Browsing Tag:

Faithful

In Bible Study, Blog, Exodus on
September 5, 2022

Image of Idolatry

Every time I read through Exodus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy, I can’t help but think, “How can Israel be so forgetful?” God had performed miracle after miracle, wonder after wonder. He had answered their prayers, provided for their needs, and proven that He was nothing but faithful to His people. Yet, Israel still grumbled, and complained, and longed to return to their bondage—again, and again, and again.

But whenever I think these thoughts, I’m reminded that we are no different than Israel. God has performed miracle after miracle, wonder after wonder in our lives. He has answered our prayers, provided for our needs, and proven Himself faithful to us. Yet, we still grumble, and complain, and long to return to the bondage of our old, sinful ways. There is one Old Testament story in particular that highlights our similarities to Israel well, and it has to do with the creation of a golden calf.

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In Acts, Bible Study, Blog on
August 8, 2022

Full of Faith

Twenty-three years ago, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School armed with guns and explosives, killing thirteen people and injuring over twenty others. The Columbine massacre was a tragedy that affected the entire nation, and people today still grieve the lives that were lost that fateful April day. The first victim to be shot and killed was a seventeen-year-old Christian girl named Rachel Joy Scott. A fellow student who survived the attack claimed that Rachel was asked a question moments before her death— “Do you still believe in your God?”

In 2016, I went to the movie theater with some other girls in my youth group and watched I’m Not Ashamed, a movie based on Rachel’s life and death. When the movie ended, I came to the realization that we live in a world where one day someone could put a gun to my head and tell me to deny God or die. I resolved that day that if I ever were threatened harm or death because of my faith, I would never deny my Savior.

It’s hard for us to imagine that this could ever happen to us, but Rachel Joy Scott is neither the first nor the last Christian to die because of her belief in Jesus. As followers of Christ, it should be expected that we face hardship and persecution (John 16:33). The world hates us because it hated Jesus first, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from proclaiming the truth of the gospel (Matthew 10:32-33). There’s no better example of this than Stephen in the book of Acts.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Numbers on
March 14, 2022

Lifted Up

We are a forgetful people.

Unlike our omniscient God, we forget things all the time, and human beings have been like this since the very beginning. Adam and Eve forgot God’s command about the tree in the middle of the garden and ate its fruit. The kings of Israel and Judah forgot that they served the one true God of the universe and led their nations to worship foreign idols. The Jews forgot what the Scriptures had taught them about the coming Messiah and rejected Jesus when He claimed to be the prophesied one. The early churches forgot the teachings of the apostles and quickly fell back into their old sinful ways. Today, we forget even the smallest of tasks like watering our plants, switching the laundry, or checking for mail.

There’s always a consequence for forgetfulness. When we don’t water our plants, they wither and die. When we don’t switch the laundry, our wet clothes get musty and smelly. When we don’t check for mail, we can miss our bills or even have a package stolen (and also annoy our postal worker). Israel was known for being quite forgetful, and they endured some pretty harsh consequences for their forgetfulness—one of these consequences being the deadly bite of fiery serpents.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
January 31, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Powerless

I cannot imagine what it must be like to never be able to walk or run. I cannot fathom what it must feel like to never be able to stand up and stretch and move around. As a person who likes to be in control of her life, I can’t conceive how frustrated I would be and how powerless I would feel that I couldn’t do normal, everyday tasks, like buying groceries, or putting on clothes, or going to the bathroom.

It can be easy for able-bodied people to take these things for granted, to forget how many things we need our legs for. I thank God that He has blessed me with legs that can run, walk, bend, stretch, skip, jump, crouch, and squat. But the unimaginable, the unfathomable, the inconceivable, the frustrating powerlessness is a reality for many people, including the paralyzed man in Luke 5.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Revelation on
August 23, 2021

Lukewarm Laodicea

For a lot of people, Revelation is a scary and daunting to book to read. It talks of various seals, bowls, trumpets, angels, and plagues. It describes a dragon, a prostitute, and a leopard-ish, bear-ish, lion-ish beast with seven heads and ten horns. It speaks of much death and destruction, but also of the final victory of Jesus and the beauty of the New Earth. The book of Revelation is difficult to understand and difficult to interpret, so many try to avoid it at all costs.

But these people often forget that not all of Revelation is filled with frightening images and confusing apocalyptic language. They forget that the first three chapters of Revelation are actually letters from Jesus to seven first-century churches. While these short letters were written almost 2,000 years ago, they are still very applicable to the Church today. And one letter that is particularly relevant for the American Church is the letter to the church of Laodicea.

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