We like strength, God chooses weakness. We like wisdom, God blesses the foolish things of the world. He loves all the Hagars of the world.
Text: Genesis 16Can God be trusted? More and more I am convinced that this is the fundamental question of life: “Is God good and can he be trusted to do what is right?” If the answer is yes, then we can face the worst that life has to offer. If the answer is no, then we’re no better off than the people who have no faith at all.
Text: Genesis 15When the famine comes, remember that God has not abandoned you. He sends the famines of life in order to see if you will trust him even in the most difficult moments. We should say, “Here is another opportunity for me to trust God. I wonder what wonderful things he is going to do for me this time.” It’s not easy to say that. Sometimes it takes more grace to stay in the Promised Land than it does to get there in the first place.
Text: Genesis 12:10-20So many of us have filled our hearts with the junk food of the world. No wonder we are so unhappy. No wonder we jump from one job to another and from relationship to another. We have full stomachs and empty hearts! Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? If you are, you can be filled. This is the promise of God to hungry hearts and thirsty souls.
Text: Matthew 5:6We have all we need and then some. And a never-ending banquet spread by our heavenly Father in the kingdom. We have the best of both worlds. We are forgotten, yet we reign. We are despised yet blessed. We are reviled yet defended by God. As Christians we have nothing yet possess everything. And the best is yet to come. Do you want to go to heaven? You can, but you must enter through the door marked “meek only.” Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Text: Matthew 5:5Some of us have worked all week for the approval of men and we still don’t have it. And when we get it, we can’t keep it. When will we ever learn that nothing in this world can ever fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts. Only you can satisfy. Empty us, O Lord, so that you can fill us with yourself. Wean us from the things of the world so that your smile will be the only thing that matters. Build the character of the kingdom in us so that you can call us Blessed and we may hear the applause of heaven.
Text: Matthew 5:1-3You need a Lamb! It must meet all the requirements laid out by God in Exodus 12. The lamb must die. And you must apply the blood to the doorposts of your heart. That is, you must trust in the blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Where will you find such a lamb? Look to the Cross! Gaze upon the blooding form of the Son of God! Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jesus is the Lamb you need. He is God’s Lamb for your sin.
Text: Exodus 12; John 1:29If we start with the biblical record, we find it fundamentally incompatible with evolutionary naturalism. Three words summarize where we come from–created, not evolved. We need to teach those three words to our children and make them a bulwark of our own personal faith.
Text: Genesis 1God has answered your deepest questions with the simplicity of an empty tomb. I declare to you that Jesus Christ is alive! My friend, what will you say to that? What difference does it make to you? Will you give him your heart and your life? Will you trust him as your Lord and Savior?
Text: VariousNo one is more tormented than the Christian who cannot trust God with his finances. No one is happier than the Christian who trusts God enough to give his money away. Can you trust God with your pocketbook? Yes, you can. But you’ll never know until you make the decision in your own heart. No man was ever the loser because he decided to become a generous giver.
Text: II Corinthians 9:6-11