Tuesday, April 24, 2012

LAST GENERATION "Good News" EVENING FEATURED DEVOTIONAL#23 Tuesday April 24 2012 Iyar 2, 5772

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DAY 1157: “IS GOD GENTLE LIKE A COW?”

1 Corinthians 10:7

Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."

THOUGHTS FOR TODAY:

Paul's comment in our passage today follows the events of Exodus 32: "When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, 'Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.' Aaron answered them, 'Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.' So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, 'Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.'"

Have you ever wondered why a cow was used to exemplify divinity? Perhaps it was because the cow is gentle, yet powerful. It also provides milk -- and therefore sustenance for its young. This is the problem with idolatry. If we allow anything to represent God, we will at best only be able to develop a partial picture of the nature and glory of the Lord. For example, when we look at God as only being gentle while providing for our needs (like the cow), we lose every other aspect of His character. The danger is we would have no reason to fear Him when our immorality is placed in His presence. The warning of Paul for us today is to not be idolaters. To not allow any author, philosophy, ministry, person, or thing to represent God to us in a way that might limit a critical component of His nature.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

Have you allowed your view of God to be represented by someone or something? What idols do you need to bring down in your life? Does your understanding of God contain limitations of His power, glory, or righteous judgment?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.

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LAST GENERATION "Good News" EVENING FEATURED DEVOTIONAL#22 Tuesday April 24 2012 Iyar 2, 5772

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February 25, 2012

Grace to the Saved
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Acts 13:14–52

Paul's message emphasized the gospel to the lost and grace to the saved. That is a wonderful paradigm for any minister or ministry to adopt. As I've studied the life of Paul, particularly in his later years, I find two prominent themes woven like threads through the tapestry of his ministry.

First, to the lost he presented the Gospel: "Let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses" (Acts 13:38–39).

Imagine the impact our churches would have on our communities if each Christian committed to sharing the Gospel once a week with someone who expresses a need.

Second, his message included large doses of grace for the saved. Just as the lost don't understand the Gospel, the saved rarely understand grace. There are few activities more exhausting and less rewarding than Christians attempting to please the people around them by maintaining impossible legalistic demands. What a tragic trap, and thousands are caught in it. When will we ever learn? Grace has set us free! That message streamed often through the sermons and personal testimonies of the apostle Paul.

The lost need to hear how they can go from the island of debris, filled with misery and guilt, to the land of peace and forgiveness, flowing with mercy and grace. We build those bridges when we lovingly and patiently communicate the Gospel. You don't have to have a seminary degree. You don't have to know a lot of the religious vocabulary. In your own authentic, honest, and unguarded manner, share with people what Christ has done for you. Who knows? It may not be long before you will know the joy of leading a lost sinner from the darkness of death's dungeon across the bridge to the liberating hope of new life in Christ. Once they've arrived, release them. Release them into the magnificent freedom that grace provides. Don't smother them with a bunch of rules and regulations that put them on probation and keep them in that holding tank until they "get their lives straightened out."; Making us holy is the Spirit's work. You be faithful to dispense the Gospel to the lost and grace to the saved. Then leave the results in the Lord's hands.