“Jesus lived out the same spiritual calculus he had taught, not only about self-denial and self-sacrifice, but specifically about the cross.”
David Mathis shows us how true joy overshadows real sacrifice.
David Mathis shows us how true joy overshadows real sacrifice.
🔥5
10 Actions of a Godly Man:
1. Follow Jesus.
2. Lead his family.
3. Love & serve his wife.
4. Shepherd his kids.
5. Take care of himself.
6. Work hard.
7. Provide and protect.
8. Serve the church.
9. Share the gospel.
10. Make disciples.
1. Follow Jesus.
2. Lead his family.
3. Love & serve his wife.
4. Shepherd his kids.
5. Take care of himself.
6. Work hard.
7. Provide and protect.
8. Serve the church.
9. Share the gospel.
10. Make disciples.
❤5
September 20 (Sunday)
Dear Daughter,
The firstfruits were offered before the rest of the harvest was even gathered — worship came before the full return was certain.
Bring God the first, best part of your gratitude today, not the leftover thanks after everything else is settled.
Faith gives first; sight waits for proof.
'Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your produce' (Prov 3:9).
What firstfruit of gratitude can you offer God today, before the season is even finished?
#DearDaughter #SundayFirstfruits #StrongMarriage
Dear Daughter,
The firstfruits were offered before the rest of the harvest was even gathered — worship came before the full return was certain.
Bring God the first, best part of your gratitude today, not the leftover thanks after everything else is settled.
Faith gives first; sight waits for proof.
'Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your produce' (Prov 3:9).
What firstfruit of gratitude can you offer God today, before the season is even finished?
#DearDaughter #SundayFirstfruits #StrongMarriage
❤4
“You don’t give a man a cure to a disease he doesn’t believe he has. We must first address the disease so that he will appreciate and appropriate the cure. The moral Law diagnoses the disease of sin, and the gospel is the cure.” —Ray Comfort
❤4
Sep 20 (Sun)
Sunday rest: Let your home be still before Him today! 🏡🙌 Peace over noise, presence over performance! Ps 46:10 ❤️
How will you rest together? #StrongMarriage #September
Sunday rest: Let your home be still before Him today! 🏡🙌 Peace over noise, presence over performance! Ps 46:10 ❤️
How will you rest together? #StrongMarriage #September
❤5
Forwarded from CHRISTIAN STUDY BIBLE (Father's Words)
Let me see who’s bold enough to say I love God this beautiful Sunday!
❤6
God is real.
Jesus is real.
The Holy Spirit is real.
The Bible is real.
The gospel is real.
The resurrection is real.
Salvation is real.
Heaven is real.
Hell is real.
Repent and trust in Jesus Christ.
Christ is King!
Jesus is real.
The Holy Spirit is real.
The Bible is real.
The gospel is real.
The resurrection is real.
Salvation is real.
Heaven is real.
Hell is real.
Repent and trust in Jesus Christ.
Christ is King!
👍4❤3
The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.
Charles H. Spurgeon
Charles H. Spurgeon
❤5
Today is a great day to pray for your pastor's wife. Often, she can be the most overlooked person in the church.
She serves in ministry, bears a lot of the same burdens he does, may have a job, and also tends to manage a lot of the things at home.
She is a gift to the Church.
She serves in ministry, bears a lot of the same burdens he does, may have a job, and also tends to manage a lot of the things at home.
She is a gift to the Church.
🕊4❤2
If you don’t want church to feel routine this weekend, then approach it differently.
1-Pray before you go.
2-Worship in the car on the way.
3-Get there early.
4-Invite someone.
5-Bring your Bible.
6-Take notes.
7-Talk to people.
8-Sing loudly.
9-Serve.
10-Live out the sermon.
1-Pray before you go.
2-Worship in the car on the way.
3-Get there early.
4-Invite someone.
5-Bring your Bible.
6-Take notes.
7-Talk to people.
8-Sing loudly.
9-Serve.
10-Live out the sermon.
👏9❤5
“Homosexuals can be saved. The problem is that they (like all of us before we are saved) don’t see sin in its true light; therefore, they neither see their terrible danger nor their need for forgiveness.” —Ray Comfort
❤2
You are called. You are chosen. You are made with a purpose. 🙏
👍7
September 21: Throwing Caution to the Flood
#Devotional
Zephaniah 1:1–3:20; Acts 19:1–41; Job 27:1–23
Words are powerful. They can restore and heal; they can also be used as deadly weapons. When we interact with one another, we know to choose our words carefully to avoid being misinterpreted or inadvertently causing harm. But Yahweh speaks words of daunting ambiguity—proclamations that can easily be misunderstood or that are frightening beyond measure.
Consider Zephaniah 1:2–3: “ ‘I will surely destroy everything from the face of the earth’—a declaration of Yahweh. ‘I will destroy humanity and beast; I will destroy the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked. And I will cut off humankind from the face of the earth’—a declaration of Yahweh.” Does Yahweh actually intend to destroy everything on the earth? Why is He speaking so boldly?
The phrase “face of the earth” appears twice in this passage; it encloses a miniature narrative that references the story of the flood in Gen 6:7 and 7:4. This story is used as a metaphor for why Yahweh will destroy Judah: “And I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal, and the name of idolatrous priests with the priests, and those who bow down on the rooftops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down, swearing to Yahweh but also swearing by Milkom” (Zeph 1:4–5). Yahweh plans to destroy Judah because they have sought other gods. In other words, Judah has acted just like the evil people who caused the flood.
The startling images of destruction and death that Yahweh’s proclamations evoke seem shockingly blunt. Yet these bold statements remind us that using audacious language is sometimes necessary, and evoking stories of the past can make the point more powerful. We must still take caution when choosing our words, but when we must speak an uncomfortable truth, we can turn to the example that Yahweh sets here: Live boldly for Him and speak the truth.
How can you be more bold in your words about Yahweh?
#Devotional
Zephaniah 1:1–3:20; Acts 19:1–41; Job 27:1–23
Words are powerful. They can restore and heal; they can also be used as deadly weapons. When we interact with one another, we know to choose our words carefully to avoid being misinterpreted or inadvertently causing harm. But Yahweh speaks words of daunting ambiguity—proclamations that can easily be misunderstood or that are frightening beyond measure.
Consider Zephaniah 1:2–3: “ ‘I will surely destroy everything from the face of the earth’—a declaration of Yahweh. ‘I will destroy humanity and beast; I will destroy the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked. And I will cut off humankind from the face of the earth’—a declaration of Yahweh.” Does Yahweh actually intend to destroy everything on the earth? Why is He speaking so boldly?
The phrase “face of the earth” appears twice in this passage; it encloses a miniature narrative that references the story of the flood in Gen 6:7 and 7:4. This story is used as a metaphor for why Yahweh will destroy Judah: “And I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal, and the name of idolatrous priests with the priests, and those who bow down on the rooftops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down, swearing to Yahweh but also swearing by Milkom” (Zeph 1:4–5). Yahweh plans to destroy Judah because they have sought other gods. In other words, Judah has acted just like the evil people who caused the flood.
The startling images of destruction and death that Yahweh’s proclamations evoke seem shockingly blunt. Yet these bold statements remind us that using audacious language is sometimes necessary, and evoking stories of the past can make the point more powerful. We must still take caution when choosing our words, but when we must speak an uncomfortable truth, we can turn to the example that Yahweh sets here: Live boldly for Him and speak the truth.
How can you be more bold in your words about Yahweh?
❤4
September 21 - Spurious vs. Saving Faith
#LifeOfChrist
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23–25).
After the Passover, Jesus remained in Jerusalem for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During His stay He performed a number of miracles not recorded in Scripture. As a result of those miracles, John says, “Many believed in His name.”
But this faith was shallow, superficial, and disingenuous. It was not true saving faith, as John’s play on words indicates. “Believed” in verse 23 and “entrusting” in verse 24 both come from the same Greek verb. Though they believed in Jesus, Jesus did not believe in them; He had no faith in their faith.
Although many claimed to believe, Jesus knew that mere intellectual assent proves nothing; even the demons have such faith (James 2:19). Jesus did not embrace the false faith manifested by those who witnessed His signs, because “He knew all men,” and therefore “did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” He knows the true state of every heart. He saw in Nathanael the heart of an honest, true seeker (1:47); He saw in these people a superficial façade—a mere outward attraction to spectacular signs (cf. 6:2). Genuine saving faith goes far beyond that. It demands wholehearted commitment to Jesus as the Lord of one’s life (Matt. 16:24–26; Rom. 10:9). Is that the state of your heart?
Ask Yourself
It’s certainly fine to admire godly people and aspire to be like them. But if you haven’t noticed already, these same ones will eventually do or say something to spoil your image of them. We will too, if others look up to us. When you see Jesus in someone, don’t strive to be like them but to be like Him.
#LifeOfChrist
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23–25).
After the Passover, Jesus remained in Jerusalem for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During His stay He performed a number of miracles not recorded in Scripture. As a result of those miracles, John says, “Many believed in His name.”
But this faith was shallow, superficial, and disingenuous. It was not true saving faith, as John’s play on words indicates. “Believed” in verse 23 and “entrusting” in verse 24 both come from the same Greek verb. Though they believed in Jesus, Jesus did not believe in them; He had no faith in their faith.
Although many claimed to believe, Jesus knew that mere intellectual assent proves nothing; even the demons have such faith (James 2:19). Jesus did not embrace the false faith manifested by those who witnessed His signs, because “He knew all men,” and therefore “did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” He knows the true state of every heart. He saw in Nathanael the heart of an honest, true seeker (1:47); He saw in these people a superficial façade—a mere outward attraction to spectacular signs (cf. 6:2). Genuine saving faith goes far beyond that. It demands wholehearted commitment to Jesus as the Lord of one’s life (Matt. 16:24–26; Rom. 10:9). Is that the state of your heart?
Ask Yourself
It’s certainly fine to admire godly people and aspire to be like them. But if you haven’t noticed already, these same ones will eventually do or say something to spoil your image of them. We will too, if others look up to us. When you see Jesus in someone, don’t strive to be like them but to be like Him.
DAY 21: To what was Paul referring by the term “thorn in the flesh”?
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-09-21
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-09-21
Telegraph
DAILY BIBLE
Reading for Today: Isaiah 33:1–34:17 Psalm 109:1-5 Proverbs 25:25-26 2 Corinthians 12:1-21 Notes: Isaiah 33:17 King in His beauty. The prophecy moves beyond Hezekiah in his sackcloth, oppressed by his enemy, to the Messiah in His beauty. Seeing Him in glory…
God is to be trusted when His providences seem to run contrary to His promises.
Thomas Watson
Thomas Watson
You have a message that is the truth, the only hope of the world & they’re not going to like you for it...which raises the stakes on your commitment. Make your life count for the gospel.
🙏5
“The Lord is bringing up against them the king of Assyria and all his glory.” Isaiah 8:7
So it is today.
The Lord moves the glory of nations as he wills.
So it is today.
The Lord moves the glory of nations as he wills.
❤3