister Hyde?  Ten year old Brad was deciding between the two costumes to dress up for Halloween.  His classmate, Cassie, adored the princess costume, but also the witch’s black hat.  Their peer, Jeremy, admired himself in the mirror wearing a pirate’s black eye patch.

          Regardless which costumes the kids choose to wear, they’re blessed.  Providing that Brad doesn’t worship Dr. Jekyll; Cassie won’t practice witchcraft; or Jeremy plays swashbuckler just for fun, God will continue to bless them.

            Our Heavenly Father wants His kids to have fun.  And He loves to bless us—just as He’s been blessing those who worshipped Him and obeyed His commands for thousands of years.  God’s blessing changes to cursing when individuals choose to love someone of something more than God.

            The story goes like this:  Every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. a man threw down money from the top of a building.  People gathered below, and pounced on the money that fluttered to the ground.  They never looked up. 

            But another day, instead of money, rocks were tossed down from the top of the building.  People looked up to see who was tossing rocks from the building’s roof.  Suddenly the people demanded to know who was throwing rocks at them—and why.

When people are blessed, they grab their blessings; when they are cursed, they look to heaven.  It’s never too late to seek God; He’s watching to see what you choose today.  

            The opening Scripture shows that God gave people choice between blessings and curses.  The gift of free will allows people to choose between blessings or curses every day.  This extends to people also choosing to spend eternity in either heaven or hell. 

True blessing is being aligned with God in a relationship with Him.  Total disregard for God, living outside his will and drawn irresistibly to worldly delights is its own curse.      

   

Take Home Nugget

            God honors people’s individual choices.  He wants people to choose Him over other gods (idols). That’s why He sweetens the correct choice with the promise of blessings attached.  Jesus or money.  Jesus or power.  Jesus or popularity.  God wants everyone to choose Him.  God wants everyone to choose Heaven. 

             

Resolve 2 B blessed is the best choice; don’t you agree?

                                                                                                                          

HALLOWEEN IS DRESS UP DAY IN THE USA.  WHAT COSTUME DID YOU CHOOSE TO WEAR!

Adapted from Holy Land Moments Daily Devotions.  Be Blessed. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.  Devotion@Holylandmoments.org. August 19, 2014.

J.D. Griffith

Click here for Interactive-Online-Lesson for Resolve 2 B Blessed

For FREE Online Bible Study Resources click here.

                               Written for http://www.Biblestudyforkids.com

     Click here for inexpensive Christian eBook and app offers

A Test

A TEST

Part two of two devotions in Apostasy series

Psalm 25: 14-15:  “The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.  My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.”

            Hebrews is a book in the Bible’s New Testament that urges Believers to keep moving.  Many never grow up in Christ after accepting Jesus as Savior.  Apostle Paul advises that we’re to “continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).  Believers don’t do anything except accept Jesus’ offer for forgiveness of sins and eternal life to be saved.

            And if that’s our end game, we never grow up spiritually and mature in our faith.  We’re carnal [KAR-nal] Christians.  Carnal Christians are fleshly instead of virtuous.  Worldly instead of righteous.  It never occurs to carnal Christians to grow in Christ.  Who wants “to work out salvation with fear and trembling?”

            “Work out salvation with fear and trembling” means to cooperate with Believers’ indwelt Holy Spirit.  His job is to transform infant Christians who are being fed Scriptural “milk,” into mature grown-up Christians who are nurtured with Scriptural “meat.”  His goal is to grow Believers in Christlikeness. 

            After many years, Believers ought to be teachers.  That’s the test in Hebrews 5:12.  “By this time you ought to be teachers,” [but many require] “someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again.”  Are you “acquainted with the teaching about righteousness?”  (v.13).

            “Solid food is for the mature [Christian], who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (v.14).   Carnal Christians never grow past feeding on milk. 

            The phrase “trained themselves” comes from the Greek root word for gymnasium.  Growing in Christ is a training ground were Believers learn to discern good from evil.

            Jesus shocked a Pharisee named Nicodemus.  Nicodemus didn’t understand that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is “born again”.  Jesus asked, “You are Israel’s teacher and you do not understand these things?”  (John 3:5, 10).  It’s good   that Nicodemus probably “worked out his salvation with fear and trembling” after that! 

            Romans 8:1 is comforting to Believers who are growing in Christ.  “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Take Home Nugget

            Mature Christians should to be able to sit down with people, show them Scripture and teach simple truths.  We should be able to lead an unbeliever to the Lord.  Daily investing in God’s Word saturates our minds and we practice its truths.  Righteous living becomes habit, a natural way of thinking and perceiving things God’s way.  How else can we be ambassadors of Christ?  (2 Corinthians 5:20).

When will you feed on Scriptural meat?

Adapted from “A Simple Truth.” Dr. Tony Evans.  August 19, 2015. Kingdom Living   Alternative View.  Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

J.D. Griffith

Click here to get a free-online-lesson for A Test

For FREE Online Bible Study Resources click here.

                               Written for http://www.Biblestudyforkids.com

     Click here for inexpensive Christian eBook and app offers

Carnal Christian

CARNAL CHRISTIAN

Part one of two devotions in Apostasy series

Deuteronomy 13:4:  “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere.  Keep His commands and obey Him; and hold fast to Him.”

            The carnal [KAR-nal] Christian is distracted by the world.  He drifts away from   the Christian faith.  The longer the carnal Christian stays away from God, he loses interest in God.  He apostatizes [a-POS-ta-tizes]—becomes frozen in this misguided behavior.

            Everyone knows a carnal Christian: someone who stops attending worship and hangs out with the “wrong” crowd.  Soon, he becomes a bold, enthusiastic sinner. 

            There is an opposite misguided behavior: Saul was a Pharisee, zealous [ZEL-us] for God.  Zealous means passionate, obsessive about something.  Saul was obsessed about finding people who followed the Way.  He was passionate for keeping his religion in the one true God pure.   He thought that Jesus was poison. 

            People who followed Jesus’ disciples’ preaching the gospel of Christ belonged to the Way.  Saul searched for these men and woman and brought them as prisoners to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2). 

            Jesus’ disciples were the first to be called “Christians.” (Acts 11:26). 

            Saul happily persecuted Christians.  Acts 7:57-60, 8:1-3 says that while people were stoning Stephen to death, Saul gave his approved.  “Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” 

              

            God will intervene—butt into the life of the carnal Christian—as He did with Saul (Acts 9:1-19).  But by then, the damage has already been done.  God will judge the carnal Christian.  God forgave Saul and made him a great apostle! 

            But the flip side:  Hebrews 10:26-27 says, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” 

            The lesson linked below teaches how to protect others from this state of disgrace. 

Take Home Nugget

            The carnal Christian’s salvation is not necessarily lost.  But God’s judgment will bring emotional baggage.   

            The price for apostasy is staggering:  “Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”  (Hebrews 10:27-28). 

Carnal Christians drift away from God.  Their disinterest in God, insensitivity to sin and withdrawal from fellowship brings them close to a point of no return.  Even the blood of Jesus will not save them from God’s wrath!  

Adapted from “Apostasy.” Dr. Tony Evans.  August 21, 2015. Kingdom Living   Alternative View.  Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

J.D. Griffith

Click here forInteractive-Online-Lesson for Carnal Christian

For FREE Online Bible Study Resources click here.

                               Written for http://www.Biblestudyforkids.com

     Click here for inexpensive Christian eBook and app offers