Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/25531165
My, how God loves to surprise us in His Word! Who would have thought that He would pay attention to a young Jewish girl who was kidnapped and made a slave of a powerful foreign military man? Surely it was specifically because many of us are very tiny participants in the great work of God, but He wants to encourage us to be faithful, no matter what little corner we are in. This girl is an anonymous heroine of the faith, and has been an inspiration for millions who have served the Lord faithfully and happily in whatever place He put them. (WT44)
Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/25531165
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Sometimes God takes dramatic steps to get our attention, and that is what He did in Jacob’s life. After almost a century of cheating his way through life, God interrupts his conniving plans and brings him face to face with the only solution that can ultimately break him of his bad habits. It all happen one night by a river named Jabbok. (WT41)
Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/25231741 We have so few events from the life of Daniel — I’m sure a full biography would be fascinating. But we’ll have to wait until heaven for that. Meanwhile, our responsibility is to learn, to learn from a man who could not have been perfect, but was nonetheless a giant of the faith. So let’s do it! (WT40)
Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/25136340 Though we are on our 25th day of lockdown, we are permitted to do essential grocery shopping. So this afternoon I ventured out to the Carrefour store, with the determination to get one of my flimsy masks on my face without breaking the band. We have been instructed that the masks help us to not spread the virus if we have it, nor take in the virus if others are expelling it. Anyway, I was successful, on the second try, and as I approached the line of socially distant customers waiting to enter the store, I immediately felt part of the “wise ones” in the crowd. Not everybody was wearing a mask, but many were. Mine was definitely on the bottom end of the quality spectrum, but I didn’t mind, since the previous week I had only taken one, and it had snapped immediately. I did make a discovery early on though, when while waiting in line I decided to do some texting on my phone. The face recognition feature did not like my mask and refused to open the phone, so I had to manually put in the code. Unfortunately, at the end of my shopping adventure, when I went to pay on the wireless console, I automatically moved my mask out of the way to pay with the phone, and the band snapped. Goodbye mask. But at least I was able to pay the bill.
As believers in Christ, we have also been given a very special kind of two way mask. It is the divinely created, spiritual and invisible, very effective filter of the Word of God. It also protects in both directions, if we use it. It helps us regulate our speech, so that every word that leaves our mouth is filled with grace and truth, which is very important in these times of special tension. But it also protects us from the incoming danger of the human opinions that float around us by the hundreds. These verbal viruses come in many forms and compositions, and can be very hard to detect on our own. Who is to know which come out of ignorance, which are biased, which are downright deceitful, and which are generally good? If we learn to apply the Scripture filter properly, asking God for wisdom and discretion, He will give it to us. We can also trust Him to protect us in situations in which we find ourselves completely befuddled. How important to not minimize the value of attending to God’s Word, either because we think it has no relevance for today’s issues or ignoring it in spiritual laziness. Perhaps more than ever, these are days in which refusing to wear the Lord’s mask will render us vulnerable, exposing us to spiritual diseases that will surely weaken both our faith and our testimony. Psalm 119:16 The Book of Ruth, with its story of Naomi, may be small, but it contains a huge and multifaceted package of truth. The doctrines of redemption, repentance, and the sovereignty of God, mix with examples of fulfilled prophecy and pure mercy, in such a marvelous way, they can only be attributed to the divine and eternal mind of its Author: The Holy Spirit. (WT39)
Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/24987873 Neither Job nor any of his friends had the slightest idea about the conversation that had taken place between God and Satan. I think they would have spoken very differently if they had. So, considering Job did not have that privileged information, his reactions and attitudes were still quite remarkable. We, as readers who do know what was going on, can learn much from it and are more responsible to respond correctly when suffering comes our way or to those we love. (WT38)
Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/24929169 Normally, when your city is about to be conquered by a foreign army you don’t buy real estate in it. But that’s exactly what God told Jeremiah to do, as He set the stage for more prophecy, including one of the most famous and beloved Bible promises. (WT37
Spreakers audio: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/24887279 There are hundreds, probably thousands of Coronavirus theories shooting through the airwaves these days; theories about where it started, how it started, why it started, and who… Some of them are flat out fantastical, while others seem to have good logic and evidence behind them. The problem is, they often contradict others who also present pretty solid arguments and proof.
But perhaps what should most worry us is this: WE ARE ALL THINKING ABOUT THE VIRUS MUCH OF THE TIME. Millions are spending way more time than usual on the web, watching, listening to, or reading about the pandemic, with a mindset that is between mildly concerned and completely panicked. Obviously, it is a result of the barrage of information that we are allowing others to hurl at us. We are not only wasting a ton of time, we’re doing it foolishly. It is harming us. By zeroing in on a lot of negative news, some of it hype and based on ignorance, we are playing right into the hands of our enemy. Satan delights in creating and then spreading confusion. And there is quite a bit of that out there right now. Somehow this does not fit what we are supposed to do, not as Christians anyway. We are commanded to be in control of our minds, and God tells us exactly how to think and what to think about. This does not mean we are to be purposefully dumb and mute, to ignore what’s going on. No, but we are to be in charge of our brains, making them work in profitable directions, guiding our thoughts towards useful and helpful goals. Those around us need to see that we who name the Name of Jesus are calm, sensible, serene, and composed. We have a different mindset, and it allows us to be quick to help, in whatever ways are most beneficial. And that doesn’t necessarily mean immediately forwarding everything we receive on social media, like robots, because the piece of information pushed one of our emotional buttons. We need first to make sure to THINK. And yes, there are plenty who do, so I’m also grateful for the thoughtful and kind communication of those who love the Lord with all their hearts, and souls, and MINDS, and are keeping their wits about them. May the Lord help us to be light in a very dark world. Philippians 4: |
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