Purity 346 02/19/2021 Purity 346 Podcast
Good morning and Thank God It’s Friday.
Today’s photo comes from yours truly as I caught this shot last weekend
on Gibbons Rd not far from my home in Stuyvesant NY. This section of road has tempted me to
capture its beauty before, but I always seemed to be in a hurry to another
destination. On this occasion, I happened to be stuck behind someone who seemed
to be learning the finer points of driving a tractor trailer and instead of
driving around them I decided to stop and grab this photo and to put some
distance between us.
This photo doesn’t really do the road justice. I love the way the trees
line both sides of the road like some sort of natural honor guard that invites
you to proceed underneath their upraised branches.
When I took this photo, I should have waited just a few minutes more for
the sun to move a little more to the right, but I think it’s all right. Sometimes
the beauty lies in the slight imperfections that make what we see unique.
Plus I like the anticipation in this photo, that makes you want to drive
into it and see that sun, up close and personal. As we drive into the weekend, I pray that you
find peace, rest, and rejuvenation.
Last night, I learned that an acquaintance just a few years older than
me had passed away. As odd as this may
sound in our modern area, I guess you could say that he was a guy I knew “from
the neighborhood”. Because of our age differences we weren’t classmates, but I
knew him from our community’s youth program’s playground system. I didn’t know
him too well personally, but he had a great sense of humor, a zeal for life, was
well known, and dearly loved by many in our community. His death reminded me again that none of us
can count on a long life and it convicted me to continue sharing the message of
the assurance of eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Lord blessed us last night at the discipleship class as the class
size doubled and there were new faces that had never seen the inside of our
church. I did my best to deliver a
message of hope and freedom in Christ and I pray that it was received.
I reminded everyone of that we had just begun the season of lent and
that the prayer for lent is to “repent and believe the gospel”. Repenting is
turning from the world’s way and turning towards God way.
The second encouragement is really what I taught on though, to believe
the gospel. The good news of Christ
coming to earth, dying for our sins, being resurrected is important to know but
we really have to believe the gospel.
Some may say “Oh yeah, I believe that” but I want to stress that we get no
benefit from just agreeing intellectually that you think that is true or that
its historically accurate. The eternal
life that Christ provides comes from believing the gospel personally, for
yourself, by placing your faith in Jesus.
Not only that, but believing the gospel is also believing that you have
been accepted, made significant, given eternal security, and given a new life
by having faith in Jesus: that you have been forever transformed by your
relationship in Him.
That’s what I’m teaching because that’s what I know. So I encourage all who see or hear this message to repent and believe the gospel for what it has done to you and for you.
This morning’s meditations verses are:
Psalm 117:1-2 (NLT2)
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all
you people of the earth.
2 For he loves us with unfailing
love; the LORD’s faithfulness
endures forever. Praise the LORD!
Today we share an entire psalm, as psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in the Bible. It also just happens to be at about the halfway point in the Bible. Psalm 117 may be short but it sure is sweet and it sure is true.
We are to praise the Lord for His creation, our lives, and what He has provided us. If we know the truth of the gospel and have made Christ our Lord and Savior, we have been called out of eternity to know the truth that gives us meaning, purpose, and life forever with Him.
The second verse of Psalm 117 proclaims the Lord’s love and faithfulness and assures us that His love is unfailing, and His faithfulness endures forever. Knowing these things about God and knowing that He has personally called us into His family forever gives us cause to praise the Lord forevermore.
Rejoice! Praise Him! Live in the peace of His presence and share what you know with others. The world needs hope, so give it.
I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share
insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters
in Christ with their walk.
Today we will share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Anger:
Facing the Fire Within”
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work:
The day begins like any other day, but ends like no other, for on this day,
he gives full vent to his anger... and, as a result, finds himself
running for his life.
He is part of a mistreated minority—grievously persecuted—not for doing
something wrong, but for being perceived as a threat. Raised with privilege in
the palace of a "king," he had been spared the heartless treatment
inflicted on his kinsmen. But watching the injustice day after day and
year after year finally becomes too much for him to bear.
When he sees one of his own people suffering an inhumane beating at the
hands of an Egyptian, Moses is filled with rage. He snaps. In an
instant, he kills the Egyptian and hides the body in the sand. But his angry,
impetuous act is not committed in secret. When news of the murder reaches
Pharaoh, Moses fears for his life and flees. (See Exodus chapter 2.)
When you look at the life of Moses, you can see both the power and the
problems inherent in anger. Has anger ever clouded your judgment to the point
that you reacted rashly... and lived to regret it? Ultimately, you have the
choice to act wisely or to react foolishly. In his lifetime, Moses did
both. Like him, you too can face the fiery anger within and learn to keep it
under control. In doing so, you will demonstrate wisdom because...
"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself
under control." (Proverbs 29:11)
I.
Definitions
Injustice Ignites Anger
Understandably, Moses felt anger over the unjust treatment of his
Hebrew brothers, but what he did with that anger is what caused all the
trouble. Moses allowed his anger to overpower him. Acting on impulse, he
committed a crime—he committed murder.
Although he was right about the injustice, he was wrong in his
reaction. His hot-blooded volatility revealed how unprepared he was for the
task God had planned for him. Consequently, God kept Moses on the back side of
a desert for the next 40 years so that he would realize that rescuing his own
people in his own way would ultimately fail.
Moses needed to learn this vital lesson well to become the leader through
whom God would accomplish His own will in His own supernatural way. In
truth, Moses had tried to earn the Israelites' respect by coming to their
rescue. Instead, his murderous rage earned only their disrespect....
"Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using
him to rescue them, but they did not." (Acts 7:25)
A. What Is the Meaning of Anger?
What had begun as a smoldering ember in the heart of Moses quickly burst
into deadly flames. Perhaps no one noticed the angry sparks flying from his
eyes, but his spirit was consumed with the heat of anger....
"Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the
Egyptian and hid him in the sand." (Exodus 2:12)
Who hasn't lit a candle and become entranced by the flickering flame? As it
dances on the wick, it is a delight to see, but dangerous to touch. No one
dares put a finger into even the tiniest of blazes.
Anger is much like the flame of a candle—it's associated with
"heat" of varying degrees. Temperatures are determined by the hues of
the flame, but no matter the blues, yellows, oranges, and reds, we all know
that it's hot, and if we hold on to it, we will get burned!
And so it is with anger: The higher the degree of heat, the more people get
hurt—including you....
"Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being
burned?" (Proverbs
6:27)
- Anger
is a strong emotion of irritation or agitation that occurs when a need or
expectation is not met. According to the Bible..."An angry man
stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins" (Proverbs 29:22).
- Angry
people in the Bible are often described as hot-tempered and quick-tempered...."A
hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a
quarrel" (Proverbs 15:18).
- Anger
in the Old Testament is most frequently the Hebrew word aph, literally
meaning "nose or nostrils," figuratively depicting nostrils
flaring with anger. Later, aph came to represent the entire face as
seen in two ancient Hebrew idioms:
- —"Long
of face" (or nose), meaning slow to anger..."The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love" (Psalm 145:8).
- —"Short
of face" (or nose), meaning quick to anger..."A
quick-tempered man does foolish things" (Proverbs 14:17).
In the New Testament, the Greek word orge originally meant any
"natural impulse or desire," but later came to signify "anger as
the strongest of all passions." It is often translated as
"wrath" because of its powerful, lasting nature. ...
"For those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow
evil, there will be wrath and anger." (Romans 2:8)
Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys:
Anger: Facing the Fire Within.
-----------------------------more
tomorrow -------------------------
God bless
you all!
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over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via
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