Current Event Bingo
How hard is it for you to watch the news? Since I’m asking, you can guess I am having a hard time.
Many current events are a demonstration of 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
God is Sovereign and Judge
My comfort is that God is Sovereign, working out His plan of the ages. And that He is the righteous, holy judge. And that I’m not.
[God] works all things after the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11)
God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:16)
It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
Walk in His Way
My goal is to “walk in a manner worthy of Him” through these dark days, making Him known, and helping others.
Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
Strategy for the News
But I still need a strategy to make it through the news.
Have you heard of Bingo buzzword? Bingo Buzzword is a tongue-in-cheek tool to help employees get through meetings. When an employee hears a buzzword, for example, “Outside the box,” “Mission Critical,” “World Class,” the employee crosses off that box. One cartoon had all the employees in the meeting yelling “Bingo” at the same time, to the dismay of their boss.
Well, I am going to try Current Event Bingo as a tool to analyze the news, and put it into a Biblical perspective. I think it would have helped when I watched the news this weekend!
BINGO!
P.S. This is to help with discernment, not judgment (condemnation), and to remind us of Jesus’ words: “When you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Matthew 24:33)
Harry-Mouse Durgin
Jesus is the Son of God, the Son of David, and the Son of Man.
Jesus is both eternal God, and perfect human.
Son of God
Jesus, the Word, is eternal, was God in the beginning, and was with God in the beginning. (John 1:1)
All things came into being through Jesus, the Son of God. (John 1:3)
Son of David
The Son of David was prophesized many years before His birth.
I will raise up your descendant after you [David], who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Samuel 7:12–13)
For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
Son of Man
Behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13–14)
Jesus referred to Himself most often as the Son of Man.
The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. (Matthew 9:6)
The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:8)
The Son of Man came to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11)
The Son of Man came to serve. (Mark 10:45)
Just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (John 5:25–27)
Jesus, the Son
He lived a perfect, righteous life, and gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice to save us, believers, from our sins.
He lives at the right hand of God, always interceding for us as our great High Priest.
He will come again, with glory, to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Praise the Son
I praise You, Christ Jesus, Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man. You, Son of God, humbled Yourself to be born as the Son of David, and humbled Yourself as the perfect sacrifice to save us. You, the Son of Man, have an everlasting kingdom. Thank You for ever interceding for Your flock. I praise You, our almighty, holy, ruler. Come, Lord Jesus.
Make Every Effort to Seek God First
Do you make every effort to seek God first? If you have determined to read the Bible every day, do you keep going even when you have a very busy schedule, are out of town, or have visitors? What about other aspects of your spiritual life?
Or, alas, do you forget about Him?
Certainly, we should not expect our days to be identical. How boring!
We should not expect to be in control of what we face day-to-day.
We should see the unexpected as part of His plan for us.
Seek God First
But, absolutely, we must seek Him first.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
Plans and Contingency Plans to Seek God First
We should plan how we will seek Him first.
We should develop contingency plans when our primary plan is disrupted.
Keep Going!
We must keep going.
In order to continue his strength-training routine, an out-of-town family member constructed a temporary weight room!
The photo is an example of him making every effort to keep going.
Seek God first.
Press on!
Ok, fellow Christian.* Have you done or said something that left you feeling condemned?
I’ve been there. What should we do to restore fellowship with our Lord and press on in His service and towards His goal for us?
Prayerfully take these steps:
ONE:
Confess your sin to Almighty God.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Believe Him.
Believe that He is faithful and righteous.
Believe that He has forgiven you.
Believe that He has cleansed you from all unrighteousness.
TWO:
Step One is really all that is needed. But, since we’re talking about feeling condemned, here are three additional helpful steps.
Remember Paul.
Paul called himself a wretched man, practicing what he didn’t want to do.
“For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” (Romans 7:19, NASB95)
This is the apostle Paul writing, the man through whom the Holy Spirit wrote much of the New Testament, who was a powerful, godly, missionary sent from God.
Fellow Christian, you are not, NOT, condemned.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
Believe that if you are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. No condemnation.
THREE:
Remember David.
David was the godly king, the sweet psalmist, the one who was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).
Yet David committed adultery with Bathsheba and caused her husband’s death (2 Samuel 11).
This was evil in the sight of Yahweh. (No kidding!)
David was convicted of his sin, confessed, and was forgiven (2 Samuel 12).
Pray, for yourself, Psalm 51, using your own Bible.
Read and pray it again, noticing:
God’s lovingkindness and compassion is what makes forgiveness possible (through Jesus Christ). It all starts with Him.
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
Confess your sins
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Once you have confessed, and been forgiven, ask for blessing:
Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Determine to press on:
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
Remember:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
FOUR:
Believe that once you have confessed, God, in His faithfulness, has forgiven you.
Press on.
Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Press on!
~~~
*This post is strictly for those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior. If you’re not, see Becoming A Child of God.
A private pilot’s license is a license to learn. At about 40 hours, a pilot is a beginner, safe within good conditions.
I was a private pilot when I met my husband, an airline captain. I was shocked and sobered when I realized he was more conservative in a single engine airplane than I was. Oh dear! Lots to learn.
The question, then, is how much is an inexperienced pilot learning? When the pilot has 1000 hours, does that represent 1000 hours of learning or is it 1 hour 1000 times?
What is the pilot doing with his or her license to learn?
Is the pilot learning or coasting?
The same question should be asked of Christians. Are we learning or are we going over the same “hour” many times?
Paul told the Corinthians they were in the category of 1 hour 1000 times:
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able. (1 Corinthians 3:1–2)
We should ask ourselves about our progress in the Christian life. God is, of course, continually working on and in us. But we are responsible also. Can you detect growth? Are you more reliably walking in His will now than you did a year ago? Can you sense that you are more deliberately seeking Him and His will than you did in the past?
If so, keep on keeping on.
If not, you need to deliberately make changes, such as more regularly and deeply studying His Word, praying more, spending more time with godly friends who will challenge and encourage you.
Determine to make these next 1000 hours ones of learning.
Press on!
Enemies of God
We—all of us—were enemies of God, walking in darkness, slaves to sin.
Some of us, those of us who trust in Christ and have received Him as Lord and Savior, have been redeemed by Christ’s precious blood.
Redeemed with Precious Blood
We were redeemed with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:17–19)
Our redeemer bought us from the control of sin and death.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— (Galatians 3:13)
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4–5)
We were Hopeless without a Redeemer
We could not escape by ourselves through our own actions, nor can we rescue others.
No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him— (Psalm 49:7)
Our Redeemer Made Us His Own
We were lawbreakers, rebelling against Almighty God, and headed to judgment. But Christ redeemed us, freeing us from sin, and making us His own.
Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:13–14)
Christ suffered and died in order to redeem us.
~~~
Praise the Redeemer
I praise You, my Redeemer, for buying me out of my hopeless condition of enmity toward God, inescapably mired in sin and death. I praise You that You bought me, at the cost of Your own suffering and death, in order to make me Your own, enabling me to be adopted by the Father, and entering into a new life. I praise You that You, my Redeemer, will one day present me to the Father holy and blameless.
Please help me tell others of You.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. (Psalm 107:2)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
Harry-Mouse Durgin
God’s Loving Promises
We—God’s children, those whose Lord and Savior is Jesus Christ—“can joyfully live in the present in the light of the future, having learned from the past. Eternity is forever, and our problems are, in comparison, fleeting moments. The clearer we can imagine our promised future, the smaller our problems appear, and the more joyfully we can sail through life’s bad weather.” (When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready? page 99)
Studying, memorizing, meditating on God’s loving promises is a sure cure for what ails you.
Here’s one of His promises:
Glory
These whom He justified, He also glorified. (Romans 8:30)
The glory which You have given Me I have given to them. (John 17:22)
Glory Already Given
His Word states this in the past tense: He also glorified you. Christ has given us the glory His Father gave Him.
From God’s point of view, we, who trust in Christ, are in Christ, and He sees us through His Son.
From our point of view, since we are in time, our glorification comes when He takes us home and removes us from the presence of sin.
Our glory is a sure thing. Promised by God. Guaranteed.
This type of past tense is sometimes called the “Prophetic Past Tense.” Others talk about the concept of “Already but Not Yet.”
Press On to Glory
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:1–2)
We certainly aren’t glorified in our present struggles. But, as children of God, He sees us as glorified.
We can press on in this life knowing the certainty of glory to come.
Live in Your Certain Glory
Your promised, guaranteed, glorification is something to envision, and long for.
Be encouraged.
Signed copies of my book, When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?, are available through KristinPSnyder.com. Or they can be purchased as paperback or ebooks on line.
Lord! No More! Get me outta here!
Have you ever prayed that? Me, too.
Sometimes it’s appropriate.
Sometimes there is something better to pray.
Instead of focusing on escaping, how about:
Lord, help me honor You in this situation.
Lord, help me be patient.
Lord, help me be wise.
Lord, I know You’ve given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Help me use Your gifts.
Think about it.
TP Wars
Ok, really now…do you think TP should go over the roll or under the roll? Is this an issue in your household?
I’ve read that the “TP Over or Under Roll” is a battleground in many marriages. Even divorce. REALLY?
How in the world?
I’m sure this isn’t a problem among the readers of this blog, but you may know of people where this is a genuine conflict.
(Of course, the problem with kids in the household is likely to be replacing the roll at all!)
(And, maybe, you have a different battleground…)
Two verses:
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
Humility
Certainly there are many issues of more importance than how to position the TP roll.
But, the underlying problem is of immense spiritual importance: Humility.
Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, and, out of reverence for our Lord, humbly stop the TP war.
Have you just fallen into the same sin for the 49th time? I’ve been there.
Here’s a joke: When I sinned the same way the 49th time, my Lord said: “Great! She’ll get it the next time.”
Actually, of course, God isn’t remote, looking down to see what we’ll do. Rather, we are in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and God is working in us both to want to do His will and then actually to do His will.
God Never Gives Up
The wonderful, awesome, incomprehensible news is that God loves His children, never gives up, and will work in us until the day of Christ Jesus!
The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. John 6:37
This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. John 6:39
We may be faithless, but He never is.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13
He keeps on. And He keeps us.
Our Future: Holy and Blameless
And—one day—Christ will present us to the Father, holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Colossians 1:22
Holy and blameless! Beyond reproach!
God Won’t Write Us Off
God never quits on us. God never writes us off.
We are responsible for our sins. But God is at work in us. We will grow spiritually until we are taken home, to heaven.
Don’t despair, but strive to live more in line with what He wants.
God will not write you off.
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When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?
When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready? helps Christians not fear bad news, shows them how to handle current trouble, and helps them emerge stronger on the other side.
About me
I'm a Christian, wife, retiree, and author.
I love studying and putting knowledge into action. I'll share what I'm learning, encourage you, and urge all of us to press on to become more like Christ.
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