Grace 809

Dave and Ashley Willis explain the importance of having shalom in your home, and define the word shalom as “breaking the hold of chaos.” They encourage couples to manage conflict deliberately and carefully. They also explain why it’s important to break any “stranglehold relationships” – friends that become too needy -- that might impact your home life.
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God sent Elijah into the rocky, raw, and lonely land of the Kerith Ravine. He had no temple for worship, no faith fraternity for strength. It would be years before he enjoyed fellowship with faithful Jews. Preparation by separation. Purposeful silence and solitude are basic courses in Unbreakable Courage 101.

Jesus found his Kerith in the obscure days of Nazareth and the quiet days in the wilderness. In order to gather strength for the cross, he sought time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. If Jesus needed Kerith-like solitude, how much more do we? God’s invitation is compelling. From Psalm 46:10 (MSG): “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me…” When did you last “step out of the traffic” to be alone with your Father?

Read more Unbreakable Courage

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is MONDAY, the day we read from the Law. We’ll read Deuteronomy 4-6  I’m calling today’s episode “The Unified One.“

In chapter 6, verses 4 and 5, Moses is telling the children of Israel the great commandment, the one that encompasses all the others. It’s the commandment that Jesus quoted when the Pharisees asked Him which was the greatest of all the commandments. 

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 

Since Jesus said that this is the greatest commandment, we should understand it as clearly as possible, don’t you think?

We haven’t talked much about the concept of the Trinity on the show. But this verse seems like a good place to spend a few minutes on the subject. Many of you probably have a pretty good grasp on the idea of a triune God, but I know that there are some ls fam members who are fairly new to Christianity, and this is such an important topic that I do want to at least touch on it. This won’t be an in depth word study, but more like a 30,000 foot flyover view.

So you might ask, “What about Jesus and the Holy Spirit? They’re Gods, aren’t they?” No. No they are not. And what I mean by that is that they are not *separate* Gods. 

And this is where the idea of the Trinity comes in. Orthodox Christianity, or traditional Christianity if you prefer, believes that God is a Trinity, that there are three distinct persons who are together, one God. Not three Gods. One God. 

It can be difficult to get your head around, so let’s look at the word that was used in the original language, Hebrew, for the English word “one”. Here in Deuteronomy 6:4, the Hebrew word echad is used. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is echad!” Echad refers to a single item made up of multiple parts, also called a “unified one.” 

Are there other places in the Bible that the word echad is used? Yep. Let’s look at a few.

The first time we see echad is Genesis 1:5: The Young’s Literal translation says: “…and there is an evening, and there is a morning — day one.” It was one day, with two parts: evening and morning. Echad day.

Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Echad flesh

In Exodus 26:6 “6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple t

Transcript

Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read James 1-3. I’m calling today’s episode “Does It Show?.“  

James was a brother, or more correctly, half-brother of Jesus, though he was not a believer until after the resurrection, but he became known as a pillar of the early church.

After James writes his greeting, he immediately launches into the subject of dealing with difficulties. The Jews, believers in Jesus and otherwise, had been scattered, and under all sorts of persecutions.

James wanted them to know that hard times are meant to grow our faith.

There is no doubt that difficulties arise in every life. James wants us to see that God can and does use those times for our benefit. Don’t let anyone tell you that you must’ve done something wrong if you’re going through the fire.

And then he goes on to say that just hearing the scriptures is not enough. Don’t think that by going to church or reading the Bible, or listening to this podcast for that matter, is enough to make you righteous. You must act on what you hear. The Word has to make a difference in your life. You must take action on what you hear.

Then in the next chapter he talks about valuing some people over others, and how that is not what we should do. Each person has value, whether rich or poor, important in the eyes of men or insignificant. In God’s eyes, we are all the same. There are no celebrities in Heaven. 

James 2:14-20 has caused a lot of controversy over the years, but in my mind it is quite clear. The message is this: if you say you love God, but your life doesn’t show it, you are fooling yourself. To expand on that thought, if I love God, I am going to just naturally begin to do things that show the love of God. I don’t do those things to gain God’s favor, and I don’t do them to earn points in Heaven. I do them because He has changed who I am. If I am the same person I have always been, then I have not truly met Jesus, and I am still lost.

The example James gives is that of Abraham. He said he had faith, but until he showed that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, his faith was incomplete. It was only when he raised the knife to sacrifice his son that God pronounced him complete. And then, as James quoted from the Old Testament, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” And James said that Abraham was called the friend of God.

Now, don’t misunderstand. We are saved by faith alone. There is nothing we can do to ea

Transcript

Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle.

Today is Gospel Saturday and Acts 7-8. I’m calling today’s episode “The Message Spreads.”

Remember that I told you a few episodes back that we should be bold and strong, and that we should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit when He tells us to speak up?

Well, that’s what Stephen did, and he became the first Christian martyr. 

He spoke the truth. In answering the religious leaders, he told them the entire history of the Jewish people, and he let them know that they were not on God’s side. Their reaction to this was predictable, was it not? In today’s jargon, they were offended. But instead of running off to their “safe space”, they had Stephen taken out and stoned to death.

Listen, being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a guarantee that speaking the truth to those who do not want to hear will not be offended. It’s no guarantee that you will not draw the wrath of people who would harm you.

Jesus told us this. In the gospel of John, chapter 15, verses 18 and 18, He said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

And He also said in Matthew 10:33, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”

So, who’s approval do you want?

What happened after Stephen’s execution? The scripture says that “On that day widespread persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and most believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”

Widespread persecution. Sounds like a mob mentality cropped up, doesn’t it? Hmm. The authorities identified the believers as “the enemy”, and it became acceptable…and even virtuous…to persecute them. Where have I heard of this kind of behavior? 

But where the enemy saw this as a winning strategy, God used it to further the church. “…most believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” And then a couple of verses later it says that “The believers who were scattered went from place to place, where they spread the word.” 

They didn’t cower in place. They didn’t shu

Based on his book Making Your Marriage a Fortress, Gary Thomas helps couples anticipate and weather the inevitable storms of life. He says that they can grow closer to each other and God through these experiences. He provides encouragement and hope for couples who are currently struggling, as well as offering a preparatory warning to couples who haven’t yet faced a crisis and need to know that such crises are inevitable.

Receive a copy of the Helping Kids Through Life’s Changes bundle and an audio download of "Making Your Marriage a Fortress" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

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Gary Thomas offers some helpful tips for how husbands can meet the emotional needs of their wives.
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God told Elijah to “hide in the Kerith Ravine…I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there” (1 Kings 17:2-4 NIV).

Why would God do this? To protect Elijah from Ahab and Jezebel for one thing. The crown had posted an APB. Search parties were dispatched. What better place for Elijah to hide than in the rugged landscape of his homeland?

And God sent Elijah to Kerith to prepare him for the future. Remember, the world had gone crazy. Abhorrent behavior—child sacrifice, worship of idols, temple prostitution—had been normalized. God needed a steadfast prophet to stand against such a tide.

To prepare Elijah for his assignment, God led him into the wilderness. It was there the prophet learned to radically trust God. Call it divine boot camp. Be patient. God is working on you.

Read more Unbreakable Courage

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is Prophecy Friday and we’ll read the book of Nahum. I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “Beyond the Pale.”  

Nahum means “comforter”. There is comfort for God’s people, to be sure. But for Nineveh, not so much.

Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and the book of Nahum was written about a hundred years after God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn them that unless they repented, God’s judgement would destroy them. You probably remember that Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh to give the warning, because Nineveh was so evil that Jonah didn’t want them to repent. Jonah didn’t think they deserved a chance. But God is love and does not want anyone to perish, so He is patient and pleads with the sinner to turn from their wicked ways. And after Jonah was swallowed by the great fish, *he* repented and did deliver the warning to Nineveh. And Nineveh repented and thus avoided God’s judgement.

But now, just a short hundred years later, they are a truly evil, foul and Godless city. They are a great and powerful city. According to one description I found, it was 60 miles across, with walls a hundred feet high. Many thousands of inhabitants. 

In chapter 3 it was referred to as a city of bloody violence. In reading through the Bible, there are occasional times where we are surprised by how descriptive its language is. But overall, it is quite reserved in its language. Such is this reference to Nineveh. “Bloody violence” doesn’t even begin to describe what went on there. 

The Assyrian rulers were cruel in the extreme. And they were proud of their cruelty. Monuments that they had created to tell of their heinous acts have been found, and are now in museums. Listen to what some of them say:

· “I cut off their heads and formed them into pillars.”

· “Bubo, son of Buba, I flayed in the city of Arbela and I spread his skin upon the city wall.”

· “I flayed all the chief men who had revolted, and I covered the pillar with their skins.”

· “Many within the border of my own land I flayed, and spread their skins upon the walls.”

· “I cut off the limbs of the officers, the royal officers who had rebelled.”

· “3,000 captives I burned with fire.”

· “Their corpses I formed into pillars.”

· “From some I cut off their hands and their fingers, and from other I cut off their noses, their ears, and their fingers, of many I put out their eyes.”

· “I made one pillar of the living, and another of heads, I bound their heads t

Marriage expert Gary Thomas describes how a simple 5 to 10-minute adjustments can make your marriage better.
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