There is a giant hole in the universe that can be felt no matter where you turn. Every song you here, every show you watch, and every novel you read has some echo of this hole reverberating through its content.
Pain Points to the Absence of God
Loving God
What’s the Point of Reading the Bible?
The Bible has never been more available to people. For example, by simply clicking on BibleGateway.com or downloading the free app, you can have every version of the English Bible right in your pocket.
But no matter how many options we have to read the Bible, we never will read it unless we know why we should. So what’s the point of reading the Bible? If you can’t answer the question, “Why should I read the Bible?” odds are you probably won’t read it.
Are You Dating or Married to God?
The difference between teen romance and a deeply committed marriage is persevering faithfulness. When you date, you are gauging whether or not you want to remain with that person. When you get married, your only thought is to remain, love, and be faithful no matter what happens. Likewise, to be Christian, you must move past the dating season and fully commit to your marriage with God.
God Says We Should Care About What Others Think of Us
Does the Bible say we should not care what others think about us? No, but it does say we must seek to please God over people.
As every Christian matures, one of the things the Holy Spirit will surely convict us of is seeking the praise of man over God. In our sinful nature, we care about what others think of us for the wrong reasons.
Caring What Others Think of You Can Be Expressed Wrongly in Two Ways
When we seek the praise of people, it can be expressed in many different ways. The two ends of the spectrum are obsessive pursuit and obsessive avoidance. One person may do anything to be praised by people, while another person will do anything not to be seen by people, but both can have the same root issue – caring too much about what people think of them.
Christianity Is a Pursuit, Not an Abstention
Put simply, we will never find God and live free by just avoiding evil but rather through pursuing Christ.
What Does Jesus Want from You?
What does Jesus want from you? The most obvious answer is that Jesus wants us to love and obey him. But how does he want us to love and obey him? What does it look like?
What Should You Do When You Don’t Feel Like Worshipping God?
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.-2 Corinthians 4:15
Let’s be honest. As Christians, sometimes we just don’t feel like worshipping God. It’s tempting to give some comforting words like, “And that’s okay.” But frankly it’s not okay. Throughout the Bible, we are told to glorify and worship God all the time (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17).
So when we don’t feel like worshipping God, this is a huge problem for us. But what can be done? The answer: dwell on the gospel, meaning the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Need a Reminder of God’s Love for You?
The Medal of Honor is the highest military award in all the US Armed Forces. It is only given to those soldiers who have displayed the utmost gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty.
One such recipient was Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez for his heroics in the Vietnam War. On the morning of May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters into a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam. Their mission was to gather intelligence information in an area heavily patrolled by the North Vietnam Army (NVA). The highly trained team began taking heavy fire, became pinned down, and called for an extraction. The only way out was by helicopter, and after three attempts by pilots, the plight of these 12 men seemed more hopeless by the minute.
Loyalty and Love
Loyalty and love. Are these not one in the same? When loyal you are loving and when loving you are loyal. Love remains because it’s loyal, and loyalty exists because of love. Who can separate these two?
Identifying Idols of the Heart
While there is really only one true God, in our fallenness we often times idolize many other things, thus treating them like gods. But how do we identify idols of the heart?
Control is the name of the game when it comes to being a god or God. One of the qualities of divinity is doing what you want, when you want, and why you want. This truth can help us identify idols of the heart.
When we idolize someone or something, we will be controlled by them. Therefore, if you want to know what your gods are, all you have to do is identify what controls you.