Pastor Steve shares these links to stimulate some Thursday Thoughts…
What Good Can A Heretic Bring? … Jacob Reaume shines a light into a dark place and finds there, light. Jacob writes: “Scripture tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It says “all circumstances” because many circumstances, at face value, don’t present themselves as worthy of thanks. But when we understand that God is good and God is sovereign and God has promised that all things work together for our good, for the triumph of His people, then we know that face value is often not the true value of a situation. Behind a dark providence we find God kindly using the devices of the enemy to serve the good of Christ’s people. The rule applies just as much to heresy and error as to anything. Heretics smile as they spray their lies as from a flamethrower. But the ashes from that fire often fertilize the life of the Church. What wicked men mean for evil God means for good.” You can read the rest HERE.
The Devil’s Glasses … Barry York uses an interesting analogy of the deceitfulness of sin. He writes: “Rather, someone once illustrated temptation in this way. When you are being tempted, the devil sets on your nose a pair of false glasses. These glasses make the sin look so small that you view engaging in it as trivial. How does Satan fool us with lies so that we believe that committing sin will be inconsequential?” You can read the rest HERE.
Easy Lies to Believe … Social media can often convince us of things that simply aren’t true. Jared Olivetti considers 4 lies social media tempts us to believe. He writes: “Quitting social media is surely an option, one which many should seriously consider. But far more than needing to leave something, we need to return to something. We need to return to the Word of God. We need to hear from God more than we need to hear from our friends. We need God to tell us what’s right and wrong more than we need Facebook to tell us. We need God to inform our love and anger or else it will be shaped by forces outside our control. We need to be Bible people long before and long after we are #facetagramsnaptweeting people.” You can read the rest HERE.
