Category: A Moment with the Master

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A successful Christian life requires a proper mindset. First Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Our actions and behaviors are important, but to act faithfully, we must first win the battleground of our minds. Christianity is not merely an academic endeavor; neither is it a mindless existence. Peter says we must prepare our minds, but we prepare our minds to act. But preparation is only part of the battle—we must also be sober-minded. Sobriety of mind is more than just avoiding intoxicants (although that is included!). To be sober-minded is to keep our mind free of those things that distract, hinder, or cloud our judgment. 

If we wish to act in faith, let us prepare our minds with God’s Word and keep our minds clear of things that would pull us away from the Lord!

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Follow your heart. Be true to yourself. Pursue your own inner peace. These and similar ideas are given as common advice, and they sure sound nice. Unfortunately, such ideas are terrible advice. Following our hearts and spirits is a great way to traverse a path of destruction. Sadly, such a path is well traveled. 

Even after being conquered by Babylon, some among the Lord’s people followed their whims instead of turning to God. Some were even supposed prophets!

In Ezekiel 13:2-3 God said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!” Speaking from the heart and following their own spirit earned those prophets a rebuke from God then and will today as well. Don’t follow your heart—let God’s Word transform your heart to be like His!

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Has there ever been someone in your life who was, well, just a burden? Maybe they always need something, never listen to good advice, or must be bailed out because of their poor choices. Now, have you ever realized you were a burden to someone else?

In Jeremiah 23:33, God said, “When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’”

It’s a sad day when the Lord’s people are so stubborn and rebellious that they become a burden to God. And yet, it’s happened before and can happen still. When we want God’s help but refuse to listen to His Word, we can become a burden. Don’t come to the Lord with a deaf ear and hard heart, lest you be cast off as a burden to the Lord! 

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Bible teachers constantly harp on the importance of context. And for good reason! Context is vital to proper Bible understanding and interpretation. Without considering the broader context of a passage, Bible verses might sound like they say something very different than what they mean. 

A simple example can be found in 1 Samuel 23:21. There, we find the phrase, “May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.” What a wonderful verse! Perhaps you can picture that on a t-shirt or home décor painting. And what a lovely message—the Lord will bless those with compassion. But in context, the verse is quite sad. See, those are the words King Saul spoke to some people who were willing to turn David over to Saul’s evil and murderous plans. Compassion? Not hardly. A reason to be blessed? Nope. Context matters. Before latching on to a Biblical phrase, study it and interpret it within its context. 

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For many, the appearance of graying hair is a disappointment. It’s a sign of fading youth. But gray hairs shouldn’t be a reason for despair. On the contrary, they are reminders of God’s blessings. 

Isaiah 46:3-4 says, “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

If you see signs of aging when you look in the mirror, thank God for that. That is just one simple reminder that He has blessed you with many days. But remember, God doesn’t just want to give you a long life—He wants to give you eternal life. Turn to the Lord, obey His word, and rejoice in the life He offers. 

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Sometimes, our lives don’t go how we want, trials are more demanding than we’d prefer, and problems are not resolved as quickly as we wish. If we aren’t careful, this can cause us to doubt God instead of trusting in His timing. 

When Moses was sent to deliver Israel from Egypt, things appeared to get worse before they got better. Even Moses said to God at one point, “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”^[1] If only Moses and Israel could see what was coming! God was delivering His people in a fantastic way. And so it is with us. God’s promises are sure, and we will be saved if we trust the Lord and obey Him. Even if things seem bad now, don’t give up, and don’t doubt. Trust in the Lord and His way, and He will deliver His faithful people. 

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^[1] REF

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Do you know what you worship? While it may sound strange, it’s possible to offer vain worship towards that which we don’t even know. In John 4, Jesus met and spoke with a woman of Samaria. When she thought Jesus was a prophet, she asked the Lord about worship. See, the Samaritans worshipped at Mt. Gerazim, while Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. Jesus answered, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

I’m sure there were many well-intentioned Samaritans. But they rejected the Law of Moses and didn’t worship God as prescribed in the Law. Thus, Jesus said they didn’t even know what they worshipped, meaning they weren’t truly worshipping God. Do we make the same mistake? Perhaps we are well-intentioned and devout, but if we worship and live contrary to God’s Word, then we are not genuinely worshipping God and are guilty of worshipping that which we do not know.

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Is God angry with you? Some people say that God is not angry, but the Bible reveals He is capable of great anger. So, God can certainly be angry with us. But how do we make God angry? Judges 2 reveals one primary cause for God’s wrath. 

Judges 2:11 says that Israel committed evil and began serving the Baals. Verse 12 says, “And they abandoned the LORD.” Verse 13 reiterates this abandonment. How did God respond? Verses 12 and 14 say, “And they provoked the LORD to anger” and “the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.” After all God had done for Israel, they forsook Him, and that angered God. 

So, the question is, have you abandoned God? Are you serving God or yourself? After all God has done for you, have you rejected Him? If so, know that God is angry. But God is also long-suffering and wants you to return to Him so that you can know His mercy instead of His wrath. 

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What are you passionate about? In our modern culture, we often hear that we should follow our passions. Passion is the barometer of whether something is good or not. If you are passionate about something, then that thing is good for you. Relationships based on passion are deemed the best relationships. But is passion an accurate gauge of goodness? 

In 1 Peter 1:14, the Bible says, “…do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” Everyone has various passions and desires. But what shapes those passions? Where do they come from? Are they based on carnal wants, or are our desires shaped by God’s Word? Passion and desire are not enough to determine what is right and good. When our passions are not shaped or tempered by obedience to God’s Word, they are more likely to lead us into sin and judgment. Let God’s Word guide your life, not ignorant passions. 

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No one enjoys hard times, but a great way to endure trials is to know something better is waiting. We can make it through a rough week at work knowing that the project is nearly finished. Athletes push through the pain of training because they know the benefits they will receive come game time. Soldiers endure the trials of boot camp, understanding that such training might save their lives in battle. Understanding what waits enables us to endure. Nowhere is this truer than spiritually.

First John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” We don’t know everything about eternity, but we know this—it will be perfect because we will be with the Lord. We know the faithful will be glorified and live forever with Christ. That knowledge is perhaps the most empowering and strengthening knowledge we could ever possess.