Gospel.com Blog

Have you ever felt like you’re incapable of certain kinds of sins?

I know I have, only to later find myself humbly confessing those very sins. If there’s one thing the Bible is clear about it’s that we’re all capable of great evil, and that despite our attempts to rank sins from bad to really really bad, God views our sin much in the same way. Our pride is direly misplaced.

Our Daily Bread reminds us today that our response to someone else’s sin should be alertness rather than smug pride that we haven’t done the same:

It has become so commonplace to hear of the misconduct of a respected public figure that even though we may be deeply disappointed, we are hardly surprised. But how should we respond to the news of a moral failure, whether by a prominent person or a friend? We might begin by looking at ourselves. A century ago, Oswald Chambers told his students at the Bible Training College in London, Always remain alert to the fact that where one man has gone back is exactly where anyone may go back . . . . Unguarded strength is double weakness.

Chambers words echo Pauls warning to be aware of our own vulnerability when we see the sins of others. After reviewing the disobedience of the Israelites in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:1-5), Paul urged his readers to learn from those sins so they wouldnt repeat them (vv.6-11). He focused not on past failings but on present pride when he wrote, Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (v.12).

The devotional above reminded me of the parable that Jesus told in Luke 18:9-14 about the Pharisee and the tax collector. In it, Jesus tells the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying at the temple. The Pharisee thanks God for everything he’s not, the tax collector merely asks for mercy for his sins. Jesus concludes by saying that the tax collector was justified before God, not the Pharisee.

Have you been comparing your “goodness” to others? What would it take for you to spend some time today humbling yourself before God?

Christians talk a lot about the nearness of God—we take comfort in the fact that “God is with us;” we talk about feeling God’s presence in our lives. But who exactly is this God who is “near” us? The understanding that God is present among us could be comforting or terrifying, depending on the nature of God and the purpose behind that closeness.

Today’s Slice of Infinity devotional talks about this mysterious “nearness,” and explains why God’s watchful presence is encouraging rather than frightening:

There are many who take comfort in the thought that God is among us, comforting our fears, quieting our cries of distress, standing near those who call, moving in lives and history that we might discover the God who is there. Knowing that Christ is with me in struggle and darkness is one of the only reasons I don’t completely surrender to my fears and stop moving forward….

But what good is it if there is a throne but it is empty, a kingdom without a king, a god who is close but like straw? Who is it who is near us? If god is an impersonal force, or a tyrant, or a distant, semi-interested being, the kingdom is no refuge.

The promise of God’s nearness is one that Christians rightfully utter as encouragement and cling to in joy, in fear, and in sorrow, knowing the face and character of the one who is near. When God promises his presence in Scripture it is more than just a promise of proximity and intimacy. There is a purpose for God’s nearness, the pledge of relationship, the promise of community. It is not an empty or superficial presence, having taken on the things humanity itself to draw intimately near.

How do you discern, on a daily basis, God’s presence in your life? How would your life be different if God did not promise to walk beside us in such an intimate way?

Where do you turn in times of trouble?

If you’re like me you’ll try everything but God when life gets difficult: friends, work, church duties. On their own, they’re not bad things, yet compared to what we need they’re mere distractions. The Today devotional reminds us this morning that God is our only true refuge. Until we run to Him we’ll never find rest:

The psalmist names God as our refuge from powers that tear at our peace. We are invited to know him as our rock and fortress, a sheltering presence when we feel overwhelmed by a world full of arrogance and intrigue. Its a mistake to think shelter happens just by getting cozy with other Christians—although Christian friends certainly are important. Only the Holy One provides security for the frightened soul. We soon discover that the world snared in our own hearts is what terrorizes us most. We need our Maker as our Refuge—and nothing less.

Read the rest of the devotional at thisistoday.com.

Have you been avoiding God in the midst of your troubles?

Do you make it a habit to thank God for the spiritual blessings He’s given you?

Most of us do a good job of thanking God for our material and relational blessings, but sometimes we forget to thank God for His greatest gift to us: forgiveness. A. W. Tozer draws our attention to the eternal life that God has given us:

We ought to spend more time remembering the blessings and the benefits God is continually giving us while we are alive-before we leave this vale of tears! He gives us forgivenes – so we are to live for Him as forgiven sinners. He gives us eternal life. This is not just a future reality – our life in Him is a present bestowment. He gives us sonship: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God!” In this relationship there are many other gifts we receive from God, and if we do not possess them it is because we are not God’s children in faith! We ask God to help us, to meet some need, to do something for you, and the Lord mercifully does it. I consider these the little and the trifling things, yet we make a great deal of them. But they are really the passing things compared to the great present benefactions of forgiveness, reinstatement in favor with God, sonship and eternal life!

Read the rest of the devotional at cmalliance.org.

Take some time today to thank God for your salvation, every other blessing we’ve been given pales in comparison.

Why do you call yourself a Christian? Is it out of duty to a past decision? Or because you’re still in love with God?

As time passes it can be easy to forget our first passionate declaration of faith. Consequently, we begin to see our relationship with God as one in which we need to appease Him. As our devotional from Our Daily Bread today reminds us, our faith should be informed primarily by an all encompassing love for God and His ways:

When Jesus was asked to name the greatest command in the Law, He replied, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment (Matt. 22:37-38). The questioner wanted to test Jesus, but the Lord answered him with the key element in pleasing God. First and foremost, our relationship with Him is a matter of the heart.

If we see God as a taskmaster and consider obedience to Him as a burden, then we have joined those of whom the Lord said, I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Rev. 2:4).

Would you say that your faith in God is based on love or something else? If it’s based on something else, what would it take for you to remember and pursue the original love commitment that lead you to Him?

Just a quick note on the relaxed posting schedule over the past few weeks. Most of our team was out on vacation, but we’re slowly getting caught up and getting back into the swing of things. We hope you had a wonderful Holiday season!

Merry Christmas! If you haven’t done so already, take time today to reflect on the birth of our Savior as recounted in Luke 2:1-20 (CEB), via BibleGateway.com:

In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belonged to Davids house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to Davids city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.

Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lords angel stood before them, the Lords glory shone around them, and they were terrified.

The angel said, Dont be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you–wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in Davids city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.

When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, Lets go right now to Bethlehem and see whats happened. Lets confirm what the Lord has revealed to us. They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.

Our friends at BibleGateway.com have just added a new Bible translation to their library of online Bibles: the Common English Bible (New Testament)!

The Common English Bible isnt simply a revision or update of an existing translation. Its an ambitious new translation designed to read smoothly and naturally without compromising the accuracy of the Bible text. As the CEB translators did their work, a team of reading specialists from more than a dozen Christian denominations reviewed the text to ensure that the CEB is accessible to all English readers, including children, Bible students, and people encountering the Bible for the first time. The CEB represents the work of a diverse team with broad scholarship, drawing from over 100 scholarsmen and women from twenty-two faith traditions in American, African, Asian, European and Latino communities.

The result is a strong, readable translation that will be a welcome addition to your Bible study. Its available now in the Bible version drop-down menu at BibleGateway.com. You can read more about the CEB, or start reading!

An intercessory prayer is a prayer prayed on behalf of someone else. Our devotional today from Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for his Highest, gives us a stern warning that we should not idly take on the responsibility of interceding on someone else’s behalf. When we pray an intercessory prayer we need to be careful. We are putting ourselves not in their place, but in God’s place:

You cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not believe in the reality of redemption. Instead, you will simply be turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which will serve only to increase the contentment they have for remaining out of touch with God. True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. Intercession means to fill up . . . [with] what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ (Colossians 1:24), and this is precisely why there are so few intercessors. People describe intercession by saying, It is putting yourself in someone elses place. That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in Gods place; it is having His mind and His perspective.

[…]

What we must avoid in intercession is praying for someone to be simply patched up. We must pray that person completely through into contact with the very life of God. Think of the number of people God has brought across our path, only to see us drop them! When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.

Read the rest of the devotional at utmost.org.

Have you ever prayed an intercessory prayer?

Humility is almost easy to practice when life is difficult. Our circumstances remind us of our need to rely on God. However, when life is going well we have a tendency to pridefully take credit for our success.

Our Daily Bread this morning relates the story of King Uzziah’s downfall. Uzziah allowed his pride to consume him and he ignored God’s role in his success. As a consequence he was struck with leprosy:

Dwight L. Moody said, When a man thinks he has got a good deal of strength, and is self-confident, you may look for his downfall. It may be years before it comes to light, but it is already commenced. This was true of King Uzziah.

[…]

Uzziahs life was one of great power and human success until he became blinded by it. His pride was evidenced in several ways: he challenged Gods holiness by trespassing the temple and presuming upon a position he would never be able to have (v.16); he viewed Gods power as good but not absolutely necessary for his leadership (vv.5,16); he refused godly correction and counsel (vv.18-19); he bypassed his opportunity to repent; and he ignored, instead of feared, the consequences of his sin (vv.18-19).

Read the rest of the devotional at odb.org.

Are there any areas of success in your life that you haven’t given credit to God for?

The Today devotional reflects this morning on the tension that Jesus experienced because he was both human and divine. In Luke 4:28-30, Jesus returns to Nazareth where he grew up only to find outright hatred rather than acceptance:

Imagine what you would think if someone you had grown up with came to your town and claimed he was there to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Of course you would dismiss him; the notion is outrageous. But thats what happened in Nazareth. Jesus, the son of a local carpenter, came and announced one Sabbath day that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 61.

He claimed to be the Messiah when he said, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. It seemed outrageouseven blasphemous, because he claimed to be God (which was true). No ordinary human being had the right to make that kind of claim. No wonder the elders of his town were so upset that they were ready to put him to death! (See Luke 4:28-30.)

As we spend time this Advent thinking about what Jesus’ birth, it’s important to remember that even before his last days on earth He wasn’t universally loved during His time on this earth. It’s a sobering fact that the savior of Humanity was almost stoned by the people he grew up with.

Does the fact that Jesus experienced heartache and hatred change your perception of Him? How does hearing the story of Jesus’ nearly being stoned make you feel?