Who sent you into that profession? Did you pray for God’s guidance or it was an arrangement and wish of your relatives? Who sent you to that relationship? Your desires? Convenience? Desperation? Or did you pray about it? Who sent you into that marriage? Unexpected pregnancy? Unemployment? Advancing age? Or did you pray for God’s will to be clear on that marriage? Be very clear on who sent you!
Our preaching in the past has lifted up wisdom and eloquence. Our choice of preachers in the past has lifted up wisdom and eloquence. Our celebration of preachers we love has shown that we prefer wisdom and eloquence. Ultimately the gospel has become a casualty as we prefer great preachers to the gospel. Our worship events and meetings seem to be in need of wisdom and eloquence more than the gospel. Consequently amongst us, the gospel has lost its power. The best preachers have killed the gospel?
God answers this prayer and the Bible records it as mercy. Nobody deserves mercy. If you deserve it, it is no longer mercy but a right. Mercy is never a right. Mercy is at the discretion of the one showing mercy. To be shown mercy suggests that we were guilty and deserved punishment. You can’t show mercy to a person who is holy, perfect, and ever right.
Are you having endless problems that are responding to no solution? Are you wondering where the current crisis came from? Are you trying to trace from where the rains started beating you? Are there situations you do not like that are not making sense? Think carefully seemingly unrelated things are related!
God does not excuse backsliders depending on what caused them to backslide. Regardless of what caused the backsliding, God tells us that they are liable to serious punishment. A backslider is a backslider. Some backslide in order to provide for the family. Some backslide because the church has bad members and leaders. Some backslide because they were so offended by someone. Some backslide because they do not want to be hypocrites like other members. Some backslide because of just laziness. Some backslide because they are angry with God.
The God of the Bible is good. The God that Christians worship is good. This God is much more real and powerful than all other gods. This God manifests Himself as greater than any other gods. He is the God of gods. Yet this most powerful God is not just great but good.
Does God prescribe how we should attend to our hair? Does God allow us some liberty on how to attend to our hair? There are traditions around us on how hair is handled, should we follow those traditions?
The sins of the southern kingdom are blamed on its capital city, Jerusalem. The sins of the northern kingdom are blamed on its capital city, Samaria. God knows something about the capital cities. God blames the capital cities!
Preach against them? Is that professional? Preaching a sermon targeting someone? A sermon full of condemnation? Is it right? A sermon against a specific person or group of people? How should you react if a preacher deliberately targets you in their sermon? What options are available to you who is targeted by a sermon that is preached against you?