The Big Picture

More Than Meets the Eye

Every morning, a beautiful hummingbird appears outside my office window.

It took us several days to get his picture because he won’t slow down to pose. 🙂

God's work in creation

Our hummingbird friend may be tiny, but his mighty wings are strong.

I love to watch him as he darts through our garden to check out every colorful flower and eagerly sample the nectar from each one.

That’s the kind of picture that I love to see.

What I hate to see, and wish was just a bad dream, is the accelerated downslide of America demonstrated by current events. What a sad picture this is for all of us and for generations to come.

Kinda seems like things are falling apart, right?

But, as we read the Bible and consider its prophecies, events are actually falling into place.

the big picture

There’s a big picture at work here, beyond the small details of each day.

There’s so much to say, but suffice it to say, as Christians we have to be watchful, pray every day for God’s grace and mercy, and stay in His Word.

The Big Picture in the Bible

As you study Scripture, over and over again you read about God’s people turning their backs on Him and plunging instead into idolatry.

An idol is anything we value more than God.

Just as in the ancient days, we still have idols today.

Consider the foolish obsession some people have with celebrities and you’ll see what I mean.

Some other modern-day idols can include . . .

The love of money

The love of things

Political causes

Substance abuse

Other people

Ourselves

obsessed with self

God takes idolatry very seriously.

Your salvation and recognition of Jesus alone as Savior is that important.

The alternative to Jesus, let’s not sugarcoat it, is hell.

Since you know the true God, and are in him, let your light and love guard you against all that is advanced in opposition to him, or competition with him. Flee from the false gods of the heathen world. They are not comparable to the God whose you are and whom you serve. Adore not your God by statues and images, which share in his worship. Your God is an incomprehensible Spirit, and is disgraced by such sordid representations.- Matthew Henry, Christian minister and author.2

We must examine our hearts and tear down the idols that we have.

There’s another big issue that God takes seriously.

Repentance.

Why do we have to repent if our sins are already forgiven?

That’s a great question.

We are sinners saved by grace, but that doesn’t mean we keep on sinning without a care and in blatant rebellion against God.

This is not a works-based issue. Salvation is reflected by a changed heart, remorse when we do wrong, and continual gratitude for God’s grace.

The Christian life is a life of continued repentance, humiliation for and mortification of sin, of continual faith in, thankfulness for, and love to the Redeemer, and hopeful joyful expectation of a day of glorious redemption, in which the believer shall be fully and finally acquitted, and sin abolished for ever. – Matthew Henry, Christian minister and author.3

Let’s be thankful for a loving and righteous God who forgives those who repent and believe.

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1 Scripture quotation is from New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Matthew Henry quotation, courtesy of Bible Study Tools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-john/1.html., n.d., para. 6. Web. Accessed 15 July, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-john/5.html

3 Matthew Henry quotation, courtesy of Bible Study Tools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-john/1.html., n.d., para. 4. Web. Accessed 15 July, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-john/1.html

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Ignoring The Warnings

Ignoring the Warnings

heeding the warnings

Have you ever seen those anti-smoking commercials on television?

I think we can all agree that they’re hard to watch.

The ones that I’ve seen feature a lung cancer patient whose throat has been ravaged by years of smoking. It’s hard to look and listen as the patient reveals his or her regret over not quitting the habit sooner.

Whether you’re able to watch those commercials all the way through or not…the message is clear right at the beginning. These people are physically suffering and will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives.

Their fate is assured.

Do you ever wonder why they didn’t heed the warnings?

I believe there’s an analogy here to pay attention to.

The Spiritual Battle for Hearts and Minds

It saddens me that many people are ignoring the warnings and rejecting an even more important message.

Why don’t lost people care about their eternity?

Don’t they realize how serious this matter is?

For their sake, I wish they would realize the spiritual and eternal danger in store for those who don’t believe.

Those ignoring the warnings will face God’s Judgement.

Do you know of any lost people in your life? They need your prayers.

Life After Death

Life after death

How amazing is God’s grace?

As sinners, we don’t even deserve salvation, but through His grace, eternal life is assured to those who trust in Jesus Christ and His righteousness alone.

God’s promised salvation finally and fully came in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is Christ alone who is righteous. It is Christ alone who has lived a life free from sin. And it is He alone who willingly took the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary, bearing the guilt and punishment we deserve. Trusting in Him alone is what saves sinners, not self-help programs, nor human striving after righteousness and God’s approval. – Robert L. Deffinbaugh, Pastor and Bible teacher, Bible.org contributor.

A Humble Mindset

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

I have all the time in the world

No mythological creature in the sky tells me what to do

Your God is a bully

The Bible is full of errors

Not much gratitude or humility in those statements, is there?

Our sins are ugly and offensive to God.

True Christians recognize this.

Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.John Stott, Christian pastor (1921-2011.)

Who’s on First?

With all the distractions in this world, it becomes even easier for us to put the Creator of the heavens and earth in second place when He should be first.

ignoring the warnings

We make idols out of things like self-image, celebrities, jobs, media “influencers”, material possessions, relationships, and our own versions of what we think God should be.

As desperately lost people, we deserve His wrath.

But, as true Christians, we recognize what sin is.

We repent by transforming our inherent wicked hearts, trusting that God is sovereign, and that we are pardoned through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Robert Deffinbaugh quote

Eternal life through Jesus Christ is a free gift from God and it can be yours!

If you haven’t yet done so, I urge you to contact a Christian friend or loved one or visit with the pastor at a local bible-believing church.

Tell them you want to learn about Jesus.

You need someone you can talk to who esteems the sovereignty of our Holy God and also believes that the Bible is divinely inspired and sufficient for us.

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1John Stott quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

2 Robert L. Deffinbaugh quotations, courtesy of bible.org, from the series “The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges – A Study of the Book of Judges – – Israel’s Sodom and Gomorrah (Judges 19-21). 12-13-09. Web. Accessed 20 February, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.icr.org/article/mankind-pinnacle-gods-creation/

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