August 24th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens
I frequently talk with other believers who seem to be struggling with a deep fear of the future. Their confidence in the government has been rocked, the security of their 401K has been shaken, they watch the news fretfully for updates about the latest Supreme Court decision or word from Iran.
Are these things serious? Of course- but they need not shake our confidence. If we truly believe that our God is sovereign, that absolutely nothing has escaped His notice or is out of His control, then there is a deep sense of calm in our hearts even as we write letters to our senators, seek financial counsel, cast our ballots, and urge those around us to know and obey the Truth.
Join us over at Scripture Dig as we find confidence in praying Scripture and remembering the sovereignty of our God!
August 23rd, 2010 by Kristi Stephens
When the basement drain backs up water all over my floor as I try to do laundry… I choose joy.
- I will thank God for our home, for a working washing machine, for clean running water available all throughout my house, for money to pay the plumber who removes tree roots from the line.
When the water heater decides to have issues… I choose joy.
- I will thank God for clean running water, albeit cold. I will thank God for people who love us and who will share their knowledge of water heaters!
When my son kicks over my full coffee cup and I watch my morning coffee soak into the carpet… I choose joy.
- I will thank God for chubby little legs that are strong enough to create too much noise and too many messes.
When the schedule begins to feel too full, when deadlines are forgotten, when I begin to feel weighed down under the weight of the work God has entrusted to me… I choose joy.
- I will thank God that He has given me the ability to serve Him, for the freedom to choose what is best over what is good, for grace to boast in my weaknesses.
How will you choose joy, choose thankfulness, today?
August 20th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens
“Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse once noted that there are four things out of place in the universe:
- The church, which should be in heaven
- Israel, which should be living in peace occupying all the land promised to her
- Satan, who belongs in the lake of fire
- and Christ, who should be seated on His throne reigning.
All four of these anomalies will be set right when Christ takes the scroll from His Father’s hand.”
-MacArthur, pg. 170
Do you long for that day? I surely do.
In the meantime… we are still in a desperately broken world. If you’re wrestling with the injustice and cruelty of this world, I’d encourage you to take a look back at this post from our “Understanding Pain and Loss” series – When Life Isn’t Fair.
Next week we will begin to look at the specific judgments against sinful mankind described in the book of Revelation. God is just. He is holy. And one day, all will be made right.
To catch up on any of the Revelation posts you may have missed, you can find them all listed here. For more daily encouragement, come join us on the blog page on facebook! You can also subscribe by email to receive daily posts sent right to your inbox.
August 19th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens
The local church is near to the heart of God. Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, we find God working in and through small assemblies of believers. We find Paul laboring to start and establish them, writing to them, praying over them. The book of Revelation begins with chapters of short letters to specific local churches full of praise and reproof from the One who sees their inner workings.
Life in the local church should be near to our hearts, as well. (We’ll be spending the month of October addressing this topic here at Scripture Dig, by the way!) But life in the local church is rarely easy- while God may look at us with eyes of grace and see us as saints, we still can act very un-saintly. Life in the church can be fraught with wounds, strange inter-personal politics, misunderstandings, frustration, lack of direction, overburdened workers, and sin in all its lovely forms.
So, what’s a believer to do?
To read the rest of this post, join us over at Scripture Dig!
