A Word from Dr. Jay Adams
I am reading a Jay Adams book, “What to do on Thursday” and enjoying it thoroughly! I love His books because Dr. Adams writes with wisdom, clarity, and practical application. His books are concise and to the point, with a Biblical accuracy that comes from truly knowing God. He is an amazing man of God, who has given his life to love God and others as a Pastor, Counselor, Theologian, Writer, and fellow Christian brother. May we continue to read and learn from such men who truly are led by the Spirit!
Here is a breakdown of a section in “What to do on Thursday,” pages 6-7, looking at a known passage of God’s Word.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
--2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV
1. Teaching
“The Scriptures teach us all that we need to know about God, man, and the creation to be able to live a life that is pleasing to God. They set the standard for faith (what we must believe) and for practice (what we must do).”
2. Reproof or Conviction
“The Spirit uses the Scriptures to convict us of our sin as, in various ways, we fail to measure up to the standards set forth in them. All change from sinful practices to those that please God must begin with conviction of sin.”
3. Correction
“The Scriptures show us how to repent and find forgiveness of sins and how to begin life afresh. They help us get out of the messes we often get ourselves into.”
4. Disciplined training in righteousness
“The Scriptures also show us how to stay out of those messes in the future, and they point us to biblical alternatives to our sinful ways. They discipline us in order to make these new ways a habitual part of our everyday living.”
Do You Worry?
“Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other.” --John MacArthur
Jerry Bridges calls worry, the Christian’s “respectable sin.” That is saying it nicely considering most Christians don’t even recognize worry as a sin. We worry because we are under a delusion that we are in control of our lives, and that we can solve our own issues. The antithesis of trust in God is disbelief, which is what we are doing when we let worry control us. The appalling part of worry is that we become independent and self-sufficient, and in a sense become our own god.
Peeling away the layers of worry reveals the ugliness of a tolerated sin that needs to be repented of, like any other sin! Worry is a big deal that is often overlooked. God’s Word tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)
Examine Yourself
Do you trust God in the midst of the life’s struggles or do you take matters into our own hands? Are you full of worry or strong in faith? What is your first reaction to tragedy, prayer or panic? Who are you really depending on?
Is it possible to love Jesus, but hate religion?
If you're on Facebook, chances are you've seen Jefferson Bethke's video entitled, "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus." This video has inspired both Christians and non-Christians, but his statements have also caused quite a bit of controversy. We sat down to formulate our thoughts regarding this video and stumbled across a great review by Kevin DeYoung on the Gospel Coalition Blog. In his review, DeYoung lovingly confronts the message communicated by Bethke and shares some hard hitting criticism. The day after his review, DeYoung posted a follow-up in which he shares Bethke's response to his criticism. While we agree with DeYoung's stance on Bethke's video, it is the loving interaction between the two that we want to highlight. This is an excellent example of what the dialogue between Christians who disagree should look like.
To see the video and read the articles, please click the following links:
The video
DeYoung's Response
The Follow-up
Read more
To see the video and read the articles, please click the following links:
The video
DeYoung's Response
The Follow-up
Obedience is the Key to Change Your Money Behavior
by: Fred Mundie, Financial Counselor
Jesus Christ tells us to obey everything He has commanded. Matthew 28:20. When Abraham obeyed God, He told Abraham ". . . through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed . . . ." Genesis 23:18. God promised many blessings to His people after he led them out of Egypt if they obeyed him, but He warned against their disobedience. Leviticus 26. God is so adamant about obedience that He commanded parents to have their disobedient son’s stoned to death. Deuteronomy 21:18. With all of these and many more passages, why do we keep ignoring His Word? If we are obedient to God, He trusts us, and like any good parent, He will give us more rope and allow us to go a little further. Jesus was very clear in Luke 16, v. 10, when He said "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much."
Obedience is a behavior–it is something we have to set our mind to do and carry it out. Larry Burkett said financial planning is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge. I agree with Larry, and I also know from experience that with most people, their behavior is what gets them in trouble every time. It is not the big, bad bank, or even the fact that they lost their job. They THINK the world is against them, but that is not the case. Their behavior put them in a dire financial position, and a change in their behavior is the only thing that will bring them out.
If we would behave like Jesus, we would be obedient to God ALWAYS. If we would be obedient to God ALWAYS, we would listen to His sound financial advice contained in the Bible. So why don't we listen to Him and do what He tells us to do with the money we are entrusted with? Because we are conditioned from a very early age to misbehave financially. Did you know there are over 2,000 references to money in the Bible? I believe there are so many references to money because God knew we just would not "get it" when it comes to good stewardship. Why else would He talk about one subject so much?
How we can learn to behave in this area will be covered in future installments. For now, read the above passages, and find others on your own that relate to obedience to God, and begin to condition your mind to be obedient to the one and only true living God and his son, Jesus Christ. You have to walk before you can run; you have to float before you can swim; and you have to be obedient to God before you will find happiness and contentment in your financial situation.
Read more
Jesus Christ tells us to obey everything He has commanded. Matthew 28:20. When Abraham obeyed God, He told Abraham ". . . through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed . . . ." Genesis 23:18. God promised many blessings to His people after he led them out of Egypt if they obeyed him, but He warned against their disobedience. Leviticus 26. God is so adamant about obedience that He commanded parents to have their disobedient son’s stoned to death. Deuteronomy 21:18. With all of these and many more passages, why do we keep ignoring His Word? If we are obedient to God, He trusts us, and like any good parent, He will give us more rope and allow us to go a little further. Jesus was very clear in Luke 16, v. 10, when He said "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much."
Obedience is a behavior–it is something we have to set our mind to do and carry it out. Larry Burkett said financial planning is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge. I agree with Larry, and I also know from experience that with most people, their behavior is what gets them in trouble every time. It is not the big, bad bank, or even the fact that they lost their job. They THINK the world is against them, but that is not the case. Their behavior put them in a dire financial position, and a change in their behavior is the only thing that will bring them out.
If we would behave like Jesus, we would be obedient to God ALWAYS. If we would be obedient to God ALWAYS, we would listen to His sound financial advice contained in the Bible. So why don't we listen to Him and do what He tells us to do with the money we are entrusted with? Because we are conditioned from a very early age to misbehave financially. Did you know there are over 2,000 references to money in the Bible? I believe there are so many references to money because God knew we just would not "get it" when it comes to good stewardship. Why else would He talk about one subject so much?
How we can learn to behave in this area will be covered in future installments. For now, read the above passages, and find others on your own that relate to obedience to God, and begin to condition your mind to be obedient to the one and only true living God and his son, Jesus Christ. You have to walk before you can run; you have to float before you can swim; and you have to be obedient to God before you will find happiness and contentment in your financial situation.
Reflecting the Power of the Gospel
As Christians, we are given the opportunity to reflect the Gospel in our homes, in the workplace, in the Church and throughout the world. This is both a tremendous privilege and an incredibly daunting task. In a world full of distractions, it is easy to allow ourselves to lose sight of this important responsibility. In this message from Colossians 4:2-6, TJ Freeman highlights the teachings of the Apostle Paul who reminds us to put our Faith into action as we reflect Christ in all we do.
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God's Working Through A Single Man--Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
The impact of one godly father, Jonathan Edwards. This famous early American pastor, writer, and one-time president of Princeton University had 11 children.
Of his known male descendants:
More than 300 became pastors, missionaries or theological professors
120 were professors at various universities;
110 became attorneys;
60 were prominent authors;
30 were judges;
14 became presidents of universities or colleges;
3 served in the U.S. Congress;
1 became vice president of the United States.
Author Unknown
The "Self" Cult
"It would be well for us all to remember that every person is pitiably poor — until they are rich in faith, and rich toward God." ~ J.C. Ryle
This quotes flies in the face of our culture as they try to boost the "self" at every opportunity. J.C. Ryle is saying that we are poor, destitute, and worthless without Christ. The "self" craze is not something new, considering Eve was tempted "to be like God," way back in the Garden. (Genesis 3) We are all prone to think MORE of ourselves and LESS of God and others. The Greatest Commandment is love God and others AS yourself. (Mark 12:30) This is the daily battle Jesus is talking about when He tells us to deny ourselves. The problem we deal with today is that most of the churches have become so psychologized that they buy into the "self" movement too. Self-esteem, self-love, self-forgiveness are regarded as truth in the pulpit!
Let us take off the cultural blinders and see life through the lens of Scripture. The Church must begin to define themselves by the Bible instead of the culture! Paul's attitude about himself was that he was "a wretched sinful man!" (Romans 7:24) Paul new the reality of himself as the holiness of God shined on his wicked heart. That is why Paul was so joyful of the sacrifice of Christ as the grace of God was poured out on him. Paul knew he was a Great sinner, yet he was full of joy because he knew that Christ was an even Greater Savior! Let us lose ourselves as we are in awe of God's glory!
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