'December - Reaching Forward' Archives - Page 4 of 4

Jesus, the Exemplar (December 1)

We must emulate the reason for Jesus’ endurance as well as the fact of the endurance itself. And why did He endure? It was “for the joy that was set before Him.” The pure, priceless joy on the other side pulled Jesus through this world.

Our Relationship to God: Friendship or Enmity? (March 22)

If our present position is that we have said no to Christ, we're on the side of the enemy. But Christ invites us to change our minds and obey the gospel. He will makes us His friends and treat us as if we had never left the rule of God at all.

The Way of God More Perfectly (March 21)

The Way of God More Accurately (March 21)

Fervent and faithful, at least to the best of his understanding, Apollos needed to be shown "the way of God more accurately" (Acts 18:26). And to his credit, when Priscilla and Aquila showed him where his understanding had been lacking, he changed.

Deferring to God’s Revealed Will (March 20)

As Paul reminded Timothy, the Scriptures are able to make us "wise for salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15). Whatever may seem right to us, we would do well to listen humbly to what God has said and accept His plan not only obediently but gratefully.

Governed by God (March 19)

"There are two freedoms: the false, where man is free to do what he likes; the true, where a man is free to do what he ought." Freedom is not the absence of any limits; it is being governed by God -- within limits that help us do what is right.

A New Creation in Christ (March 18)

Paul described the Christian's new life in Colossians 3:1-17. We have new goals, thoughts, and habits. With Christ as our Lord, we live under a new authority. And having been forgiven of the sins that separated us from God, we have a new hope.

An Indestructible Kingdom (March 17)

The stability of the promised kingdom would be such that it "shall stand forever." The ups and downs of history would not faze it, and no enemy could conquer it. With the Son of God as its King, this kingdom would be impossible to overthrow.

God’s Promise to David (March 16)

God said to David, "Your throne shall be established forever." The kingdom of which God spoke would not be geographical but spiritual (John 18:36) -- and this is the very kingdom over which Jesus Christ, the Messiah, now reigns (Acts 2:29-36).

The Sorrow That Seeks Salvation (March 15)

The path to heaven passes through the territory of repentance, and that is a painful place to be. But the horror of our sins has to become real to us. If that does not happen, the Promised Land will not seem to us much better than the wilderness.

Where the Righteousness of God Is Revealed (March 14)

It is in the gospel that God has revealed His plan. The righteousness He is willing to provide is based on faith in His Son. We might have preferred some other way, but God's plan is what it is -- and it is in the gospel that He makes it known.

Faith: the Mainspring of Righteousness (March 13)

Real faith involves more than accepting the facts of the gospel intellectually. As it grows to maturity, faith turns into confidence and trust -- a trust that will risk everything in order to act on what God says about Himself and His will for us.

Abraham, the Father of the Faithful (March 12)

Whether in the operation of his intellect, emotions, or will, Abraham’s point of departure was always this: what has God said? And he continues to be the spiritual forefather of those who take sacrificial steps based on their trust in God's promises.

Born Again (March 11)

The gospel does not deal in superficial solutions. According to Jesus, the problem is not just our dysfunctional behavior -- it is us. It is in the deepest depths of our hearts that we need to change. We must die and become new people altogether.