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Carefully Listen to Both Sides - 2 Chronicles 10:8-9 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”2 Chronicles 10:8-9 NIVWhen King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam was in line to succeed him. The nation gathered to crown him, but before they did, they asked him to lighten the heavy load his father had placed on them. Rehoboam asked for advice from his father’s advisors, who advised him to answer favorably and lighten their load. Rehoboam then asked the young men he had grown up with. And their advice was to respond harshly, making their load even heavier.The young men Rehoboam consulted are described as having grown up with him and were currently serving him.

#Knowledge #wisdom

Pray That You Will Not Fall into Temptation - Luke 22:45-46 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:45-46 NIVJesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples on the night he was betrayed. Following the meal, Jesus went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives. He left the disciples there and went off by himself to pray. But as he left, he instructed them to “Pray that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:41).When Jesus returned to his disciples, instead of finding them in prayer, they were asleep. Luke tells us that they were exhausted from sorrow.

#Prayer #Temptation

Not a Hair of Your Head Will Perish - Luke 21:16-19 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will have some of you put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of my name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. Luke 21:16-19 NIVIn Luke 21, Jesus answered his disciple’s question about when the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple would occur. There are a variety of interpretations concerning Jesus’ response. Is it limited to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70? Does it look ahead to the time of the end? Or do his words deal with the fall and destruction of Jerusalem as well as the time of the end?Whichever view you take, Jesus’ words to his disciples in Luke 21:16-19 are appropriate for believers throughout the ages.

#Eschatology(LastThings)#Faithful #Hope

Overcoming the World - 1 John 5:4-5 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.1 John 4:4-5 NIVWhen you hear a story of overcoming, it is likely about someone who accomplished something great despite the disadvantages they faced. They might have been born in poverty, come from a dysfunctional or abusive family, had severe physical handicaps, or been part of an oppressed people group. But they overcame those disadvantages to succeed at whatever they were pursuing.John tells us in this passage that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God will overcome the world. But what does it mean to overcome the world?

#Faith #Faithfulness

The Spirit of the Antichrist - 1 John 4:1-3 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that refuses to confess Jesus, that spirit is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.1 John 4:1-3 NIVOur world is filled with prophets today. People who proclaim various messages, telling us what is wrong with the world and how to fix it. God sent the Old Testament prophets to warn Israel and Judah about their idolatry and social injustice, and their coming punishment if they did not repent. But there were other prophets in their day who represented other gods.

#FalseTeachers

The Doctrine of the Nature of Jesus Christ The person of Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith. In the early centuries of Christianity there were a number of different theories advanced concerning his nature. Most of these were ultimately branded as heretical. But the debate resulted in a number of creeds, or statements of faith, which defined what came to be known as the orthodox position of the person, or nature, of Christ.Understanding the person of Jesus is challenging because he is not just divine or human, but is both. That relationship between the divine and human natures is what caused the early debates. Debates which continue to this day in some places.The Deity of JesusWhat Jesus Says About HimselfThere are many who say that Jesus never made any claims to being God. That claims for his divinity came from his disciples after he was gone. And it is true that Jesus is never recorded as saying “I am God”.

#Incarnation #Jesus

Be Persistent in Prayer - Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.Luke 18:1 NIVLuke 18:2-5 is a record of Jesus’ parable of the unjust judge. There are two characters described in this parable. The first was a judge. Jesus described him as neither fearing God nor caring about what other people think. The second was a widow. Someone had taken advantage of her. And she was pleading with the judge for justice. The judge initially refused to grant the justice she sought, likely wanting a bride from her. But she was persistent and eventually wore down the judge and received the justice she sought.Jesus then compared God to this unjust judge.

#Parables #Prayer

Who Can Build a Temple for God? - 2 Chronicles 2:5-6 The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?2 Chronicles 2:5-6 NIVThese are the words of Solomon as he prepared to build a temple for God—a temple that would dwarf all other temples. Because the God of Israel was greater than any other so-called god, his temple must also be greater. And, as you read the description of the temple he built, it was indeed impressive. The physical structure was small by today’s standards, but the artistry and wealth that went into it are beyond our ability to reproduce today.

#Church #Temple

Even If Someone Rises from the Dead - Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”Luke 16:31 NIVThe parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man closes with the rich man asking Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn the rich man’s brothers so they could avoid his fate. Abraham replied that the brothers had Moses and the Prophets to give them a warning. The rich man replied that someone who rises from the dead would be more convincing and lead them to repent. An assertion that Abraham denied.I have occasionally heard skeptics claim that if God performed a miracle for them with no possible natural explanation, they would believe in God. But would they? Abraham’s response to the rich man in this parable also applies here. The creation itself proclaims the glory and power of the creator.

#BelieveinChrist #Miracles #Parables

Stimulated to Wholesome Thinking - 2 Peter 3:1-2 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.2 Peter 3:1-2 NIVBefore I retired, I was a computer programmer. One of the expressions we used was “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” It essentially meant that the output quality of a program was directly related to the quality of the data fed into the program. If you give it inaccurate data, the results will also be incorrect. However, if you provided it with accurate data, then the output would also be correct.And what is true of computers is also true of my life. When the input I provide to my mind is garbage, my thoughts and actions will tend toward rubbish.

#BibleStudy

If My People Will Humble Themselves and Pray - 2 Chron. 7:13-14 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NIVThis passage looks ahead to a time when the people of Israel would turn away from following God, turning to the worship of other gods, and failing to live up to the terms of their covenant with God. And when that happened, they could expect God to chasten them for their disobedience. That chastisement could take the form of drought, plague, or even oppression from other nations.

#Forgiveness #Repentance

Even the Wisest and Most Blessed Can Fall - 1 Kings 11:4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.1 Kings 11:4 NIVSolomon asked God for wisdom to rule his people well. And God granted his request along with great riches. During Solomon's lifetime, no king could compare with him (1 Kings 3:13).When he was young, Solomon dedicated his heart to the Lord. But Solomon had a problem. He loved foreign women. Women from the nations God had forbidden Israel to intermarry with (1 Kings 11:2).1 Kings 11:3 describes Solomon as having 700 wives of noble birth and 300 concubines. Many of these likely were the result of sealing political alliances. But Solomon seemed to accumulate wives in the same way he accumulated gold, silver, spices, and horses.

#Faithfulness #Love

A Warning Against Hypocrisy - Luke 12:1 Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."Luke 12:1 NIVIn the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament, a hypocrite was an actor who put on a mask and played a part. An actor is someone who pretends to be someone they are not. And in the world of entertainment, that is OK. Everyone understands the nature of acting.But hypocrisy, or play-acting, is not limited to entertainers. Most of us are guilty of it, at least to some extent. We hide our true selves behind a mask that protects us and enables us to fit into our group. And we might even have multiple masks that we put on, depending on the group we happen to be in.

#ChristianLifestyle #HolySpirit

Colossians: The Heart of the Gospel (1:21-23) In the previous verse (Col. 1:20), Paul told us that God was reconciling all things in creation to himself through Christ's blood, shed on the cross. In this passage, he narrows the focus from all creation to the church at Colossae. But what he says is not limited to just this first-century church. It is the experience of all believers throughout time and in every place. It is the heart of the Gospel, the good news that God was reconciling us to himself.Alienated from GodOnce you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. Colossians 1:21 NIVAlienated from God. This is the same language that might be used for family members or close friends who have fallen out and no longer speak to each other.

#Gospel #Reconciliation

Prophets Who Tell Us What We Want to Hear - Micah 2:11 If a liar and deceiver comes and says,‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’that would be just the prophet for this people!Micah 2:11 NIVMicah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. And, like most true prophets, he pronounced coming judgment on the nation because of their unfaithfulness to God.But the people of Judah didn’t want to hear about God’s judgment. They didn’t want to hear about how they were falling short of God’s expectations for them as individuals and as a nation. Instead, they wanted prophets who would tell them everything would be OK. That God would protect and bless them so they could live a life of peace and prosperity.

#Bible #FalseTeachers

A Warning to Teachers - James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.James 3:1 NIVI am a teacher. In particular, a Bible teacher. Not because it is something I wanted to do, although I have found it rewarding. But because I believe that it is God’s calling in my life. And that he has equipped me to teach.I feel blessed that God has chosen to use me in this way. But it does come with great responsibility. James gives us a warning that God will judge teachers more strictly than others. It is not a role to take lightly.Why are teachers judged more strictly? Like all believers, we are responsible for how we treat the word of God. We should study it, seek the Holy Spirit’s leading in understanding it, and apply it to our lives.

#SpiritualGifts #Teach

Lose Your Life to Save It - Luke 9:24-25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?Luke 9:24-25 NIVTo lose my life in order to save it seems like a contradiction. How is it possible that losing my life could result in saving it? It is like turning right to go left. It doesn’t make sense. Yet, it is what Jesus tells us to do.But Jesus is talking about two different lives here. The first is the life I have now on earth. While the other is the life I can have with Jesus. I can have one or the other. If I surrender to him the life I have now, I will gain eternal life. But, if I am unwilling to give up this life for Jesus, I will lose out on life with him now and throughout eternity.

#Salvation

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