Go Deeper: Meditate on the Word
This year, I have a goal—a resolution of sorts—not merely to read or study God’s Word, but to meditate on it. I don’t want to read Scripture in the morning only to forget it as the day goes on. I want to call it to mind, to ponder it, and to let it shape my thoughts throughout the day.
If man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4), why would we think one meal a day is enough to sustain us?
So, friend—will you join me?
Lay Down Your Idols
At the heart of idolatry is a worship issue. Our view of God becomes distorted.
Any “god” we can shape in our image is not the God who made us in His.
Any “god” that lets us decide what is right and wrong is not the God who is righteous.
Any “god” that allows us to indulge in desires that lead to destruction is not the God who truly satisfies the longing of our souls.
So, friend, repent and turn your whole heart to the one true, living God. Lay down whatever He reveals is trying to take His place. And remember: there is no one—and nothing—that even comes close to Him.
Beware of a Different Gospel
“When Christianity becomes an institution of man’s rules and man’s power over his fellow man, it’s not Christianity at all. And it will quickly deteriorate into joyless, loveless rules, rituals, and religion. But when Christianity is God’s people serving God and serving others in love—according to God’s rule and God’s gospel found in God’s word—then it is the genuine article. And by its very nature, it overflows with grace. The antidote for dead religion is grace.”