How to Cling to God When the World Caves In
I plead with you to stop reading, close your eyes for 60 seconds, and identify with that good man who was crushed beneath the weight of adversity.
Our world desperately needs models worth following. Authentic heroes. People of integrity whose lives inspire us to take God seriously, to follow His Word obediently, to pursue Christ passionately.
Thankfully, the Bible places before us a spiritual "hall of fame"—raw, uncensored, gritty stories of men and women sometimes soaring, often stumbling, through the incredible life of faith. They wrestled with sin, experienced God's grace, struggled with weakness, and overcame by faith. Their inspiring biographies have been memorialized in Scripture, not simply because of their faith in God but because of God's faithfulness to them.
These great lives from God's Word not only provide realistic portraits for appreciation but also relevant principles for application.
I plead with you to stop reading, close your eyes for 60 seconds, and identify with that good man who was crushed beneath the weight of adversity.
Call me old-fashioned or idealistic, but my passionate plea is that we restore the importance of character. It’s been buried long enough.
We’ve all said we would do something and not followed through. We started strong; we had every intention of doing it. And then, somewhere along the way, we got sidetracked.
The Bible is full of men and women who dreamed dreams and saw visions. But they didn't stop there. They had faith, they were people who saw the impossible, and yet their feet were planted on planet earth.
With the confidence and deliberateness of a veteran returning to the heat of battle, the seasoned warrior tightened the belt on his toga and took charge. He covered every base necessary for quality communication.
Human depravity leads to every disturbing situation we can imagine. Sinful people think sinful thoughts, which can result in sinful actions. Stalking in particular creates within us an anxiety, making us fearful as we attempt to cope.
Great character, like massive roots, grows deep when water is sparse and winds are strong.
Our Lord is full of surprises! His leading includes twists, turns, ups, downs, potholes, and drop-offs, which shake us up. The fact we can rarely guess the ultimate destination only adds to the adventure.
When it comes to temptation, our culture offers little motivation to resist it. Yielding is much easier than resisting temptation, but for those who yield the path of life is strewn with the litter of remorse and shame.
The story of Joseph’s life—his journey from the pit to the pinnacle—leaves us in awe. Few have known such highs and lows, and fewer still have lived a life so full of grace and forgiveness. If we choose to follow Joseph’s example, our lives can be marked by such noble traits, creating a spiritual legacy for those who come after us. What greater memory could we leave to those who love us than that of a life well lived—full of grace and truth?