This is very good. Doug Wilson discusses justice, gospel-centered, compromise, and more.
“Who’s in charge of defining terms?”
“All of a sudden it’s possible to move to the left to the applause of the cool kids…
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Applying the Bible to the issues we face today.
This is very good. Doug Wilson discusses justice, gospel-centered, compromise, and more.
“Who’s in charge of defining terms?”
“All of a sudden it’s possible to move to the left to the applause of the cool kids…
Deliberately choosing isn’t a phrase you hear used often. In some cases, it’s because people have been convinced they don’t have a choice. Instead, they go with the flow whether it is at work, church, school, or the neighborhood barbecue. It’s easier to fit in and not make waves by choosing to deliberately do or say something that will alienate you from those around you.
In other cases, people believe themselves to be so harried and harassed they are convinced they don’t have the energy to make deliberate choices. So they also go with the flow.
Whatever the reason, the result is the same. By not deliberately choosing, you are still choosing. You are choosing to let others direct your life, direct your children, direct your church, direct your vocation, etc. By choosing to not speak up, to not acknowledge something beyond the acceptable narrative, you are deliberately choosing the path of least resistance – even if it doesn’t align with your beliefs and convictions.
It’s always worthwhile to ask ourselves if it’s time to work on deliberately choosing in some part of life. Is there a situation where we’ve been going with the flow and we sense God is calling us to stop? Have we been going along to get along because we’re weary, but now we realize we can’t do it any longer? Are there choices we need to deliberately make in order to have some aspect of life better aligned with our faith in Christ?
We probably all have some part of our life where we would benefit from making deliberate choices beginning today. If you need additional inspiration, here are a few of my posts related to deliberately choosing.
May God bless you as you make deliberate choices in the days ahead.
I quit Facebook in April 2018. I’ve never looked back other than missing some people with whom I no longer interact for various reasons. I’ve sacrificed quite a bit in making the choice, but it was so clear to me that Facebook was doing a great deal of harm to our country with their censoring and shadow banning that I did not want to stay on there any longer.
I’m sure my talking about how evil Facebook is amused some people. I’m sure others thought I was loony. I don’t care. I do what I believe I should do. Given what we’ve learned over the past two weeks about Twitter, I expect that Facebook will be exponentially worse when the truth about the government involvement there is revealed. Google (especially the search engine) will be that on steroids when it comes out. (If you don’t know what I’m taking about, you’re not getting real news and are completely out of the truth loop.)
A few months ago, the thought quietly came to me that I should go back on Facebook. I briefly turned that thought over in my head and moved on. The thought came again quietly weeks later and I discussed it with a friend a few times off and on. But I made no move to act on it since I didn’t sense it was clearly from God and I had no interest in going back on Facebook.
(Just ask David about how often I still rant about the evils of Facebook. I rant softly, but it’s still a rant.)
In the past few weeks, it’s become increasingly clear that God is telling me to go back on Facebook. I was in the shower this past week and the thought came to me again. The first thing that popped into my head was this bolded phrase from Acts 10 (NIV):
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
This is the exact phrase that instantly popped into my head at that moment. I’m not saying my situation is just like Peter’s, but there is a degree of similarity in terms of being directed to do something you find completely objectionable out of belief or principle.
At that point, I was fairly certain I was hearing it from God, but I told Him that I absolutely did not want to do this unless I was CERTAIN it was Him telling me to do it. I told Him I needed Him to make it really clear. Not out of a lack of faith, but because it is a significant thing for me to do this. I truly despise Facebook and suspect Zuckerberg has been a tool of the devil in undermining our country. Not as badly as TikTok and Instagram, but right up there.
(I’m not exaggerating when I say this is what I think. I believe everyone will fully understand what I’m saying in time.)
The next day He sent two clear messages from two different out-of-the-ordinary sources that had no connection to Facebook but were clearly meant for me that day.
(Insert crying emoji)
Why the crying emoji? I wrote this to that friend in an email:
Re: Facebook. I told God the other day in the shower that I did NOT want to go back on there unless He really wanted me to do so. I needed Him to be very clear. Within 24 hours he sent TWO more clear as a bell signals from not normal places about Facebook.
I didn’t fully realize how much I did NOT want to do it until He made it really clear I’m supposed to do it. But since I don’t want to end up in the belly of a whale, I need to get it done.
So I’m going back on Facebook. I have no idea why other than God has repeatedly put battle imagery in front of me in recent weeks so I suspect it’s because it’s time to do battle in some way. I have had no further direction regarding what I’m supposed to do once I’m back on there.
So I will be stepping out in obedience and awaiting further instructions.
An argument can be made that owning a physical Bible is perhaps the greatest earthly treasure one could possess. God has revealed Himself to us through His Word. It tells us of the gift of salvation. We can read for ourselves the message God has given to us through the ages of how to walk closely with Him. We’ve all seen the overwhelming joy and tears when Christians around the world receive a printed copy of the Bible in their own language for the first time. It is profoundly moving to watch. God’s written Word is incredibly valuable.
Over the past few years, I’ve grown troubled as it seems more and more Christians choose to use a digital Bible on their phone rather than a physical Bible. To be clear, I’m not making an argument that it’s wrong or sinful. In fact, it’s amazing that we can carry around God’s Word on our phone and read it whenever we like. But I wonder if it’s one more way we’ve embraced a technological convenience without thinking through what we’re giving up by leaving our physical Bible at home or even setting it aside all of the time.
In thinking about this a bit more, here are five reasons why I think Christians should primarily rely on and use a physical Bible every day. I also believe it’s important we model this for our children so that they, too, use a physical Bible every day.
When you use a physical Bible and make notations in it, it becomes a tangible record of your spiritual journey with Christ. How amazing is it to go back through your Bible and see all of the dates and notations you’ve made over decades? You can see where God answered a prayer or brought you to a specific verse or passage to meet a need. The act of making those notations in ink as part of your journey becomes part of your spiritual life story in a way that a digital Bible never will.
As schools are discovering, reading real books helps with learning and retention in a way that digital books and screens do not. If this is true for learning in academic subjects, it is safe to assume the same idea carries over in studying your Bible.
How often when you want to read something to someone have you said, “I know it was near the top on the right side” as you look for it? There is something about the physical and visual working together that connects in our brain in a significant way.
“You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy” is the mantra of those pushing The Great Reset. For decades we’ve been pushed to rent and lease everything. Ownership is depicted as a burden. Why is that? Because if you don’t own anything, you are always dependent on someone else. And if you are dependent on someone else, you are controlled.
You can be certain those pushing for The Great Reset would happily eliminate every copy of the Scriptures on the planet. Keep and use your physical Bibles as a reminder to reject the push to own nothing.
You don’t “own” a digital Bible in the same way you own a physical one. Digital Bibles can be deleted at any time as can digital music and other digital books. Yes, a physical Bible can be lost or ruined. But it is not the same as a nameless and faceles outside source deciding to delete your digital Bible.
Lastly, it seems the longer I live, the more I see how changes that were heralded as great and important end up having significant downsides. I suspect we will discover this as well with the movement toward digital Bibles.
Maybe over time we will discover that depending on digital Bibles trivialized God’s Word? Made it less profound? I don’t know. I simply know that based on observing history, we always discover the negatives we missed at the beginning. We’re foolish to think we’re any better than those in the past when it comes to assessing long-term implications of our choices.
So pick up a physical copy of your Bible every day. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. Meditate on it.
And thank God that you have your own physical copy of His Word.
Every day when we wake up, it is a gift. It’s a new day, full of possibilities. Yes, it is also full of responsibilities. Some days it might feel like there is too much on your plate, especially if your home is filled with little people at the moment! But most days are regular days filled with possibilities. Even a busy home filled with little people provides the opportunity to make a family memory by reading good picture books together. That matters.
What are some of the other possibilities?
There are possibilities to serve the Lord when washing the dishes or folding laundry. Demonstrating our love for the people in our lives by making something they especially like for supper. Taking the time to add a bit of God’s beauty to our surroundings in some small ways. Praying daily for our husband, children, and grandchildren.
The day is full of possibilities to use your gifts, your time, and your love.
Don’t allow the enemy to steal any part of this day. He wants to discourage you. He wants to distract you. He wants to depress you.
He wants to make it feel like it’s not worth it to put forth the extra effort to show love.
Don’t believe the lies of the enemy. If you belong to Christ, your day is full of good possibilities. Make the most of them and enjoy them. They are a gift.
Here are some places to find posts that might provide more inspiration to make the most of this day.