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"LENTEN DEVOTION" for Monday March 15, 2010 |
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ACTION REFLECT UPON WHAT YOU BELIEVE
COMMUNION
It is extremely important for Christians to periodically pause and reflect upon their faith. What do you really believe about life, about death, about life after death? What do you believe about God, the Creator, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? What do you believe about the church, about Baptist, about communion, about worship? What you do you believe about sin or salvation? Is there an aspect of assurance about your faith? What aspects of the Gospel or of the Bible has been a puzzle to you or a source of doubt?
It is important to push yourself a bit. The questions are being asked of you, not the church, the preacher, the Sunday school teacher, or your neighbor. What do YOU believe?
Some of us may be surprised. Some who thought they didn’t believe in much may astound themselves. That may also be true for some who may feel pretty confident, but they may be astounded in a different way.
Ask yourself what you would like to believe. If you did not believe what you wished you believed, why didn’t you believe it? What didn’t you understand in regard to some aspect of the faith? Why did you not understand? Has it ever been addressed in a lesson or a sermon? Is there something you could read that might give insight into the difficulty you are having?
These are important questions that have or can have eternal ramifications. They are not inconsequential for living or for dying. To refuse to address them is, in a real sense, is to refuse to address the fundamental issue of life and that is…. GOD!
Sharing your faith ad your doubt with other Christians who take these questions seriously and will not react in a judgmental way is a most helpful way to grow and to be a part of the growing process for others.
MEDITATION
Read MATTHEW 7:21-27
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"LENTEN DEVOTION" FOR MARCH 16, 2010 |
ACTION
CONTACT ANOTHER FOLLOWER OF JESUS TODAY.

COMMUNION
Not too much to be sad about this Tuesday and that’s a relief. Everyone knows about Mondays and “Blue Mondays” but not a whole lot is said about Tuesdays. Maybe it’s because this is regarded as the optimum day; the weekend is past, Monday is behind us, all cylinders ought to be firing on Tuesday.
Many civic and church activities and meetings happen on Tuesday. It’s usually a full day and a full evening. It seems to be a fertile time for new ideas, new projects and a decisive time when courses of action are dictated. Tuesday is the day when things usually get done, if they are to get done at all. Tuesday is a day when it’s extremely easy to forget who we are and whose we are.
Tuesday is an easy time to identify “self” with our work or institution or project. It’s a time when we are most likely to be conscious of the grade the world I giving us. What is it – success, failure, mediocrity, essential, nonessential, valuable of no value to the enterprise.
It’s the time when we are most tempted to “buy into” the world’s evaluation of us, and that can lead to a compulsiveness that destroys one’s quality of life. We’re not the God of our lives; we are not in control. God is! The world is not in control, God is! We are worth far more than the world makes of us even if we are given the worlds highest grade.
We are God’s, created by God, redeemed by God. We are of infinite value in God’s sight, worth the life and the death of the Son. Tuesday need not be a day of defeat but of confidence.
MEDITATION
Read I Corinthians 3:21-23; 6:20
Dear Come and See Visitor and Friend,
These Lenten devotions are offered as an implement to assist you in opening your life to the spiritual growth God wills for you and me during this Lenten and Easter season of 2009. Please join me in using this tool daily by reading and meditating on the respective assigned scripture.
There's no telling where and when God may lead us!
Thomas Q. Robbins
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"WE MUST BE ON OUR WAY!" Luke 9 & 13 #224 |
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BIBLE STUDY WITH DR. THOMAS Q. ROBBINS
Week of March 14-20, 2010
Would
you say that you are on “your way”? It’s a clear point in this message that such a direction is
needed if we, as individuals and local churches, are to be true to our Call and
commitment.
Originally, this
message challenged a congregation in regard to the use of a property it had
owned for over 30 years and was now going to be implemented into the church’s
outreach activity. Whether it’s
property or people -- the principle remains the same. We MUST be on our way!
We can’t stop or take a break.
And the ‘way’ each of us is traveling will be different. Each of us has a unique role to play in
God’s plan. We fulfill that plan
as a vital part of the body of Christ, completely equipped with the spiritual
gifts and talents he has given for our ‘trip’, and it’s all by His Grace. “
In
Luke, chapter 9 Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem. As God, with human skin, Jesus looks ahead with committed to
follow the plan of redemption for mankind which would mean suffering, torture
and death as a man.
From the 9th
chapter of Luke on to the end of the book is the account of what happens to
Jesus on the way to Jerusalem and the earth-shaking event that won victory over
sin and death as he took our place on the cross. In Luke 13, Jesus was warned that Herod would kill
him, but he simply responded with, “I must be on my way to do God’s will”.
What is
the greatest service we can do in this world? Is it clothing drives, the support of missionaries, helping
to house the homeless, meeting needs through counseling, taking care of
children and widows? …and on we could go.
Dr. Robbins talks about all these wonderful things individuals and
congregations do in ministry, but then develops the idea of the greatest thing we can we can do -- to “be on our
way doing God’s will”
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