The Whole Will of God

While on the internet last night, I came across a review of the new CD by the Christian band “Casting Crowns”, so I decided to have a look.

The review was brutal! I have rarely, if ever, seen anyone who has disliked a CD as much as this reviewer did. He did not like the songs, the music, the lead singer’s voice or anything else about it.

Interestingly, his main complaint was that the CD was “too preachy”. He thought that the lyrics were too serious, too pointed and too demanding. The album made him think too much.

“Casting Crowns” is one of my favorite bands because their lyrics are deep and their songs are challenging. Don’t get me wrong, I like fun, joyful, fluffy songs, but I listen to “Casting Crowns” because their songs say something that is based on the word of God.

I guess I should not be surprised by the fact that someone does not want to hear what the Bible has to say. Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to a young preacher named Timothy to warn him of a similar problem. “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).

What is the remedy to this problem? Paul states it very clearly: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (verse 2).

I do not always like what the word says. Sometimes it demands things from me that are difficult or even against my nature, but that is ok.

We are still better off when we know, teach and follow “the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27) and not just the parts that we like.

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

Let’s play a quick game. Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God. Got your words? Good! Here comes the game part. I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours. David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching. How did you do? This is not a useless exercise. The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him. For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me. When I remember that...

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants. Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do. Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most. In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks. However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like! Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites. That is not true. They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog