He broke our fall
Last year, Brad Pitt was hobbling around with a cane after having torn his ACL—a ligament in his knee. He told reporters, “I was carrying my daughter down the hill and I slipped. It was either her or me” who would get hurt. Brad Pitt loved his daughter so much that took the brunt of the fall for her. Obviously, Pitt is not Jesus and tearing an ACL wasn’t death, but his sacrifice for his daughter is an illustration of the way Jesus sacrificed His life and carried wounds and death in His body for us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
what God looks like
In March of 2012, Americans listened with regret and repulsion as we heard reports of an American soldier in Afghanistan who went on a killing spree in a rural Afghan village. This rogue soldier massacred 16 civilian Afghanis. This is an absolute horror. The aftermath compounds our grief because these evil actions (and several other travesties) will, for some, define American ideals to our Afghani neighbors. Because of the actions of one violent man, many will believe that Americans are filled with hatred and are to be feared. Who can blame them? When someone acts in our name or on our behalf, we’re represented by their actions.
in a word
This past week I’ve been working on a labor of love. My wife, Lynn, is reaching a significant birthday milestone, so I’ve decided to throw her a party. One game I came up with is “Lynn in a word.” The idea is for party attendees to think of a word that describes Lynn best and write it down on a note card. On the other side of the card, they’ll write their name. At the party, Lynn will draw the cards from a basket and then the individuals whose cards are selected will take a few moments to tell a Lynn anecdote and why they selected the word they did.
dishing dirt
Recently, I read about one woman’s struggle to stop gossiping. As the mother of a preschooler, Sandy confessed to dishing the dirt about other parents, and even spreading information about her son’s playmates. She knew it was wrong, so she tried to go “cold turkey.” When that didn’t work, she attempted to put a positive spin on other people’s business. Ultimately, she admitted that gossip’s grip would probably win out over time; she just couldn’t resist sharing one more juicy tidbit about a dad on the playground . . .
you choose Q: What does Scripture reveal of God's care, compassion, and faithfulness for oppressed people?
Q: What does Scripture reveal of God's care, compassion, and faithfulness for oppressed people? —Trish
The Scriptures tell us that God is the defender, protector, and provider of the poor, the helpless and the oppressed (Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Psalm 9:9, 10:17-18, 103:6-8, 146:7-9). His care and compassion for these is seen in the protection and the provisions He made for the aliens…
January 14, 2013
What’s one key thing God taught you in 2012?
true value
Johannes Gutenberg had an idea that would change the world, but he needed money to finance it. He contacted his neighbor, Johann Fust, who loaned him the cash to build his first printing press. Gutenberg initially made his loan payments by printing indulgences for the Catholic Church. The job paid well, but Gutenberg had higher hopes for his new machine. He wanted to print Bibles—magnificent books with Gothic letters that resembled a scribe’s meticulous style. But his 1,200-page Bibles took too long to produce and sell, and in 3 years he was bankrupt. Gutenberg handed his press over to Fust, who used it to publish a wide variety of books throughout Germany and France.
accepting correction
A theists are so limp-wristed because they have nothing to stand for! #ultimatecowards” “Atheists have no morality. They will hug a tree and murder a baby in its mother’s womb! #confused”
the benefits of giving
Did you know that the apostle Paul never quotes Jesus in any of his New Testament books? Of course, he mentions Jesus throughout his letters. The Lord was his major topic. But not once does he directly quote Jesus in his epistles. In fact, if you were to thumb through a “red letter” Bible (where the words spoken by Jesus are printed in red ink), you might be surprised to find that outside of the four gospels, Jesus’ actual words appear only a handful of times.
not fooled
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” —Mark Twain
you choose Q: Due to my sin, will God ever leave me?
Q: Recently I sinned greatly and went against everything I know. I know I’m forgiven, but would God ever have enough of me and leave me? —Linda
A: It’s obvious that you’re aware of your unworthiness before God, and deeply distressed by the sin that is still deeply rooted in your nature. True believers in Jesus realize that they’re deeply contaminated…
dying for Jesus?
At a missions conference, the director challenged the participants to consider fulltime missionary work—calling for those who were willing to die for Jesus to stand up and to receive prayer. No one did. Discouraged, he complained to the senior pastor. The pastor said, “Don’t fret if no one is willing to die for Jesus. Worry if no one is wanting to live for Jesus!”
don’t stop
He was alone for most of his ministry. It seemed that no one cared to hear his words. He was dragged off against his will to live his final days in exile. He was a failure as far as how the world judges human achievement. Jeremiah (alias “the weeping prophet”) was his name.
clean conscience
According to a 2008 character survey of nearly 30,000 high school students, 64 percent of them said they had cheated on a test in the past year, 30 percent had stolen from a store, 42 percent said they would lie to save money, and 83 percent said they had lied to their parents about something significant. One of the more interesting findings of the survey was that 93 percent of the students surveyed said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character. These students seem to have a clear case of what the Bible calls a “corrupted” conscience (Titus 1:15).
