NCU theology student Kevar Brown had a heart attack during his aunt’s funeral and later died on the way to the funeral. Brown had only one semester left to complete his degree at NCU. He worked abroad canvassing to help pay his school fees instead of finishing his last semester. Brown was the ninth of […] Source: https://atoday.org/northern-caribbean-university-theology-student-has-heart-atttack-while-officiating-aunts-funeral/
Praying at the 50-Yard-Line
by Frank Merendino | 4 July 2022 | “Supreme Court sides with high school coach over 50-yard-line prayers. The justices’ decision found that the school system infringed the coach’s religious freedom and freedom of speech rights by seeking to block him from engaging in public prayers on the field.” —headline, Politico I am not an […] Source: https://atoday.org/praying-at-the-50-yard-line/
Tuesday: Crucibles of Sin
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18, NKJV).
Everything we do has a consequence. If you stand in the hot sun with ice cream, it will certainly melt. Cause and effect always go together. And no matter how desperately we may want things to be different, it is the same with sin. It always reaps consequences.
Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com
It is not that God sits in heaven wondering what terrible things He could do to people who sin; no, sin itself comes with its own built-in consequences.
The problem is that many times we think that we can somehow outwit God, and sin without experiencing the consequences. It never happens. Paul makes it very clear that sinning has consequences not only for eternity but painful and distressing consequences today.
In Romans 1:21-32, Paul describes the process of people falling into sin and the consequences of those sins. Read these verses prayerfully and carefully and summarize the essence of what Paul is saying, focusing specifically on the stages of sin and the consequences.
A couple of verses earlier Paul describes these consequences as the “wrath of God” (Romans 1:18). God’s wrath in this passage is simply God’s allowing human beings to reap what they sow. Even for Christians, God does not always intervene immediately to remove the pain that results from our own actions. Many times He allows us to experience the consequences of our actions in order for us to understand how deeply damaging and offensive our sin is.
We have been considering the consequences of breaking God’s moral laws. But what about breaking God’s health laws? Our bodies are God’s home. If we abuse our bodies by failing to eat healthfully or to exercise, or if we regularly overwork, this is also sin against God. And this has consequences that can create the conditions of a crucible.
| In your own life, how have you reaped the immediate consequences of your own sins? What lessons have you learned? What changes must you make in order not to go through something similar again? |
Amen!
(0)
(0)The post Tuesday: Crucibles of Sin appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
AWR360° Madagascar – Mama Cisit’s Long Walk (6)
Full episode here – https://youtu.be/Mn28W_0hnbQ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYi7-REXXdA
Monday: Crucibles of Satan
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV).
Read the above verse. What’s the message there for us? Ask yourself, “How seriously do I take these words?” What things do you do in your life that show whether you take them seriously?
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Have you ever watched a hungry lion? It’s awesome because you know it can catch and eat just about anything it wants. Peter says that Satan is prowling around in the same way. When we look around, we can see the consequences of his desire to kill. Death, suffering, and the twisting and perverting of morals and values are everywhere. We cannot escape seeing the work of Satan.
Read 1 Peter 5:8-11. How should Christians react to Satan’s prowling?
What does God promise to do for those who are suffering? 1 Peter 5:10.
Peter writes these words in the context of responding to Satan’s attacks on Christian faith. But as we have mentioned, Satan is at work in many different ways. And although we must be aware of the reality and the power of our enemy, we must never be discouraged, for we must always remember that Jesus has beaten Satan, that Satan is a defeated foe, and that as long as we stay connected with Jesus, as long as we cling to Him in faith, we can never be defeated, either. Because of the cross, Christ’s victory is our victory.
| Think about the other ways that Satan causes pain. How could reading 1 Peter 5:8-11 help us to deal with the anguish that we experience because of our fate in living in a sinful world in which Satan wreaks havoc? |
Amen!(0)
(0)The post Monday: Crucibles of Satan appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
