Zondervan Inspire

Everyone Knows Two Things

From the Editor: I’m finding Faith & Doubt by John Ortberg to be an intriguing work, not like his usual fare, but geared more toward those who are searching for answers. He gently addresses questions many have about Christianity all the while presenting it as both reasonable and appealing.

Wishing you blessings today,

Keith

Every human being knows two things: There is a way we ought to behave. We do not invent this code; we only discover it. We might be fuzzy on the details of it sometimes, but we have a general idea of what it is. We also know that we don't live up to this standard. We all fall short. We need forgiveness. We need grace. We need to get fixed.

Every time people argue, they are implying that the universe is not an accident, that there is a moral order built into the way things are, because it was put there by Somebody, and that Somebody is God. The good news is that he is a gracious God. That's part of why I believe in God.

From Faith & Doubt

by John Ortberg

Any comments or testimonies today?

The Source of All We Hate

From the Editor: Normally I like to stick with positive inspirations, but sometimes you just have to speak the truth in love. We all suffer from the toxic effects of sin. We’ll all do well when we depend on the Holy Spirit to help us overcome it.

Wishing you blessings today,

Keith 

The word sin has lost its meaning in our culture. Wonderful tasting foods are marketed as "sinfully delicious." Sin is sexy, exciting, fun, and thrilling, and greatly misperceived as "something fun and enjoyable that God doesn't want me to do." We rarely think of sin as the source of all we hate in life ... of all that steals, kills, and destroys.

Sin at the core is choosing my will and ways, despite what God declares about his will and ways that lead to love and life. Basically, when I don't trust that his ways will get me the life that satisfies, I choose my will and ways — that's sin. To most, it feels like no big deal because it's the way of the world. To God ... it feels like adultery.

From Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended

by John Burke

Holy for Good Reason

From the Editor: Living a holy life is often like walking a tightrope. On the one side you have legalism, and on the other—worldliness. Only the Holy Spirit can keep us from both extremes.

Wishing you blessings today,

Keith

"God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8). If the Holy Spirit remains the forgotten one in our spiritual walk, we will fail to become the pure and joyful person God planned for us to be. We simply won't succeed. There is no holy living outside of the Holy Spirit's control. That, in fact, is part of his name; he is called the Holy Spirit for good reason.

He works deep inside us to change our desires from pleasing ourselves to pleasing God. He also uses the Word of God to enable us to control our thought lives. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can subdue the strong urgings of the lower nature. He is the only one who can break habits that have been repeated countless times. He is the only one who can overcome Satan and all his subtle temptations.

From You Were Made for More: The Life You Have, the Life God Wants You to Have

by Jim Cymbala

Any comments or testimonies today?

Receiving God's Forgiveness

From the Editor: Another great thought from Ann Spangler. She really knows how to get to the heart of the matter. Any other thoughts on this subject?

Wishing you blessings today,

Keith 

I don't like having my weakness exposed. I find it hard to look squarely into my heart, to have my self-illusions punctured. Perhaps by slowing down and allowing myself to feel the pain, not to wallow in it, I will be given the grace to recognize what led to my failure. Maybe God will give me not only his forgiveness but the kind of self-understanding that will help me break out of the habits and patterns that lead to sin. Perhaps receiving God's forgiveness, like extending it, is for most of us a process rather than an event.

From The Tender Words of God

by Ann Spangler

Loved Despite Our Errors

From the Editor: There really is someone behind the curtain at Zondervan putting these posts together. I'm planning to add a little commentary each time going forward to foster better understanding and hopefully stimulate a little conversation. If you're helped in any way by the posts you read here, then glory to God! There will be times you may disagree with all or part of a post. That's fine. Please express your thougths.

Wishing you blessings today,

Keith 

When we do make mistakes, it can be difficult to talk to people about those mistakes because we fear that we will be judged. This can lead to isolation and loneliness — after all, we have all made mistakes, and part of the desire to be affirmed is the desire to be affirmed as struggling people in process, people who are loved despite our errors. Without the safety of knowing that we will be accepted and affirmed despite our mistakes, it can be difficult to ever confess our mistakes — to friends, or to God.

From The Seven Desires of Every Heart

by Mark & Debra Laaser

Our Condition Is Not Hopeless

So when Jesus spoke of the poor in spirit, who was he referring to? Who is this misfortunate bunch in such desperate need? Everyone.

All of us have places that are filled not with the spirit of God but with the void of sin. Everyone has broken and disgusting spots in their lives that just won't heal right. Everyone fails. Everyone hurts those they love most. Everyone lacks the kindness, the courage, and the wisdom they ought to possess. No one is solid inside; everyone is deficient.

Jesus alone shows us that our condition is not hopeless. Just as Socrates knew that the only ones who are wise are those who know they are fools, so too Jesus shows us that the only ones who are complete are those who know they are falling apart. Heaven is occupied not by those who think they have it all together. Heaven is the refuge of the infirm and the mending.

From Seven: The Deadly Sins and the Beatitudes

by Jeff Cook

Any comments or testimonies today?

We Are Wired for God

Without forgiveness, our lives would be hopeless because our connection with God would be broken forever. Like buildings wired for electricity, we are "wired" for God. But sin breaks that connection. Without God's forgiveness, we would be like a city that has suddenly gone dark because of an irreparable break in its electrical grid. Because of God's great compassion and his desire to restore our vital connection to him, he graciously extends forgiveness to anyone who asks and who is also willing to extend it to others.

In the New Testament, Paul views forgiveness not just as the removal of guilt for past sins but as deliverance from the power of sin itself. The primary Greek word in the New Testament for divine forgiveness is aphesis. It is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that brings forgiveness for all who belong to him.

From The Tender Words of God

by Ann Spangler

Any comments or testimonies today?

It Will Never Lose Its Power

Only the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross two thousand years ago, shields us from the awful judgment of God for sin. We are not justified because of our good intentions. We are not protected because of our tearful appeals. We can, in fact, do nothing to merit God's favor. Only the blood puts us in right standing with him. In the words of the Andraé Crouch song that we often sing in our church, the blood of Jesus "reaches to the highest mountain" and "flows to the lowest valley." That is why "it will never lose its power."

From You Were Made for More: The Life You Have, the Life God Wants You to Have

by Jim Cymbala

Any comments or testimonies today?

Privacy Plus Time Equals Destruction

Privacy plus time equals destruction. The idea is part of our deep subconscious. If we are alone, it is only a matter of time before we'll be snuffed out. There's a simple explanation for why we feel this way: We were not made to be alone.

In Genesis 1, as God creates stars and land masses, oceans and ecosystems, he looks at the things he has made and, over and again, thinks to himself, "It is good. It is good. It is good." Then in Genesis 2, he creates a man, the crown jewel of his entire creation. This should be the culminating moment. God has placed in his beautiful world the one who was meant to become his son. But here God stops. He pauses. And for the very first time, when God speaks, he does not create something new. His words, in fact, have a hint of melancholy. Looking on the man who shares his breath, God says, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

From Seven: The Deadly Sins and the Beatitudes

by Jeff Cook

Any comments or testimonies today?

Walk in the Light

God directs his children to "walk in the light, as he is in the light" (1 John 1:7). This does not equate to moral perfection. But it does mean being willing to be transparent and sincere. It also means repenting when God points out disobedience, as he did to the nation [of Israel] at Gilgal (see Joshua 5:2-9). If we choose to persist in sin, we have no assurance that God will bless us. He is not our puppet. His grace does not give us license to live however we want. He expects from us devotion and submission to his Word.

From You Were Made for More: The Life You Have, the Life God Wants You to Have

by Jim Cymbala

Any comments or testimonies today?