Best of the Week for April 10
In Best of the Week we link to a handful of the best articles, videos, books, etc. that we have come across in the last week. We hope this will point you to some of the right places and give you gospel-rich tools and thoughts for life and mission.
Loving Your Neighbor Means Giving Yourself
“Like the priest and the Levite in the story of the Good Samaritan, we’re all into religious duties—reading the Bible, tithing (or something close to tithing), volunteering, going to small group. But for many of us, when we look at our lives, there’s very little giving away of ourselves.”
We like to do the “Christian” things that are convenient or comfortable for us, but much of what Jesus said a modeled for us wasn’t either. And he actually expects us to obey, believe it or not. So what does it look like for you, and for your church, to give yourself away for others?
When Questions Reflect Issues of the Heart: A New Evangelism for a New Day
“As Sam shared his painful experiences, I suddenly realized that he was not actually asking me an intellectual question. He wasn’t really wondering if Jesus was the only way; instead, he was wondering how I would treat him if he didn’t agree with me or believe what I believed.”
As we continue down the road of secularism and the loss of a “Christian” worldview in America, we have to learn to listen well and speak to the questions people are asking (or maybe aren’t asking) instead of giving our answers to questions they aren’t. For many today, “tough questions are trust questions.”
God Loves Us Enough to Disappoint Us
“It is a terrible tragedy when the human heart considers itself to be at the center of the universe. And it is even more tragic when God gives the heart what it wants.”
We’ve talked about this on multiple occasions at Remedy. God loves us and wants what is best for us. And because of our limited understanding and tendency toward self, what is best is not always what we want. And in these times it is gracious of God to disappoint us.
Weep Deeply, Then Wash Your Face
“Occasionally, weep deeply over the life you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Then wash your face. Trust God. And embrace the life you have.”
This is a video, it’s 2.5 minutes, and it’s GOOD. Take the 2 minutes to watch it. We all need this council from a godly older person who has lived it. We should not bury the disappointment we feel. Neither should we let is rule over us.
Suffering is Not Magic and Mountaintops
“There were a few “mountain top” moments, but mostly clinging to the edge of the cliff. Mostly pleading for water in the desert. Mostly seeking a way out of the wilderness.”
Suffering feels like suffering. While it is true that God brings growth and healing from suffering, it is the very nature of suffering–it’s struggle, pain, lack of understanding, its persistence–that bring that kind of growth because they drive us toward desperate dependency on God. Without the intensity of it, we wouldn’t be very moved.
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