Week Five Devotional An acronym for Bible is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The Bible is our manual for living and dealing with life on life’s terms. Because we are saved does not mean we will not face persecutions, adversity, hardships, or offenses. On the contrary, Jesus makes it clear that we are going to be persecuted, and told us in John 15:20b, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Apostle James in his letter tells us to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (James 1:2).
The Puritans of early America were always helped to remember the outcomes of erring. One such unique minister of the time was Jonathan Edwards whose mission was to change over and persuade his gathering of heathens. He did this through his intense sermons. In "Heathens in the Hands of an Angry God," Edwards utilizes a few expository gadgets that add to the adequacy of his sermon. Edwards utilizes symbolism to portray unceasing condemnation for unsaved souls.
One Life, by Scot McKnight, was an appealing testament of how we should go about life in a way that reflects God’s mission and plans for His people. The purpose for this book was so common people reading are, hopefully, influenced to live out their “one life” for God. McKnight explains, in great detail, of what God’s intentions are for us. He also provides the reader with many options on how to overcome temptations we face. This book was discussing several obstacles that may seem as a concern, but are also great descriptions on what every human may run into; however, it is also very clear in McKnight’s writing, that we can abstain from those worldly desires.
5: Experienced Christians have gone through trials and know there is a way out and that it only strengthens your
Christians often view salvation as a heavenly resting place; in reality, however, salvation is a lifelong journey that can bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth. This spiritual bridge can be crossed through faith coupled with good works. “Bridge”, a short story by Daniel O’Malley, features a young boy who struggles to comprehend salvation as well as find his own. This motif of salvation is achieved through the use of biblical allusions which also help support the fact that the bridge is a physical representation for the motif of the path to salvation which the narrator fails to cross. O’Malley starts his story with two biblical allusions, “...but also about the flood and locusts and frogs and other plagues that had happened before and could happen again…(192).
Mary was the Mother of God, meaning she is the human who can lead us the closest to Christ. In chapter 8 of The Enduring Faith & Timeless Truths of Fulton Sheen by Dr. Mark Zia, a devotion to Mary is shown as essential to a relationship with her son. In reverence to this woman, Catholic-Christians give Mary the high form of veneration, called hyperdulia. Against what many Protestant-Christians believe, this is not worship, but respect for the woman who brought Christ into the world. A love of Mary is not only supplemental to worshiping Christ, but necessary.
Although the holy scriptures ask for obedience and loyalty to God, temptation overwhelms our body and our mind is tricked into committing sin. Many of us ask for forgiveness and try to repent for our misdeeds. We read the holy scriptures, we attend Mass, we nurse the sick and shelter the homeless, we do all that He asks of us but still our hearts are stained. The truth of the matter is that no one is left unmarked by “secret sin” (1254).
(8) Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. (9) Resist him, firm in you faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (10) And after a little while, God the of all grace, who has called eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Those individuals who have hit rock bottom or are in the pits of despair, truly need to not only hear the Word of God, but also need to learn how to apply the Bible to their lives. Connecting to these individuals is not only about teaching God’s Word, but also being a reflection of him. Exemplifying God’s love to them and
In an exhortative way, the author begins the narrative with the explanation of compromise and then unveils the strategies for motivating and facilitating compromise. Every chapter of this book has some discussion questions based on a particular subject, and after the questions, the author enumerates some related Scriptures. This Bible class manual examines topics such as courage, crisis, power of praise, time, faith, humility, and refuge. According to the author, true faithfulness to God is not seen only in one's determination to stand firm but in the way you do it.
John Steinbeck grew up in a booming farming community in Salinas, California; Steinbeck’s father was a manager of a flour mill, and his mother was a former school teacher. He had a comfortable childhood until his teenage years when his father lost his job at the flour mill and opened a feed and grain store that would fail. The Steinbeck family’s finances did not begin to stabilize until John Steinbeck was in college at Stanford University when Steinbeck’s father became the county’s treasurer. John Steinbeck’s own family dynamics have had an impact on the role of family that he establishes for the protagonist in his novel The Winter of Our Discontent.
The road to salvation is full of many obstacles and temptations. It is a journey that is an everyday battle between what is right and what is wrong. As St. Cyril of Jerusalem states, “The dragon is by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the father of souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.”
The ambiguity of the symbol of secret sin may reveal that, intrinsically, we are all sinners. Moreover, in Puritan society, death is predetermined—souls are chosen, before birth, to advance into either heaven or hell after they pass away. Those who are already predestined to go to hell, have no way to undo this affair. However, those who are predestined for heaven can fluke their chances of achieving this preferred afterlife—through committing unforgivable actions. Despite this, one may sin countless times in one’s lifetime and still “be eligible” for heaven.
People all around the world know of at least one celebrity who impacts their lives, whether it is by their appearance, actions, or materialistic things. Collin Palmer, college sophomore makes an argument that celebrities are just a source of entertainment fans are fascinated by. On the other hand, Deborah King, author of Truth Heals argues they have a positive and negative influence on people. I disagree with Palmer’s argument that celebrities do not have an effect on our behavior because they reflect upon children, people’s actions, and make a difference in the world. Changes are made throughout the society we live in by technology, people, or any other sources.
“The deep truth is that our human suffering need not be an obstacle to the joy and peace we so desire, but can become, instead, the means to it. The great secret of the spiritual life, the life of the Beloved Sons and daughters of God, is that everything we live, be it gladness or sadness, joy or pain, health or illness, can all be part of the journey toward the full realization of our humanity” Henri
