Let’s take the time to review some of the most basic concepts relating to the Bible, God, salvation, and the church. We’ll handle specific issues in these areas better if we’ve first grounded ourselves in sound general principles on these topics.
Nothing the devil offers us comes close to being as wonderful and joyous as the ability to pillow our head at night with a good conscience. So let’s be brave in the realm of spiritual things. At all costs, let’s do what we know is right.
As we study the Scriptures, let’s be thankful for the help of God that comes to us through His word. God has revealed His wonderful mind to us so that we might grow in strength and freedom. In God’s truth there is help for living in a hard world.
When we see what God sees about us, we will see some things that need to be changed, of course. Making these changes may require some pain and difficulty. But even with the imperfections, what God sees about us is that we are people worth saving.
Let’s decide to have the perspective that Paul had. Whatever regrets we may have, let’s choose to look at those things in such a way that we will be more greatly motivated to serve God faithful and gratefully the rest of our lives.
We need to have a deep, abiding respect for God’s truth. No matter how powerful it is, the truth will not do us any good if we do not receive it properly. It will be good if we make the coming week a week of growth in the quality of our hearing.
It is not enough to “seek” Jesus. Our motives must be right, and we must seek the higher things that Jesus is able to provide. Jesus will provide “loaves and fishes,” but He desires to help us with problems much greater than physical hunger.
Our Heavenly Father knew we would need a regular means of remembering the sacrifice that made our forgiveness possible, and He has graciously provided this means in the bread and fruit of the vine that we partake of each Lord’s Day.
It is a glorious freedom that we experience, and it is right for us to enjoy it — but each Lord’s Day when we remember our Savior’s death, let’s be humbled by the reminder that our freedom was purchased at a high price, paid by our Father.
Our confidence in our salvation rests upon our certainty that apostles’ testimony is true. So it is important for us to be sure that what Christ originally taught is true and that the apostles’ written records are reliable and trustworthy.
