Tried With Fire

“Rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15. What is the right way, then, to handle the Word of truth? It is like a sword and it was not meant to be played with . That is not rightly to handle the gospel. It must be used in earnest and pushed home. Are you converted, my friends? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Are you saved, or not? Swords are meant to cut and hack, wound and kill—and the Word of God is for pricking men in the heart and killing their sins. The Word of God is not committed to God’s ministers to amuse men with its glitter, nor to charm them with the jewels in its hilt, but to conquer their souls for Jesus! Remember, dear hearers, if the preacher does not push you to this—that you shall be converted, or he will know the reason why. If he does not drive you to this—that you shall either willfully reject, or cheerfully accept Christ—he has not yet known how rightly to handle the great “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Now, then, where are you perso...

I'm piggybacking off of Diane's post  at Out of the Ordinary: After 9/11, I was a basket case. The unthinkable happened on American soil, and I was terrified of what would happen next. To keep the panic at bay, no news was good news, so I wouldn't watch TV or listen to the radio. I even averted my eyes when I happened upon a newspaper at the grocery store. Though I had been a Christian for many years, my knowledge of the Scriptures and specifically God's character was weak. Therefore, it was no wonder I had nothing to support me when the towers fell. Fast forward 13 years. Diane mentioned in her post yesterday that the moral landscape of our country has been altered beyond recognition since 1973, and it is still undergoing upheavals even within the last three weeks with no respite. Just in the last 24 hours, the news regarding Planned Parenthood reveals an attack on all that is righteous and good, and it is horrifying. Physical buildings may not be falling t...

I'm posting at Out of the Ordinary today: "I had good intentions to watch my diet and exercise regularly this summer. But alas, my good intentions ended up being just that - intentions. I hadn't weighed myself in a while, so I climbed on the bathroom scale one morning and did not like what I saw. But it got even worse. The number kept creeping higher and higher, about half a pound a day. Was my metabolism changing this drastically? Had menopause finally caught up with me with a vengeance? Finally it dawned on me that the scale might be broken." Read more here ….

I'm posting today at Out of the Ordinary : Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know of anyone who had a crisis of faith when all was going well. But when suffering comes across our paths, then the "Why" questions start. Why did this happen? Where is God in all of this? The suffering could be personal or that of a loved one. It could be the inhumanity of humanity against itself at home or abroad. But when tragedy or injustice strikes, we can't help but ask these questions. Just read the book of Job. It's normal to try to make sense of what has happened. It's normal to try to reconcile this with our understanding of God. But just because it's normal doesn't make the resolution any easier. Read more here.

It's my turn at Out of the Ordinary: I've been thinking about my words, both written and spoken. My pastor recently completed a sermon series on Job. Although I had read the book several times before, I winced when I listened to the advice from Job's would-be comforters. They probably meant well. They probably wanted to help him see the light. But boy were they insensitive and clueless. They also have the distinction of having their counsel preserved on the pages of the Bible as a glaring example of words un-fitly spoken. Since those sermons, I've had a harder time writing because there's a new awareness of the weight of my words no matter how little my sphere of influence.Have I inadvertently torn down rather than built up? Caused confusion rather than conveyed truth? Have my words been more about me, myself, and I or about Christ? And have they been about the Christ revealed in the Word of God or a "Christ" defined by my experience? Read more he...

The Bible's answer is simple: fear for God is produced by the Word of God. Many modern trends boil down to self-expression. Self-expression, however wonderful it may feel, tells us nothing of God. God's Word produces the right attitude toward Him, because His Word reveals Him, His mind and His ways to us. His Word alone gives content to our faith. Without content, there would be no reason to fear. Without content, there would be no object to fear. Without content, there would be no form to give to our fear. This finds a strong echo in the words of Jesus, recorded in John 8:31-32 - Therefore, He was saying to the Jews, who believed Him, "If you remain in My word, truly you are My students; and you will know the truth, and the truth will free you." (DJP) Our Lord here provides both the promise and the definition of discipleship. His progression of thought is very definite: To be set free, we must know the truth. To know the truth, we must be students (di...

This afternoon my daughter unpacked the theology books, so here is our modest collection: I did point out to her that we still have room on the shelf. Perhaps for a few more? But as much as I love books, nothing can take the place of the Word of God as the foundation for our lives, as we were reminded in today's sermon. These are only a supplement. The Word is the main diet.

I have been fairly distrustful of feelings lately, but I am still human enough to want to feel God's love, to feel hope especially in this ongoing trial. Today was such a day. Sometimes the feelings are there, but they weren't today. What to do? Should I go looking for something to generate them? I could have surfed the Internet and found something heartwarming and sentimental to give me a warm fuzzy, like the infamous Footprints in the Sand . (Don't mean to offend anyone, but I really dislike that poem.) But is it enough for me to believe what the Word says about God and His character? Is that enough for me to bank on regardless of whether I feel it or not and whether I see it happening now or not? I keep coming back to something Pastor Ryan shared about Joseph. Joseph's faith in God was demonstrated by the fact that he asked the Israelites to take his bones back to the promised land. It wasn't a question of if. It was a question of when. Joseph did not see it i...