One of America’s post popular game shows is Family Feud. In it, contestants try to guess what answers people have given to surveys the show has conducted, with sometimes hilarious results. The surveys offer windows into what is at the top of the minds of the people they have surveyed. As Christians, there are some things that should be at the top of our minds. In this series, we look at the things that matter most to our faith and should therefore be not only at the top of our minds, but deep in our hearts.
Today, we celebrate a moment in time when a man with a message changed the world. In 1517, Martin Luther gave voice to concerns by posting his 95 Theses (against indulgences) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31. His intention was to bring to light the fact that the people were being led into false belief in a practice called indulgences. What happened changed the world in profound ways.
It is tempting to exalt ourselves over Christ. John the Baptist, however, knew that things work the way they should only when we decrease and Christ increases. In what ways are you trying to add your boasting to Christ’s work? How does that lessen your hope?
November 8: Grace Alone
Grace is when God gives us what we do not deserve. In a culture that works on merit, that can be difficult for us to accept! Yet, even if grace goes against our cultural senses, it is a deep spiritual need – for each and every one of us.
Grace is when God gives us what we do not deserve. In a culture that works on merit, that can be difficult for us to accept! Yet, even if grace goes against our cultural senses, it is a deep spiritual need – for each and every one of us.
November 15: Faith Alone
They way in which we receive God’s grace is through faith. We trust that God wants to forgive and save us. If we seek to work for what God has given, we are saying that God’s work is not enough. Do we trust God’s work so completely that we do not try to add to it or augment it?
They way in which we receive God’s grace is through faith. We trust that God wants to forgive and save us. If we seek to work for what God has given, we are saying that God’s work is not enough. Do we trust God’s work so completely that we do not try to add to it or augment it?
When it comes to understanding God, it can be all too tempting to trust ourselves rather than God’s Word. We try to trust our consciences, our culture, or our comprehension. But going beyond God’s Word either allows us to create a God in our own image (Mark 7:1-13) or saddles us with burdens we cannot bear (Matthew 23:4).
Soli Deo Gloria explains how we should live. Everything we do should be connected to Christ. In this way, we have no spiritual life and everyday life, we only have a Christ-centered life. Do you do everything with Christ in mind?