Dear River Reach Family, Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Several years ago after preaching on the vine…
God displayed great wisdom in giving us mothers! I don’t want to imagine a world without mothers. Sadly God’s perfect design has been marred by the corrosive and destructive nature of sin. The Bible’s premier picture of a godly woman is found in the last chapter of the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Even 3000 years ago an excellent wife and mother was an extremely rare commodity (Proverbs 31:10). Marriages and families are exceedingly enriched by women who love God and invest their lives in their families for the glory of God.
Did your plans for today go according to plan? How confident are you that your plans for tomorrow will come to fruition? As finite human beings one thing we are forced to acknowledge fairly early on in life is that we are not in complete control.
A few weeks ago my wife and children put soil in a new pot and planted morning glory seeds in the soil. They all worked together to make sure the soil in the pot stayed moist. For the first week or so there was no sign of life. Finally one day small green shoots began to appear in the black soil. The signs of life brought a fair amount of joy as the announcement of life rang through our home! This joy would not have been possible if the work of planting and watering had not been performed. We are all fairly familiar with this concept in the world of gardening, but the same is true in the spiritual realm. In God’s design there is a joy awaiting those who are willing to put out the effort to plant and water the seed of God’s Word in the lives of other individuals.
I recently heard of an older man who biked across the Australian Outback on his own. What an incredible feat it would be to complete such a rigorous and amazing journey! The dangers are multiplied when you attempt something like that on your own. Too often as Christians we develop a rugged lone ranger mindset leading us to think that our walk with God is personal. One of God’s good gifts to us through the Gospel is brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
This week as I was getting a quote for homeowners insurance the agent asked how much I thought our personal possessions were worth. I assured him our possessions were worth far less than the amount he was quoting on the insurance. But I am certain that we possess far more than the Apostle Paul and his coworkers Silas and Timothy had in terms of earthly goods. I am keenly aware of the temptation in my personal life to find my joy and value in earthly possessions.
The weather is an ongoing cycle of change and variety. Here in Florida we are blessed to live in the Sunshine State, but severe weather is certain to be part of the forecast. Storms are coming! No they might not be here this week, but they are coming. The same thing in is true in the Christian life. Though today everything may be smooth sailing, spiritual stresses and storms in your life are certain to come.
I once had a friend tell me that he would believe in Jesus Christ if God would write him a message in the sky to prove His reality. He was looking for something big to convince him that Jesus Christ was real and who He really claimed to be. In His wisdom, God designed the credibility of His Word to rise or fall together. It must either all be believed or all be rejected. There is no room to pick or choose parts that we believe and parts that we reject. To reject any part is to reject God. Knowing the magnitude of the faith He was demanding, God designed one proof of His credibility on which everything would rest.
Power is critical to getting anything done. We need physical power to get out of bed in the morning and accomplish the tasks of the day. We need electric power to provide light, heat, cooling, and to keep our electronics operating. We need gasoline power to propel our vehicles. Our world is reliant on the power of the sun to sustain life on our planet. With this dependence on power for so many things, it should not be a surprise to learn that spiritual growth is also dependent on a form of power.
This week I came across an article that reported that six out of ten millennials experienced a “quarter life crisis.” Their life pursuits and ambitions were leaving them empty. They failed to find satisfaction in their lives and really didn’t know where to turn to find the purpose in life. We’ve all heard of “mid-life crisis”, but I’ve never heard of “quarter life crisis.” Every human being wants to live a life full of meaning and satisfaction. As we see ourselves aging rapidly and time flying by, if our pursuit of satisfaction is bound up in the things and pleasures of this life we will certainly be disappointed.