On his second missionary journey, Paul visited the city of Philippi. He and his co-worker…
Tag: sin
Overcoming addiction through Christ: I’m not an expert in this field, but I consulted a dear sister in Christ, Michelle Savage, who has overcome her addiction through faith in the name of Jesus Christ and is now a counselor in a program that helps addicts break free from their chains. In the video, I talk about addiction as a form of idolatry that stands between the addict and God and damages our relationships with others. God provides a way of escape through Jesus Christ, but sometimes family members and self stand in the way. Michelle shared a few Scriptures that help her fight her battles and I close with some hopeful statements for anyone caught in the throes of addiction.
Though our various responses to death may lead to different ways we choose to live, there is one response to death we all share: we all, at one point or another, fear death to some degree. The Greek philosopher Epicurus attempted to dismiss death: “Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And once it does come, we no longer exist.” While some attempt — and may well accomplish — to put on a brave face, all of us share a fear of death, even those who do not believe in God. Greg Epstein, a humanist, wrote, “For a Humanist, the mourning process begins with accepting that death is real and final and that, with apologies to Epicurus, we fear it. Our fear of death is not only normal, and not to be dismissed, it is part of the motivation we feel to live a good life now, while we still have time.” The bottom line is our will to live is strong and our fear of death is very real.
In Matthew 4, Mark 1, and Luke 4 an event from Christ’s life is recorded which details three temptations that He endured directly from Satan. While there are other places within the Scriptures that seem to imply temptations were prevalent in His life (Luke 22:42), only this occasion directly shows Christ interacting with Satan one on one. It is a very intriguing passage, because it proves to us without doubt that Christ went through the same hardships, trials, and temptations that we go through each and every day. Christ also shows us that with God’s help we can avoid sin. No one forces us into sin, and God’s precepts give us guidance in how to overcome temptation. Therefore, we are left with no excuse for sin. There are many such lessons we could draw from this account. I want to notice five important points that I hope will cause us to think about temptations and trials in our own life.
The concept of a birthright is important throughout the scriptures. In the old testament birthright determined everything from the portion of your inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:15-17) to judicial and familial position. (II Chronicles 21:3) In Genesis 25:19-34 we are given the account of Jacob and Esau. The passage that is of particular interest to us is found in verses 27 – 34.
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:27-34