A story is told of a man who was fully surrendered to God. With determined purpose, he chose a mission that would give the gospel to an empire. The cost? His life. Without regret, he followed God. He expressed his faith like this, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” For the Apostle Paul, the battle that costs everything is the victory that changes eternity. In the last few chapters of Acts, discover your mission and learn to win the Good Fight.
Chris Wall • Colossians 1:24-29 We live in a world that does not understand the value of suffering. Irealize that in the midst of suffering, it is often hard to recognize value, but Paul often reminded us of the value by rejoicing in difficult times. Paul’s enemies likely made a big deal of the fact that this great leader was writing from a prison cell. But Paul turned this weapon around and used it to help the church recognize the power of God in the midst of his suffering. Amazingly, we can rejoice in suffering because Christ provides strength in the midst of afflictions and in the midst of ministry. The road of ministry is not an easyroad. Every believer is a minister of the gospel. However, the miracle of following Christ is not that He keeps us from tough assignments, but that He walks with us through every tough assignment. God did not call us to easy, He called us to ministry. Let’s fulfill that call at ALL TIMES, in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, ALL OUR LIVES. ...
Steve Dighton • Ezra 4:1-6 ESV It was James who reminded us to count it joy when tough times come. JOY??? It is true that the most difficult circumstances produce some of the greatest and most memorable moments with the Lord. It is right to stay close to the Lord even when circumstances seem to be falling apart. God had moved so powerfully and had orchestrated incredible circumstances, but now there is intense opposition. Powerful leaders are now opposing what God is doing and God’s people are again powerless to stop it. But God works in and through His people. ...
Chris Wall • 1 Corinthians 13:1-4a ESV Have you ever met someone who naturally assumes the worst? That person will usually see other people negatively. That person will usually be quick tempered because they assume the worse. That person will usually be basically a judgmental person and will often fall short on both patience and kindness. The truth is, we have a choice of how we will view each other. We can choose to let our natural inclination be negative or positive. We can choose patience. We can choose kindness. Agape love is the act of living out the character qualities of God in how we approach God and others. There is nothing easy about this, but it is a level God has called us to. It is the entire point of 1 Corinthians 13. Patience is possible when we remember how patient God has been with us. Kindness is a reaction when God’s kindness is recognized. None of us will be more patient or kind than God has already been with each one of us. If we are going to develop patience and kindness, we've got to learn to listen. Patience and kindness treat others the way we want to be treated. When a person is patience and kind, that person is acting like a child of God. ...
