Vietnam police continue abuse of believers, illegal churches (OneNewsNow.com).
Archive for September 3, 2011
Vietnam police continue abuse of believers, illegal churches (OneNewsNow.com)
Posted: September 3, 2011 in OneNewsNow.com0
Clinic uses extraordinary tactic to trap pro-lifers (OneNewsNow.com)
Posted: September 3, 2011 in OneNewsNow.com, Pro-LifeWhat shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who
can ever be against us?
It’s hard to imagine better news than this: God is for us! This means God is
on your side. God is there to help you when you need it. God is cheering you on.
God is in your corner. God has your back. Now that’s great news, don’t you
think?
The rhetoric of Romans 8:31 doesn’t mean that we literally have no enemies.
At times, people will oppose us. More profoundly, in this life, we are in a
spiritual battle with sin and the powers of darkness. So, yes, there are forces
that are against us. But, when we consider the fact that God is on our side, the
power of our enemies shrinks in comparison. We have no need to fear because the
very Creator of the universe is backing us up. Thanks be to God!
Of course, the fact that God is for us does not mean that he blesses
everything we choose to do. God is not some blind force that we yield for our
purposes. Rather, the Almighty seeks our very best. When we get off the right
path, the God who is for us doesn’t send us on our merry way. Rather, he leads
us back to the right way.
When I try to understand God being for me, I think of how I feel about and am
committed to my own children. I want the best for them. I cheer them on. When
they go astray, I yearn to get them back on the straight and narrow. When they
suffer, my heart breaks. I would give anything for my children to flourish in
this life.
So it is with God, my Heavenly Father, only so much more. God is for me—and
you—in the most exquisite way. This great news gives us confidence to live
boldly for him each day.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you think of God as being on
your side? Or do you think of God as being against you? How might the truth that
God is for you transform your life?
PRAYER: O Lord, I’ve read Romans 8:31 a hundred times. Maybe
five hundred. Yet whenever I stop and think about what it says, I am blown away.
Not only are you “for” humanity in general, but you are also “for” me. You are
on my side. My side! What a wonder! It’s amazing enough that you even think
about me, that I matter to you. But the fact that you are for me in a profound
way is truly astounding.
When I face opposition, may I have confidence in the fact that you are on my
side. May I turn to you for wisdom, for direction, for encouragement, for
safety. Help me, Lord, not to be afraid, but to trust in you each and every
day.
Gracious God, even as you are for me, I pray that I might be for you. May I
live my life for your purposes and glory. May I seek to honor you in all that I
do, at work and at play, at home and at church, in my private life and public
life. In the name of Jesus, who proves that you are for me, Amen.
GOD UNDERSTANDS US
We should revel in the joy of believing that God is the sum of all patience and the true essence of kindly good will! Because He is what He is, we please Him most, not by frantically trying to make ourselves good, but by throwing ourselves into His arms with all our imperfections and believing that He understands everything-and loves us still! The God who desires our fellowship and communion is not hard to please, although He may be hard to satisfy. He expects from us only what He has Himself supplied. When He must chasten us, He even does this with a smile-the proud, tender smile of a Father who is bursting with pleasure over an imperfect son who is coming every day to look more and more like the One whose child he is! This is the best of good news: God loves us for ourselves. He values our love more than He values galaxies of newly created worlds. He remembers our frame and knows that we are dust!
