Post by mommadee48 on May 31, 2023 13:43:59 GMT -5
NO NEED to ARGUE. (APOLOGETICS).
By Mike Wittmer, "Our Daily Bread author.
I spent a year trying to persuade Li Jun that God existed. I told her that our beautiful world must have a Designer and that moral law requires a Lawgiver. She was unmoved. Later as I was reading Romans chapter one, I noted that it says everyone knows God's "eternal power and divine nature," and that those who say they don't "are without excuse" (v.20). The next time Li Jun raised the subject, those Scriptures came to mind.
"Professor Wittmer, "she asked. "Why do you believe in God?"
I returned the question. "Tell me, Li Jun, why do you?"
"Oh!" she said. And suddenly, she realized that deep down, she really did believe in God. Several months later, Li Jun chose to believe in Jesus!
Of course, not everyone will respond this way. We need the Holy Spirit to stop our suppression of the truth and open our hearts to Jesus (JOHN 16:7-11). But everyone intuitively knows that God exist, and that He's powerful and righteous (ROMANS1:20,32).
This knowledge frees us to avoid arguments. We don't have to prove something that people already know. The pressure's off! We're free to ask questions about their beliefs, buying another round of
to keep the conversation going.
Perhaps our discussion will put a pebble in their shoe, and down the road they'll shake it out and receive Christ as Savior. When we remember what people already know, we realize we don't need to debate them. We're free to be their friend.
OUR DAILY BREAD; (PSALM 147:1-50).
GOD SEES, UNDERSTANDS, AND CARES.
SOMETIMES, LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN and FATIGUE LEADS to BEING ISOLATED AT HOME and FEELING ALONE.
I've often felt unseen by God and others. During an early morning prayer-walk with my service dog, I struggled with these feelings. I noticed a hot-air balloon in the distance. The people in its basket could enjoy a bird's-eye view of our quiet neighborhood, but they couldn't really see me. As I continued walking past my neighbors' houses, I sighed. How many people behind those closed doors feel unseen and insignificant? As I finished my walk, I asked God to give me opportunities to let my neighbors know that I see them and care for them, and so does God.
God determined the exact number of stars that He spoke into existence. He identified each star with a name (PSALM147:4), an intimate act that demonstrates His attention to the smallest details. His strength---insight, discernment, and Knowledge---have "no limit" in the past, or present, or future (v.5).
God hears each desperate cry and sees each silent tear as clearly as He notices each sigh of contentment and belly laugh. He sees when we're stumbling and when we're standing in triumph. He understands our deepest fears, our innermost thoughts, and our wildest dreams. He knows where we've been and where we're going. As God helps us see, hear, and love our neighbors, we can trust Him to see, understand, and care for us.
1) Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2)The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3)He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4)He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5)Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
INSIGHT:
Psalm 147, near the end of the Hebrew psalter, is toward the end of Book Five---in set of psalms focused on giving praise to God. Psalm 147 fits well into this group, as it both begins and ends with the words "Praise the Lord" (HEBREW, halelu-yah). Some scholars speculate that these psalms were assembled to celebrate the rebuilding of Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity of the southern tribe of Judah (see v.2). But the praise for God isn't limited to that expression of gratitude. There's also celebration for God's creation (vv.4,8), care for the weak (v.6), provision of rain (v. 8), and provision of food (v. 14). Additionally, the people of God are to praise Him for the provision of His Word (vv.19-20). No wonder the psalmist says that it's both "pleasant and fitting to praise him!" (v.1).
By Mike Wittmer, "Our Daily Bread author.
I spent a year trying to persuade Li Jun that God existed. I told her that our beautiful world must have a Designer and that moral law requires a Lawgiver. She was unmoved. Later as I was reading Romans chapter one, I noted that it says everyone knows God's "eternal power and divine nature," and that those who say they don't "are without excuse" (v.20). The next time Li Jun raised the subject, those Scriptures came to mind.
"Professor Wittmer, "she asked. "Why do you believe in God?"
I returned the question. "Tell me, Li Jun, why do you?"
"Oh!" she said. And suddenly, she realized that deep down, she really did believe in God. Several months later, Li Jun chose to believe in Jesus!
Of course, not everyone will respond this way. We need the Holy Spirit to stop our suppression of the truth and open our hearts to Jesus (JOHN 16:7-11). But everyone intuitively knows that God exist, and that He's powerful and righteous (ROMANS1:20,32).
This knowledge frees us to avoid arguments. We don't have to prove something that people already know. The pressure's off! We're free to ask questions about their beliefs, buying another round of
to keep the conversation going. Perhaps our discussion will put a pebble in their shoe, and down the road they'll shake it out and receive Christ as Savior. When we remember what people already know, we realize we don't need to debate them. We're free to be their friend.
OUR DAILY BREAD; (PSALM 147:1-50).
GOD SEES, UNDERSTANDS, AND CARES.
SOMETIMES, LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN and FATIGUE LEADS to BEING ISOLATED AT HOME and FEELING ALONE.
I've often felt unseen by God and others. During an early morning prayer-walk with my service dog, I struggled with these feelings. I noticed a hot-air balloon in the distance. The people in its basket could enjoy a bird's-eye view of our quiet neighborhood, but they couldn't really see me. As I continued walking past my neighbors' houses, I sighed. How many people behind those closed doors feel unseen and insignificant? As I finished my walk, I asked God to give me opportunities to let my neighbors know that I see them and care for them, and so does God.
God determined the exact number of stars that He spoke into existence. He identified each star with a name (PSALM147:4), an intimate act that demonstrates His attention to the smallest details. His strength---insight, discernment, and Knowledge---have "no limit" in the past, or present, or future (v.5).
God hears each desperate cry and sees each silent tear as clearly as He notices each sigh of contentment and belly laugh. He sees when we're stumbling and when we're standing in triumph. He understands our deepest fears, our innermost thoughts, and our wildest dreams. He knows where we've been and where we're going. As God helps us see, hear, and love our neighbors, we can trust Him to see, understand, and care for us.
1) Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2)The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3)He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4)He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5)Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
INSIGHT:
Psalm 147, near the end of the Hebrew psalter, is toward the end of Book Five---in set of psalms focused on giving praise to God. Psalm 147 fits well into this group, as it both begins and ends with the words "Praise the Lord" (HEBREW, halelu-yah). Some scholars speculate that these psalms were assembled to celebrate the rebuilding of Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity of the southern tribe of Judah (see v.2). But the praise for God isn't limited to that expression of gratitude. There's also celebration for God's creation (vv.4,8), care for the weak (v.6), provision of rain (v. 8), and provision of food (v. 14). Additionally, the people of God are to praise Him for the provision of His Word (vv.19-20). No wonder the psalmist says that it's both "pleasant and fitting to praise him!" (v.1).