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When Israel lets its guard down during a time of peace, its enemies will strike. But as the invading armies advance, God will step in and reveal who He really is. In this message, Pastor Lutzer unpacks God's sovereignty, terror, and mercy. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God—apart from His mercy.

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Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, where he served as Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is a prolific author of over seventy books. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on "Running To Win" and "Songs In The Night," with programs broadcasting on over a thousand outlets in the U.S. and across more than fifty countries in seven languages. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

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I remember the day we ran into some newlywed friends of ours. They just had that look, you know, hand-in-hand and grinning. The bride and my daughter started to talk excitedly about how the wedding went. When it was time to leave, I couldn’t find my daughter, until I got into the van.

There she was with our friend, the bride, and there were wedding pictures spread out all over the floor of the van. The new bride was talking about the ceremony, and the dresses, and the flowers, and who was in the wedding party, and how they did the vows and what happened at the reception. Of course my daughter was drinking it all in; she was delighted to hear it all. Well, of course, it’s normal for a new bride to keep talking about the day it all began, but eventually she’d better have something else to talk about.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “New Ground - More Than Memories.”

The Apostle Paul had one of the most dramatic spiritual, shall we say, weddings in history. The day he and Jesus Christ got together was unforgettable; that great experience on the Damascus Road. And he did tell people about that glorious day that his relationship with Jesus began, but he wasn’t content with just having wedding pictures to talk about.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians 3:13-14, out of what some might say was the mega-Christian life of all time. Here’s what he says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul says, “There’s always a new front ahead of me; I’m always pushing for something new in my relationship with Christ. There’s always new ground to be gained just like an Olympic runner.” His testimony was as current as yesterday’s victory or today’s Jesus’ challenge in his life. You can’t get it by just living in your spiritual scrapbook; all those wonderful memories you have with the Lord. I think too many Christians are still just talking about the day it all began…their wedding day so to speak. “How I got saved. Oh, the day I accepted Christ! Let me tell you how I accepted Christ as my Savior.” And that’s important, but there’s got to be more than that. Even if it was five, ten, 20, 40 years ago, some people are still talking about that spiritual wedding day like that’s all there is. It’s good to show people how to come to know Christ, but a married couple is in trouble if most of what they have to talk about is still just their wedding.

The question is, “What’s going on in your relationship today? How did this commitment change your life? How is Jesus changing your life right now? What’s the Jesus’ difference?” Not what happened five years ago or ten years ago, or the day you got together with Jesus. You say, “Well, we had this time when we went away together…” No, no, no, tell me about now. A marriage has to be built on new, current, growing experiences together. So is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our churches may be filled with people who have only had the beginning of that relationship, but there’s really not much after that in the scrapbook. And there’s not much going on today.

Maybe you’ve been living too much on memories and past accomplishments, old victories, and aging miracles. Paul says, “Forget what is behind; press forward to new ground.” Let the Lord touch you in a new way today. Every day give Him a specific piece of new ground, and then you’ll have more than a wedding to talk about. You will have a fresh, exciting, life-changing relationship.

The post Don’t give up on your doctor…but don’t forget to pray. appeared first on Key Life.

Our choices about having children today will very much shape our personal and collective futures.

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In a film about a vigilante crime-fighting hero, the protagonist seems to be waging an impossible war. Not only is his city overrun with violence and theft, but he also discovers that the police force, court system, and public officials are corrupt. He’s repeatedly tempted to give up on the city and leave.

Jen Babakhan experienced the painful journey of navigating her mom’s terminal illness — and found God’s comfort and peace along the way. She offers practical and godly insights about discovering joy in sorrow, helping children deal with grief, and anticipating a glorious reunion in Heaven!

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