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Post by Cindy on Jan 27, 2023 10:02:00 GMT -5
SCRIPTURE READING:1 Peter 1:18–23 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
KEY VERSE: John 17:17 “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
A formidable enemy of the truth of Christ is feelings. You feel unworthy—even though God says you are made in His image (Gen. 1:26–27) and called by His name (Acts 2:21). You feel insignificant—even though everything you do can be done to the glory of God and used by Him to accomplish His sovereign purposes (Col. 3:17). You feel unloved—even though God says He cares for you as a shepherd cares for his sheep (John 10:11). You must learn sooner or later to move past your feelings and instead lean on the indisputable fact of God’s Word. The best way is to compile a list of Scriptures dealing with the troubling emotions that beset you. If you are depressed, you should take a week or so to find Scripture passages dealing with God’s joy and His comfort. When these feelings assault you, you should turn to the Scriptures and read them aloud. You should tell the Lord Jesus Christ that you choose to believe His truth rather than your emotions. Then you should praise Him for His answer. Refuse to budge. Your feelings may linger, but they eventually will crumble under the weight of God’s mighty truth.
Enter His gates
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Post by Cindy on Jan 27, 2023 10:07:25 GMT -5
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)
The Word of God is living, folks. It’s not just alive metaphorically, but it is living in reality. Every book of the Bible, all 66; every chapter, all 1,118; every verse, all 774,746; every word, all 3,500,034 are inspired. (Matthew 4:4). The phrase “incorruptible seed” is a Greek term that speaks of sperm. Any living thing has the capability to reproduce itself. The Word of God is no exception, for by it we are born again. “The words which I speak are spirit and life,” Jesus declared (John 6:63). Jesus said to Nicodemus one night. “Verily, I say unto you, you must be born again.” (see John 3:1–8). A teacher of Israel, Nicodemus should have understood the reference. Born again, wind blowing? His mind should have raced immediately to Ezekiel 37, a passage familiar to every rabbi and teacher in Israel. If Nicodemus had made the connection between this story and what Jesus was telling him that night, he would have understood that to be born again means to be made alive by the Spirit and the Word, just as the bones became alive when Ezekiel preached the Spirit and the Word.
Perhaps, like me, you have known for years that when the seed of the Word and the Spirit of God penetrate our being, we “dry bones” come to life. I want you to see that the same dynamic that caused us to be born again can continually impact us in any arena where there are dry bones in our lives. “Our marriage is as dry as a bone,” you might be saying. Or, “I respect him immensely, but my dad is spiritually as dry as a bone.” Or, “My seventh-grade daughter is not walking with the Lord as closely as she could be.” I have great news for you. The Word of God has the unique ability to impact and change your teenage son or daughter, your grandchildren, your mother, your co-worker, your friend, your husband, your neighbor. How? (See Isaiah 55:10-11) God is saying, “Just as rain coming down causes growth to take place on a barren hillside, so My Word will accomplish the purpose I sent it to do.” When you’re driving in your car; when you’re having breakfast together; when you tuck your kids into bed, don’t talk to them about your ideas on dating or your philosophy on politics. Talk to them about Scripture. Share Bible verses with them over and over again. You see, the verse itself has power.
It is the incorruptible seed that has the power to produce spiritual life. The power is in the Word itself. It is a seed that will not return void but will permanently impact and powerfully affect anyone who hears it. If we really believed this, folks, we would be sharing Bible verses constantly—as we drive, as we have a meal, as we go on vacation, in the office, on the ball field, in the neighborhood. There would be a steady stream not of our thoughts, but of the living Word of God. Now, we may not see its effect immediately, but, according to Isaiah 55:11, it will take root and blossom ultimately.
I challenge you today, Mom, Dad, Friend, Teenager, Grandfather, Neighbor—to take a verse—any verse—and plant it in the ear of your granddaughter. Use it in your conversation as you talk on the phone. Say it in passing to the guy at the gas station. The impact will be huge because God honors His Word even above His name.
“That may be true,” you sigh. “but you must understand. It’s not just that I am surrounded by dry bones; I myself am dry.” If you feel this way, turn to 2 Kings 13.… During an invasion in Israel, a Moabite soldier died. Midway in the process of burying him, his fellow soldiers caught sight of their enemies headed right at them. To save time, they tossed their dead buddy into a grave that was already occupied by the body of the prophet Elisha. When the corpse hit the bones of Elisha, it immediately came back to life—revived, resurrected, born again!
This story never ceases to amaze me. It tells me that if our lives have been permeated with the Word of God, even when we go through dry days or dark nights, life will come from us as the Word of God flows through us to those around us. It’s not how we’re doing or how we’re feeling that matters. Whether we feel high or dry is irrelevant. It’s the power of the Word that works.
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary
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anna
Trials
Posts: 1,995 
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Post by anna on Mar 25, 2024 11:41:35 GMT -5
I just finished listening to a sermon, "When We Are Abused," by Charles Stanley and he said what is written here. If a person is struggling with feelings of hurt or rejection then listening to Charles's sermon would also be helpful to understand how to overcome those thoughts.
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