God is love, which means He wants to protect us from harm. Once we make this connection, we will see the Sabbath as a blessing rather than a burden. It may take some time to readjust your priorities, but don’t get discouraged. In the end, the things that you give up to observe this day of rest may not seem so significant after all.
The world is full of distractions. Distractions that keep us from living a healthy life (spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially). Distractions that keep us running at full speed, nonstop, and still not getting where we need to go. If we aren’t careful, we’ll look back one day and realize how quickly our lives have passed us by.
We need to align our focus with the mission we have on this earth. We are in the middle of a spiritual battle, with the lives of non‐Believers on the line for eternity! Too many of us are coasting along, and as John Piper puts it, “treating Jesus like a helpful add‐on, but not as an all‐satisfying, all‐authoritative King…”
God must be mourning America’s departure from its Christian heritage. How are you doing at keeping “garbage” out, staying vigilant for “little” sinful habits, and living in the Spirit daily? Christ came to give us freedom from sin, so don’t live another day in captivity.
You don’t need to be a theologian or a highly religious person in order to be saved (see the example of the thief on the cross in Luke 23:39‐43). Even so it is worthwhile to dig deeper into the topic of salvation, both to guard ourselves from errors and to strengthen our hope of what is to come.
Of all the doctrines of the Christian faith and all the truths contained in Scripture, perhaps the most essential—and the most amazing—is the gift of salvation. Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, and suffered an execution designed for the worst of criminals. In doing so, He paid the penalty for the sins of all who would believe in Him. Then He rose from the dead, having earned what He already owned: authority over all things, including death.
When reading the New Testament, one thing that should jump off the page and challenge us all to start memorizing Scripture is the amount of Scripture that Jesus and the leaders of the early church knew and used in their ministries. If we are to be used by God with maximum effectiveness, we must know His Word.
From the beginning, humans were created to want things—good things, like knowledge, food, and fellowship. Those desires motivate us to learn, work, and love our neighbors, but we run into trouble when our desires get focused on the wrong objects. In today’s age, the advertising industry carries the same message twenty‐four‐seven on more than 200 channels.
God does not take disobedience lightly. Jesus taught that to love God is to obey His commands, but to disobey is the equivalent of not loving Him (John 14:15, 23‐24). Unfortunately, because of our sin nature, we try to justify doing what we shouldn’t—or not doing what we ought to. Sometimes we don’t even know God’s Word thoroughly enough to recognize the difference.