The DOJ has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against the city of Lansing, Michigan, U.S., for the alleged firing of a Lansing Seventh-day Adventist Church member because she refused to work on the Sabbath. The DOJ is seeking back pay with interest, as well as compensatory damages. In a small number of particularly worthy or […] Source: https://atoday.org/truth-and-justice-in-an-american-way-u-s-justice-dept-sues-city-on-behalf-of-adventist/
Thursday: The Need to Persevere
Read the story of Jacob’s wrestling with God (Genesis 32:1-32, NIV). What does this story say to us about perseverance, even amid great discouragement? (Keep the whole context of Jacob’s situation in mind before you answer.)
We can know what is right and exercise our wills to do the right thing; but when we are under pressure, it can be very difficult to keep holding on to God and His promises. That’s because we are weak and fearful. Therefore, one of the important strengths of the Christian is perseverance, the ability to keep going despite wanting to give up.
One of the greatest examples of perseverance in the Bible is Jacob. Many years before, Jacob had tricked his brother, Esau, and his father into giving him the birthright (Genesis 27:1-46, NIV), and ever since, he had been running in fear of Esau’s desire to kill him. Even though he had been given wonderful promises of God’s guidance and blessing in his dream of a ladder reaching to heaven (Genesis 28:1-22, NIV), he was still scared. Jacob was desperate for God’s assurance that he was accepted and that the promises made to him many years before were still true. As he fought someone who was actually Jesus, Jacob had his hip dislocated. From that point on, it could not have been possible to fight, as the pain would have been too excruciating. There must have been a subtle shift from fighting to hanging on. Jacob is hanging on to Jesus through unbearable pain until he receives an assurance of his blessing. So Jesus says to him, “Let me go, for it is daybreak” (Genesis 32:26, NIV).
Jacob’s blessing came because he held on through the pain. So it is with us. God may also dislocate our “hip” and then call us to hang on to Him through our pain. Indeed, God allowed the painful scars to continue — Jacob was still limping when he met his brother. To outside appearances it was a weakness, but for Jacob it was an indication of his strength.
What are some practical choices you can make (associations, lifestyle, reading material, health habits, spiritual life) that will help you better persevere with the Lord amid discouragement and temptation? |
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ATSS: Lisa Clark Diller on “Embodied Souls, Theologies of Disgust, and Loving Our Neighbor”
3 Aug 2022 | Dr. Lisa Clark Diller will cover some of the social science research on how disgust impedes our ability to love our neighbors and how the vulnerability of the Incarnation can help us do that better. We use the stories from Jesus’s birth and childhood to show how he valued those whose […] Source: https://atoday.org/atss-lisa-clark-diller-on-embodied-souls-theologies-of-disgust-and-loving-our-neighbor/
Do You Struggle to Forgive Those Who Have Hurt You? #ANNInDepth #cuts
Do you find it difficult to forgive those who have hurt you? This #cut clip from the video, “Forgiveness [How Do We Learn to Forgive?]” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLAnaq2KfMk, shows God's strong desire to forgive. Forgiveness is absorbing the pain and refusing to let someone who has hurt you pay for what he has done to you, just as Jesus did on the cross. He embraced the pain and refused to make us pay for what we had done. Watch the video to find out what the Bible says about forgiveness and how we can truly forgive someone who has wronged us, even if it is difficult. ———————————————————————————— The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been an established denomination since 1863. It is a global Christian family with over 21 million members who hold the Bible as the ultimate authority. We are believers who promise to help people understand the Bible and find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus. Want to learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Visit our website at: https://www.adventist.org/ Click the notification bell so that you never miss a new video! Find us on social media by following the links below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAdventistChurch
Twitter:https://twitter.com/adventistchurch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventistchurch/ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSM6JOS7S1I
6.5 The Need to Persevere – STRUGGLING WITH ALL ENERGY | Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.
Series IN THE CRUCIBLE WITH CHRIST with Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.
6.STRUGGLING WITH ALL ENERGY
Pain will transform us either to a positive or a negative attitude.
Memory Text: Colossians 1:29 – To this end I strenuously contend, struggling with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
6.5 The Need to Persevere
When the road turns out to be narrow, you will need perseverance.
My God bless you today and always.
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