Sep/Oct '07 Bible Study
Grab a copy of the Sep/Oct '07 Issue #127 and follow along...
Flee the Scene
I want to point out the album title: When Doubt Becomes the New Addiction. The topic of doubt, in and of itself, is enough to conjure up hours of conversation. Personally, doubt and issues of disbelief have been a fairly serious struggle of mine in previous years, and only after God repeatedly and lovingly showed himself faithful to me despite my distrust did I start to gain a more concrete faith in Him.
Faith becomes worry and worry becomes anxiety and anxiety becomes…and it is easy to get wrapped up in that web. We tear ourselves up and apart with questions and concerns – not to say that these struggles are wrong or abnormal, quite the contrary – but faith is about belief beyond our doubt. Faith is accepting that we won’t know everything, that there will be areas where we’ll put our lives in God’s hand, and all we can do is pray (or, perhaps, mumble under out breath), “alright, Lord, I have no idea what you’re doing, but I guess I’m going to hope you’re right…”
My favorite little blurb from Jesus on this topic starts in Matthew 6:27:
“Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in the barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable than they are! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not!”
I like this because it makes me laugh. It’s like Jesus giving me a little rhetorical question, with a hint of sarcasm, that makes me want to whack myself in the head and lighten up.
For further conversation, also check out:
Matthew 21:21
Mark 11:23
Mark 13:11
Matthew 6:34
As Cities Burn
“They’re steady, steady brothers who won’t lift a finger for the gasping weaker. You just hoard your hollow completion, like it’s something wearing thin. Like it’s gonna get you in, when heaven comes.” – ACB “The Hoard”
On page 67, Cody, lead singer comments on the message behind this song, and talks about the trap of getting conditioned to believing that it’s okay to shun those who aren’t up to par with the “steady brothers”. He says, “I felt the way I was brought up was just a lot of people focusing on the wrong things – just like what someone was or wasn’t doing, rather than the condition of their heart while they were doing it.”
It’s a shame really – I think that we will never get past that trap of struggling with the concept of working our way into heaven, and then developing some sort of a “more-deserving” hierarchy out of it.
In John 9:41, Jesus says, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty. But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
Check out what first Samuel 16:7 says about the condition of the heart.
Also, check out Jesus’ take on people casting judgment for sins when, perhaps, they should first examine themselves: John 8:1-11.
Where does this apply to your life? Is there room for improvement? We could all focus more on the grace of God – what can you do to keep from falling into the kind of thinking Cody talks about?
Jonah 33
Jonah 33’s latest release is called The Heart of War, and member Vince Lichlyter informs that the meaning behind it is specifically referencing spiritual warfare. What does the Bible have to say about this subject?
Check out:
Ephesians 6:10-20
Galatians 5:17
Ephesians 2:2-3
1 Peter 5:8
2 Timothy 4:18
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