Suffering with The Savior

“It is clear from Scripture that suffering is a significant thread that runs through the story of God’s people. In Jesus and because of his resurrection, the saints long for the time when ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying of pain’ and God ‘will wipe away every tear from their eyes’ (Rev. 21:4). But meanwhile, believers suffer as people united to the Savior, who endured suffering prior to his glory.”

- Michael R. Emlet, CrossTalk (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2009), 77.

Book Review

I read the book "The Gospel for the Real Life" by Jerry Bridges a while back I immensely enjoyed reading it. When I first picked up the book to read I was not so sure about it, coz I had an attitude that, how can the gospel change my daily living. The Spirit convicted me otherwise and by the time I finished the book, I realized that I need the Gospel everyday. The moment I wake up I need to preach the gospel to myself, to keep reminding what Christ has done for me. 

Each day is different, sometimes we are extremely joyful other days a little sober. So how do I practically live out the Gospel everyday? By focusing on Chirst and His character. Thus you will be transformed  more into his likeness. By living a life that that is obedient to God's word, people will see the difference. As regenerated people we have to be a light to the dark world. That light has to be bright, to remove the darkness.(Matt 5:16) Therefore our lives also need to portray Godliness.

As I read the book it was good to dwell on the character of Christ. Jerry Bridges has done a good job at it and I would recommend you to read it and rejoice in the fact that we know Christ.

The Heart

We are studying the book of Mark in church and last Sunday we went through Chapter 7 where Jesus talks about what makes us pure or impure. His main focus was about our heart attitudes. In verses 18-20 Jesus says,

"Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

Here context is where the Pharisees were accusing  the disciples that they were not following the traditions that were laid down( the ceremonial washing of the hands). Where as Jesus is addressing the heart issues. He says what goes inside a person body( what he eats) does not make him unclean, as the body in its normal funtioning gets rid of it. But what comes out  of the heart of man (from within)makes  him impure.

(20-23)And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Sometimes we are so caught up in tradition that we forget to see what the Bible has to say about it. Therefore let us guard our heart and keep a close watch of sinful tendencies in our life. And the only way to do it is to go back to the Bible.