Driven By The Bible

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,”‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:14-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬https://www.bible.com/59/1pe.1.14-15.esvWhat does it mean to be holy? To leave the passions of our lives before Christ and become something different?

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”‭‭Acts‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭

“"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬https://www.bible.com/59/deu.6.4.esvWhen we think of the Greatest a Commandment, we often want to move past this part of the verse and straight to the part that tell us what we are supposed to do. That’s a mistake.

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”‭‭James‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬We often forget that sin isn’t just doing the wrong thing, it’s not doing the right thing too! What are some of the “right things”’we overlook? And why are we so quick to overlook them?

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬https://www.bible.com/59/php.2.5.esvUsually when the Holy Spirit brings the same concept up again and again in short succession, it’s because it’s speaking to something in our lives.

“The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.”‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15:31‬ ‭ESV‬‬https://www.bible.com/59/pro.15.31.esvArrogance and overconfidence are celebrated today. We act like the more pride we have, the better. But in the Kingdom of God, this results in destruction. Wisdom is only found through humility.

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬The world tells us the secret to success is to become obsessed with advancing our lives and agendas. Jesus tells us the secret is the exact opposite.

'If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 'Galatians 5:25https://my.bible.com/bible/59/GAL.5.25How do we walk according to the Holy Spirit while living in a religious and political environment loaded with division, disagreement, condemnation and anger? Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia gives some really good advice.

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."Love God. Love others. Such a simple idea that is so hard to execute. Why? Because we're broken people. What are some ways we can live that out?

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience...Living as a Messiah-follower in this world isn't easy. But Paul's instructions to the Believers in Colossae give us some really practical tips for doing it successfully!

“...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭ESV‬‬While Paul is obviously saying that every individual human has the same spiritual condition and standing before God, the context of this passage is about Jews and Gentiles. Neither has a claim to relationship with God over the other. Let’s talk about it!

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬We’re all faced with doing things we’d rather not be doing. But that is when we worship the most. Let’s talk about it!

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭47:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬Worship shouldn’t be a chore or command. It should flow out if us as a response to who God is and what He’s done. Let’s talk about it!

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”‭‭John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭ESV‬‬In a moment where Jesus is giving His final instructions before He goes to the cross, He tells His disciples to love each other in the same way He loves us. He calls it a New Commandment. But it isn’t something new. Why does He call it this? Let’s talk about it!

“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.”‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬We currently live in a time of God’s mercy and grace. He is not willing that any should suffer judgment; His desire is for all to come repentance. But judgment will come. And when it does, only those who have already surrender to Him will be spared. Let’s talk about it!

“...and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me’...”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:3-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬Childlike faith is one of the easiest ideas in the Bible to understand, and the hardest to apply. Let’s talk about it!

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”‭‭Amos‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬Martin Luther King Jr. is probably more famous for these words than the prophet, Amos. Why was Amos saying this? And what does it mean for us, today?Let’s talk about it!

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭ESV‬‬We strive. We work. We struggle to better ourselves and our lives. And most of the time, it feels like it is more than we can bear. That’s because we weren’t created to bear it. Let’s talk about 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 ‭ESV‬‬This verse might be the most familiar verse in the Bible. And that familiarity has caused many of us to forget its power. Let’s talk about it!

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬On a day of the year where fools are celebrated, we would do well to remember that the Gospel is an absurd idea. It doesn’t make sense. That’s why it’s good news. Let’s talk about it!