Rise Above

Heaven is not a place for those who are afraid of hell; it’s a place for those who love God. You can scare people into coming to your church, you can scare people into trying to be good, you can scare people into giving money, you can even scare them into walking down an aisle and praying a certain prayer, but you cannot scare people into loving God. You just can’t do it.

—Matt Chandler

Our fallen condition, we try to justify ourselves by assuming that while we may commit sins from time to time, we are basically good “deep down.” At least our hearts are right. However, Scripture challenges this perspective. Jeremiah lamented, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s love for the world moved him to choose an innumerable company of enemies, to give his Son even “while we were enemies” (Rom. 5:10), and to unite these sinners to Christ by his Spirit as a massive choir celebrating his mercy and grace into all of eternity. In this way, the world is indeed saved.

-Michael Horton

Someone might counter that, according to Calvinism, God does in fact limit his love by choosing some and not others. However, this rests on a confusion of categories. God is free in his love to create what he wills. God’s love would not have been diminished in the slightest if he had not chosen to create this world. In fact, love is free, so to say that God’s love was somehow dependent on his creation of the world is to empty love of any meaning. How much more would God’s love remain undiminished if he did not save those who raise their hand against him every day? God is not free to surrender or diminish his attribute of love, but he is free to “show mercy on whom [he] will show mercy” (Ex. 33:19; Rom. 9:15).

Often when we think of idols we think of wooden statues that people in far off lands bow down to. Yet the Bible makes it really clear that an idol is anything you are depending on other than Jesus to make your life worth living

—Tullian Tchividjian

The Will of God

The topic of “God’s will” has sparked many conversations, concerns, questions, and sometimes even frustration for many people. In this day and age we want to know everything NOW, but if we look at the biblical account, most people had no idea what the will of God was for that year, let alone their entire lives. Men and women who were used by God to prophetically speak to nations, destroy armies, and even raise the dead didn’t know beforehand where they would end up, only the next step.

People ask “How do I find out God’s will for my life?” and Romans 12:1-2 states it perfectly:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritualact of worship.Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We need to live in such a way that our life is spiritual worship, and demonstrate with our bodies how beautiful Christ really is by our actions. Yes, Jesus forms us and is changing us daily, but God desires our efforts as well. We can’t expect God to radically change us if we don’t even spend time with Him in prayer or read the Bible! Let me encourage you, if you are searching for answers about the will of God in your life, and you can’t seem to find them, don’t worry. Don’t worry about what God has for you years down the road; instead seek his will out for today. Be sensitive to the Spirit of God and allow Him to speak into your life.

Looking at the Bible, God shows us the things that are His will for us all. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable.” He also says “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

If we are not obeying these guidelines already, how can God trust us with the WHOLE picture? Understand that God knows all. Not only does He know exactly what’s in store for you, but He also has perfect timing; so when you pray, take all this into consideration. Everything will work out if you keep your heart and mind set to him. Don’t be discouraged if you still have no clue what to do, just be obedient and trust Him, plain and simple. Seek God daily, and pray for His will in your life every morning.

Love the world? You love to listen to the very things that nailed your supposed Master to the tree.

—Paul Washer

A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.

—John Calvin

We prefer to sit back, enjoy our clichés, and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with the constant drivel of entertainment in our culture—and in the church. We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him

—David Platt

We’ve so dumbed down the gospel and dumbed down worship in a good effort to reach as many people as we can that there’s almost a backlash. It comes from this great hunger for a genuinely God-centered, transcendence-focused understanding of who God is and what God wants us to do and what God has given us in Jesus Christ.