Gospel Strength

By: Lauren Thomas 

Where do you need strength today? What if I told you that strength is available to you through the Gospel?

In Paul’s doxology at the end of Romans, he prays that his readers be given strength “according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ” (Romans 16:25). The gospel is able to strengthen us through Jesus. That’s because the gospel isn’t just a message of good news, it is power.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 ESV

 

The gospel is power for the believer. We often think of the gospel as the message that through Jesus we are saved. And while this is true, the gospel of grace isn’t just what saves us, it’s what trains us. It is by the gospel that we are forgiven, but also by the gospel that we are empowered to cease walking in sin. The gospel trains us for a life of righteousness (Titus 2:11-12).  It ignites the Christian life, and also sustains the Christian life. The gospel touches every moment of every day for the Christian, and losing sight of that causes us to lose sight of the power God offers to us. We are saved by the gospel, and we also stand in the gospel.

 

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ESV

 

Do you need strength to die to self? Do you need strength to avoid temptation? Do you need strength to turn away from sin? That strength is available to you through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is power that will never run out. It is power that is available to you.

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9a

 

Reflection:

Where do you most need gospel strength in your life right now? Has there been a time God has given you strength through the gospel of grace?

In prayer, ask Jesus to strengthen you today in the areas that you feel weak. Make it a point to reflect on the gospel of grace throughout your day.

Lessons from Eyeshadow

By: Jenifer Metzger

When it comes to eye make up, I am a very simple, neutral girl. I wear light browns and light pinks. Once in a while I'll get brave and do a red lip, but mostly, I am very basic. And I like it. One day years ago, I decided to change it up and do a smoky eye. My husband loved it and said, "You look sexy." I did my typical eye roll and said, "Sure, whatever." It's what I always do when he gives me any kind of compliment. My then my twelve year old daughter said this, "Mommy, Daddy was just telling you how pretty you are. You should say 'thank you.'"

Ouch.

Yes, I should reply with a 'thank you.'

How many times do we scoff at our husband when he hands us a compliment? Why do we do that?

I often tell my husband how good I think he looks. Whether he is dressed up for church, in his sweats and tee after a shower, or in his stinky work clothes. I always think he looks incredible and tell him so. He replies with 'thank you.' Yet, I always tell him how wrong he is when he compliments me.

Where we may see less than perfection, he sees his beautiful bride. Where we see more flaws than we can count, he sees his sexy lady. When our husband hands us a compliment, whether he says you are beautiful, stunning, lovely, gorgeous, sexy, attractive, pretty, or even nice, we need to realize that is his way of saying he loves us and is still attracted to us. Our response should always be appreciation.

When we continually ignore his compliments, two things can happen. One, he will get tired of his words being met with eye rolls and negativity that he may just stop sharing compliments altogether. Two, he might begin to question his own choices. He choose you. He loves what he sees. Yet when you discredit his words, he may begin to question his choices.

The next time your husband gives you a compliment, respond in a loving and appreciative way.

Discussion:

1. Do you struggle with accepting compliments from your husband? It can be hard since we are trained by this world to see our flaws. But the next time your husband offers a compliment, don't overthink it. Simply say, "Thank you."
2. Men like to hear compliments too. Be intentional with telling your husband how attractive you find him.

Names of God Series: Being Set Apart by Jehovah Mekoddishkem

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Hannah Fleming-Hlll

“Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists and prostitutes himself with them, I will turn against that person and cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sets you apart."

~Leviticus 20:6-8

Here in Leviticus 20:8, we come to another of God's names - Jehovah Mekoddishkem - which means "The Lord Who Sanctifies" or "The Lord Who Sets Apart".

In the context surrounding verse 8, we see the reasoning behind this name - if we are the people of God, we are supposed to act like it. Meaning, we are not to mix in practices, beliefs, or habits from other religions or belief systems into our faith walk, for we are to be wholly God's and are to fully and truly belong to Him, the One Who died to redeem us and set us apart for His own good purposes. 

I may step on some toes here at this point, but I find this to be important to say. I have been on a months-long journey this year of coming to a better understanding of various popular New Age tenets, beliefs, and practices that are all the rage these days, including things such as tarot cards, Eastern yoga, "healing" crystals, and the Enneagram. 

What I have come to learn is that not one of these things - yes, even including the Enneagram, as much as I have loved it in the past - belongs in the life of a believer, for they are a mixing together of the practices of "mediums" and "spiritists" into our daily walk as Christians. To use the strict wording of Leviticus, to bring these things together is for us to prostitute ourselves with those who do not honor or obey the Lord, but rather practice things which come straight from the enemy himself.

It is one thing if we engage in demonic practices unknowingly - it is possible to do what I have done in the past and engage in the study and implementation of the Enneagram, for example, with a good heart motivation stemming from complete ignorance as to its origins. But "those to whom much is given, much will be required", and the moment you become aware of the Ennegram's origin as stemming from "automatic writing" (a very demonic practice!), then you are held accountable with what you do with that information and whether you allow it to convict you to no longer engage or whether you do what I did for a time and brush it under the rug or attempt to excuse it away. 

The fact of the matter is, the Lord gave His all for us - His very life! - out of deep love and a desire to redeem and restore us to fellowship with Himself. If this is the case, then we can certainly lay down any sins, practices, wrong beliefs, or temptations to which we have been holding so strongly and surrender them into the hands of a God Who is far better than all of those things put together.

It may feel as if we are having to lay down things we want. It may even feel as if you are giving up your "Christian freedom" (particularly if you have been scarred by legalism in your past as I have been!). But we were never given "freedom" to engage in things which are actually harmful for us and our walk with the Lord. Our God loves us too much for that and only wants what is truly best for us.

So, lay down whatever it may be, friend, and come to your Jehovah Mekoddishkem with thanksgiving in your heart that He has set you apart.

Reflection Questions:

1) Is there anything the Lord has convicted you about today that you should remove from your life so that you can be wholly set apart for Him?

2) What are you going to do with that conviction?

3) What is your initial gut reaction to the idea of having to lay down something in your life? Will you process that with the Lord today?

The Path of Life

 By: Joanne Viola

The words have stayed opened on my desk for a few days.

“You will make known to me the path of life; 
In Your presence is fullness of joy; 
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” 
(Psalm 16:11, NASB) 

It may seem silly but I begin to dissect, taking notice of the verb tenses. The psalmist tells us God will make known the path of life (future tense). However, in His presence there is fullness of joy (present tense) and there are pleasures forever (both present and in the future).

God makes His path of life known to us through His Word, and so, let’s return to basics – The Ten Commandments:

1. No other gods. God desires our undivided heart, love, and loyalty. Will we continue to worship and follow Him faithfully?
2. Do not bow down or serve carved images. We are not to worship or serve other images of God. Idols diminish the truth of Who God is, and His place in our lives.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. It is not enough just to refrain from throwing His Name around in a casual way, we must keep it sacred and respected so the world recognizes it is a Name to be remembered and revered.
4. Remember the Sabbath Day. We need rest. In resting, we acknowledge and remember we have been created with limits by a God who knows no limits.
5. Honor your father and mother. This is a command we hear often when we are children and yet, it’s aim is towards adults. This is a command to remember in interacting with all elders. May we not view the elderly as expendable, or to be dismissed.
6. You shall not murder. This command challenges us to more than not taking a life. We need to protect life and esteem the life in others.
7. You shall not commit adultery. This command reminds marriage is to be permanent. It should also remind us of the purpose of marriage – it is a reflection of the relationship Christ has with the Church.
8. You shall not steal. Jesus introduces the enemy as the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). But Jesus comes to give us life and abundance. As His followers, we are called to be generous givers.
9. You shall not bear false witness. This command demands honesty in our interactions with others. May we choose our words carefully and wisely.
10. You shall not covet. Covetousness begins and hides in the heart. We want what we want because we think we are entitled, or deserving. Covetousness binds us to constantly thinking of ourselves instead of others.  Paul, in his words to the Philippians, reminds us to be content with what we have (Philippians 4:10-13).

We need to remember these words – these ten commands –
given to show us how to live rightly with God and with others.
They put us on the right path – the path of life.

 

Reflection: 
How. have you seen God’s Word set you on the path of life?

 

Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash

 

 

Opposite Action: Mental Health Strategy from Scripture

 By: Lauren Thomas 

Don’t you love it when psychology promotes something we already know is beneficial according to the Bible? God created us. His Word speaks to us. It’s only right that what is good for us is what God has already told us is good for us.

Let me share with you a mental health strategy I recently came across that I also see in Scripture. It is called “opposite action.” Because emotion-driven behavior is often problematic in our lives and relationships, opposite action is a strategy that yields new, favorable outcomes. Giving into emotion-driven impulses is often how we think we can escape unpleasant emotions. But instead, acting on these impulses usually intensifies the emotion we are trying to escape. Using opposite action means that you consciously choose to do the opposite of what you would normally want to do in a situation. For instance, if you feel depressed and want to lie in bed all day, using opposite action would mean choosing to get up and take a shower, even if you don’t feel like it. Or, instead of lashing out in anger and using your words to hurt someone, you hold your tongue, take some time to calm down, and do something nice for that person instead. The idea is that if you move a muscle, you change the message in your brain.

Does this sound like something we’ve read in the Bible already? Two passages immediately come to mind:

 

15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 ESV

 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:4-6 ESV

 

Giving thanks when we feel jealous, rejoicing when we feel sad, repaying evil with good when we want revenge, praying instead of giving in to anxiety-driven behaviors are all examples of opposite action. God gave us these instructions because he knows that when we move in the right direction, we can change the feelings and thoughts in our brains.

 

If you want to try opposite action, here is a step-by-step worksheet:

• Identify the emotion (What are you feeling?)
• Identify the emotion-driven behavior (What do you normally want to do?)
• Opposite action (What would be the opposite action of the emotion-driven behavior?)
• Time frame (Commit to a timeframe that you can sustain the opposite action.)
• New outcomes (What are the new outcomes based on your opposite action?)

 

Reflection:

Can you think of a time when acting on emotion-driven impulses created a problem in your life?

Is there a context in your life where using opposite action would be beneficial to you?

How can you give thanks or rejoice today, in spite of what you are feeling?