Proverbs 4:10: Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
Maybe you heard about the teenagers who died on a railroad bridge in Melbourne, Florida. The three girls were on the bridge even though there is a sign that warns against trespassing. A male friend, who was ahead of them, saw the train coming and shouted for them to jump into the water below. So did a fisherman who saw what was about to happen. The train blew its whistle to warn them. But the girls froze, and the train struck them and killed them.
Spiritually speaking, we are all like those girls. We wander into places we shouldn’t go. God warns us about those places, and we know his warnings, but we go anyway. It might be a place where we start believing things that are contrary to God’s Word, or a place where we get careless and neglectful about nurturing our faith through Word and Sacraments. It might be a place where our attitude gets so negative we hardly see how richly we are blessed in Jesus, or where we let our worries consume us. Maybe it is a place where we develop a pattern of behavior that is sinful and dishonors God.
Maybe it is then that we hear the voices of those who care about us. It might be God speaking directly to us in his Word or indirectly through fellow Christians who care about us. It might be the voice of our Spirit-informed conscience. “Run!” those voices shout to us. “Flee the dangerous place you are in! Jump to safety! Jump into the secure arms of your loving Savior, who freely forgives and gladly bears our burdens ! Jump into the safe place that is the sure and certain Word of God, for God loves you too much to ever mislead you, no matter what the world says about his Word!”
Those girls on the railroad bridge did not listen and it cost them their lives. God doesn’t want our failure to listen to lead to tragedy for us. So again and again his voice calls us to repentance of our sins and to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. God is not interested in simply ordering us to do what he wants, and making us fall in line with his teaching. He loves us, and only wants to spare us from harm, lead us to truly meaningful life in his Son, and ultimately have us by his side in heaven.
Don’t let a day go by without hearing the voice of your God in his Word. Don’t dismiss the voices of those fellow Christians who care about you, or even the voice of your own conscience within you. Don’t neglect opportunities to hear God’s Word in church. Listen to the God who loves you…and live.
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TODAY'S GRACE MOMENT 3/10/10: The Lord Is Sovereign
Thomas Jefferson and some of the other founders of the United States were deists. They believed that God was only watching the world and therefore not acting in it. God has a different view.
Psalm 103 says, “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” That means the Lord is sovereign. He acts. He is managing and steering and guiding all the world’s events to benefit the believers.
He is sovereign over sin, death, and hell and over Satan and all his demons. His plans will all be fulfilled, and he reigns supreme. The best part is that this sovereign king is your Father who is using his power for you.
Time of Grace Ministries
This daily "Grace Moment" is provided by Pastor Mark Jeske. If you would like more information or would like "Grace Moments" e-mailed to you daily, please click on the link. Time of Grace is an outreach media ministry that was founded in 2001 by a small group of committed, focused Christians. The sole mission of this non-profit organization has always been to share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible through the most advanced technology available.
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"We Preach Christ Crucified"
“We Preach Christ Crucified,” taken from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, uses texts from the New Testament Epistles to teach us about the events and people involved in the Passion History. “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God”
