August 16 - The Danger of Wrongly-Based Rituals
#LifeOfChrist
“Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?’” (Matthew 9:14–15).
Religious ritual and routine, if not handled appropriately, will always threaten true godliness. Some practices, such as praying to saints or lighting candles for the dead, are heretical. But even biblical practices, when their forms become the center of attention, can become barriers to true righteousness. Church attendance, Bible reading, saying grace before meals, and singing hymns can become lifeless habits that exclude true worship and praise. When we apply good things such as these the wrong way, they can keep us from faithful obedience . . . and keep unbelievers from trusting in God.
Alms, prescribed prayer, and fasting were the three major expressions of piety the Jews performed in Jesus’ time. The leaders took these matters quite seriously and were meticulous to practice them publicly so as to impress others with their piety (cf. Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). Thus these practices became badges of pride and hypocrisy rather than marks of humble and genuine religion before God.
Jesus’ point in mentioning the bridegroom and his attendants is to show how out of place it is for His followers (attendants) to mourn and fast while He (the Bridegroom) is with them in person. Pharisaical manners and rituals are always wrong for Christians, but even good practices (such as sincere fasting), if not done properly, can hinder what the Lord wants to accomplish in our midst.
Ask Yourself
Should our answer to this kind of hypocrisy be the removal of all forms, disciplines, and ritual practices from our worship? Or is there value in these kinds of expressions? What would go missing from our worship if it was all spur-of-the-moment, with no cherished repetitions?
#LifeOfChrist
“Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?’” (Matthew 9:14–15).
Religious ritual and routine, if not handled appropriately, will always threaten true godliness. Some practices, such as praying to saints or lighting candles for the dead, are heretical. But even biblical practices, when their forms become the center of attention, can become barriers to true righteousness. Church attendance, Bible reading, saying grace before meals, and singing hymns can become lifeless habits that exclude true worship and praise. When we apply good things such as these the wrong way, they can keep us from faithful obedience . . . and keep unbelievers from trusting in God.
Alms, prescribed prayer, and fasting were the three major expressions of piety the Jews performed in Jesus’ time. The leaders took these matters quite seriously and were meticulous to practice them publicly so as to impress others with their piety (cf. Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). Thus these practices became badges of pride and hypocrisy rather than marks of humble and genuine religion before God.
Jesus’ point in mentioning the bridegroom and his attendants is to show how out of place it is for His followers (attendants) to mourn and fast while He (the Bridegroom) is with them in person. Pharisaical manners and rituals are always wrong for Christians, but even good practices (such as sincere fasting), if not done properly, can hinder what the Lord wants to accomplish in our midst.
Ask Yourself
Should our answer to this kind of hypocrisy be the removal of all forms, disciplines, and ritual practices from our worship? Or is there value in these kinds of expressions? What would go missing from our worship if it was all spur-of-the-moment, with no cherished repetitions?
I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world, than to stand with the world and be judged by God...
In the last days, scoffers will come, following their own sinful desires and saying, where is the promise of His coming?
2 Peter 3:3
A divine validation, of the end times world scene.
2 Peter 3:3
A divine validation, of the end times world scene.
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This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice, and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Psalm 118:24
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WEEK 2 — Identity & Calling
Dear Daughter,
The temple veil tore not so you could hide better, but so you could be seen fully — and still be loved.
Worship today as the woman God actually made, not the polished version you present on Sunday.
Let your husband and your God both see the real you.
'We have confidence to enter the holy place' (Heb 10:19).
What version of yourself have you been hiding, even in worship?
#DearDaughter #SundayWorship #StrongMarriage
Dear Daughter,
The temple veil tore not so you could hide better, but so you could be seen fully — and still be loved.
Worship today as the woman God actually made, not the polished version you present on Sunday.
Let your husband and your God both see the real you.
'We have confidence to enter the holy place' (Heb 10:19).
What version of yourself have you been hiding, even in worship?
#DearDaughter #SundayWorship #StrongMarriage
❤5
If a man has eternal life, it is eternal, and therefore it cannot end, or be lost.
Spurgeon
Spurgeon
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Sunday declaration: Let love be the loudest thing in your home! 🙌❤️ Let it drown out every complaint! Col 3:14 💞
How will love lead today? #StrongMarriage #August
How will love lead today? #StrongMarriage #August
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Good morning!
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105
You do not need to see the whole road ahead. Trust God's Word for the next step, obey what He has shown you, and keep walking faithfully.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105
You do not need to see the whole road ahead. Trust God's Word for the next step, obey what He has shown you, and keep walking faithfully.
🙏4❤1
The return of Christ is not a distant theological idea or concept, it is a coming universal event.
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Straight ahead, the great tribulation, next exit, the pretribulation Rapture of the church.
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Christian, do not think that your secret sins are hidden from God. God sees every thought of your heart and every action done in the dark.
Repent and ask him for a clean heart today.
Repent and ask him for a clean heart today.
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Five reasons to study the Word:
1. It helps you know God more.
2. It is pure truth.
3. It convicts you of sin.
4. It keeps you from false, destructive teachings.
5. It fixes your mind on Jesus.
Here we go:
@StudyBibleFam
1. It helps you know God more.
2. It is pure truth.
3. It convicts you of sin.
4. It keeps you from false, destructive teachings.
5. It fixes your mind on Jesus.
Here we go:
@StudyBibleFam
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August 17: Anxiety and the Wilderness
#Devotional
Isaiah 35:1–37:13; Luke 12:22–59; Job 8:11–22
Anxiety has a way of ruling over us. Although many of our concerns are legitimate—like having money to pay the rent and buy food—some of them are nonsensical. We envision future catastrophes and spend our days worrying about what might never happen, creating an emotional wilderness for ourselves.
Anxiety isn’t new. The prophet Isaiah addresses the problem: “Wilderness and dry land shall be glad, and desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus.… Say to those who are hasty of heart, ‘Be strong; you must not fear! Look! your God will come with vengeance, with divine retribution. He is the one who will come and save you’ ” (Isa 35:1, 4).
Isaiah realizes that there is a time and season for everything. He proclaims that God will bring the people out of the wilderness (their exile in Babylon) and back into their land. There is an answer to the anxiety, pain and worry that they feel about the future. His words ring with prophetic certainty because he knows them to be true—they are Yahweh’s words.
Jesus also addresses anxiety when He says to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, or for your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; to them there is neither storeroom nor barn, and God feeds them. How much more are you worth than the birds?” (Luke 12:22–24).
Why must we worry? Why must we strive over things we cannot change? Ultimately, everything in life is a matter of depending on God.
What anxieties can you hand over to God today?
#Devotional
Isaiah 35:1–37:13; Luke 12:22–59; Job 8:11–22
Anxiety has a way of ruling over us. Although many of our concerns are legitimate—like having money to pay the rent and buy food—some of them are nonsensical. We envision future catastrophes and spend our days worrying about what might never happen, creating an emotional wilderness for ourselves.
Anxiety isn’t new. The prophet Isaiah addresses the problem: “Wilderness and dry land shall be glad, and desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus.… Say to those who are hasty of heart, ‘Be strong; you must not fear! Look! your God will come with vengeance, with divine retribution. He is the one who will come and save you’ ” (Isa 35:1, 4).
Isaiah realizes that there is a time and season for everything. He proclaims that God will bring the people out of the wilderness (their exile in Babylon) and back into their land. There is an answer to the anxiety, pain and worry that they feel about the future. His words ring with prophetic certainty because he knows them to be true—they are Yahweh’s words.
Jesus also addresses anxiety when He says to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, or for your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; to them there is neither storeroom nor barn, and God feeds them. How much more are you worth than the birds?” (Luke 12:22–24).
Why must we worry? Why must we strive over things we cannot change? Ultimately, everything in life is a matter of depending on God.
What anxieties can you hand over to God today?
❤1
August 17 - The Right Perspective on Fasting
#LifeOfChrist
“‘But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast’” (Matthew 9:15).
Fasting is meaningless if done merely from habit and if it doesn’t derive from a deep concern over some spiritual need. And as we saw yesterday, even the best and most foundational spiritual practices, if not done with sincere motives and right purposes, are only hypocritical and pretentious.
Jesus was obviously referring to His crucifixion when He said He would be taken away from the disciples. From that time on, it would be fitting to fast and mourn. Fasting naturally comes from a broken and mourning heart, but if it is performed as a shallow, mechanical ritual only, it is displeasing to God.
Jesus’ emphasis on internal matters such as forgiveness shows us that fasting must be held in the proper context of what’s truly important. It also demonstrates that He brought us radically different teachings and practices from those of traditional Judaism or any other religious traditions—Catholicism, liberal Protestantism, any sects and cults—that can stress externalism, ritualism, or any man-centered habits. When we fast, Jesus wants us to do so in light of His new covenant—not the old with its forms and shadows—and in a way that increases our compassion for others, causes us to be more humble and sacrificial, and gives Him all the praise and glory.
Ask Yourself
Are there ways to fast besides abstaining from food? In what other ways could you experience the spiritual benefits of fasting—the clarity of communication with God, the taming of selfish desires, the renewal of priorities?
#LifeOfChrist
“‘But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast’” (Matthew 9:15).
Fasting is meaningless if done merely from habit and if it doesn’t derive from a deep concern over some spiritual need. And as we saw yesterday, even the best and most foundational spiritual practices, if not done with sincere motives and right purposes, are only hypocritical and pretentious.
Jesus was obviously referring to His crucifixion when He said He would be taken away from the disciples. From that time on, it would be fitting to fast and mourn. Fasting naturally comes from a broken and mourning heart, but if it is performed as a shallow, mechanical ritual only, it is displeasing to God.
Jesus’ emphasis on internal matters such as forgiveness shows us that fasting must be held in the proper context of what’s truly important. It also demonstrates that He brought us radically different teachings and practices from those of traditional Judaism or any other religious traditions—Catholicism, liberal Protestantism, any sects and cults—that can stress externalism, ritualism, or any man-centered habits. When we fast, Jesus wants us to do so in light of His new covenant—not the old with its forms and shadows—and in a way that increases our compassion for others, causes us to be more humble and sacrificial, and gives Him all the praise and glory.
Ask Yourself
Are there ways to fast besides abstaining from food? In what other ways could you experience the spiritual benefits of fasting—the clarity of communication with God, the taming of selfish desires, the renewal of priorities?
❤2
DAY 17: Who was Paul the apostle, and why does he seem to have two names?
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-08-17
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-08-17
Telegraph
DAILY BIBLE
Reading for Today: Job 26:1–14 Psalm 96:11-13 Proverbs 23:10-12 Romans 15:25-33 Notes: Job 26:7 hangs the earth on nothing. A statement that is accurate, given in ancient time, before scientific verification. This indicates the divine authorship of Scripture.…
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Discipline yourself to prayer. Discipline yourself to the systematic reading of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation over and over and over again. Discipline yourself in your speech. Discipline yourself in the company you keep. Discipline yourself in when you go to bed and when you rise up. This is a war. Discipline yourself!
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