"Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons." "And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there." "And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons." "And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years." "And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband." - Ruth 1:1-5

PONDER THIS

Why did Elimelech leave Bethlehem? He was afraid he couldn’t survive. He left the house of bread with the wrong motive, the wrong method, and the wrong master. And what does he do over there? He dies. And what happens to his little boys that he was so concerned about? They die.

There’s an old story about a rich merchant of Baghdad who had a servant. And the servant came to him and said, “Master, I want you to give me one of your best horses. I must flee.” And the merchant said to his servant, “Why do you need to flee?” The servant replied, “I was in the marketplace today, and a sinister figure jostled me, and I turned, and I looked in his face, and I was staring in the face of Death. Master, give me a horse, I must flee to Samara.” The master, loving his servant, said, “Take my best horse and flee if you will.” And then the rich merchant went to the marketplace, and there he saw Death. And he said, “Death, why did you startle my servant when you saw him?” And Death said, “I didn’t mean to startle your servant; it was your servant that startled me. I didn’t expect to see him here. I have an appointment with him tonight in Samara.” Elimelech sought life on his own terms, but all he found was death. We must be careful not to do the same. APR

- What are some ways we might seek our own solutions to the problems we face in life?
- What would it look like to give those over to God instead?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out the problems you are facing today; seek to give those to God in prayer. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/give-your-problems-to-god

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” - Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11 is known as the great Hall of Faith because it recites the faith and resulting action of many Old Testament heroes. It begins with a description of what faith is.

First, we see that it is the “substance of things hoped for.” Biblically, we know that the Christian hope is a hope so real that it has substance in the present. None of the people of faith recited in this chapter actually saw the promises made to them come to fruition, but they so believed in them that they lived in the present as if the future were reality.

The word “substance” occurs only two other times in Hebrews. It is used to speak of Christ as the exact representation of God’s essence and nature, “who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person [i.e., substance]” (Hebrews 1:3). It is also translated “confidence,” “for we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14), and speaks of a deep assurance. Putting this all together, our text could then be rendered “faith is the essence of our assurance of things yet in the future.”

The word “evidence” can be translated “conviction,” or even “proof.” The word implies a logical, airtight argument. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof [same word as ‘evidence’], for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). This sort of evidence is something we know to be true, something about which we have such conviction that we act accordingly.

The first half of the verse brings a future truth down into the present; the second half commits our lives to that truth. JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16023/

"When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her." - Ruth 1:18

PONDER THIS

Have you ever gone out to dinner at night, and you and your spouse get in the car and say, “Well, let’s go out to a restaurant”? “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t know, where do you want to go?” And you begin to talk this way while you’re driving the car, and you turn this way and that way and all around town.

Last night I was invited to some friends’ house for dinner; it was a wonderful meal. When Joyce and I got in the car, we didn’t have to drive all over town. No, we didn’t have to decide at every corner we came to, because we knew where we were going. When you make a big choice, a lot of little choices are automatically made. In the same way, when you are set on following Jesus, you don’t have to weigh every decision along the way. You go in the direction He has called you. Ruth was determined to go with Naomi. A few big decisions take care of a lot of little decisions.

- How have you experienced the reality that the big decisions of your life take care of the little decisions?
- Where might some of your “little” decisions be out of line with your commitment to follow Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of little decisions you face today. Consider the way your big decision to follow Christ should impact these. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/one-big-decision-settles-the-rest

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," "always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.” - Philippians 1:3-4

The letter to the Philippian church stands as perhaps the most personal of the epistles, with Paul’s love for the believers being obvious. He expressed his love with heartfelt prayer for them every time he thought of them.

These prayers are constant in the sense that the Philippian believers were never far from his thoughts. Often Paul resorted to prayer for their personal needs and their relationship with God. His prayers are described by at least two Greek words of interest to us. First, he tells that he “thanked [his] God” (Greek eucharisteo) each time they came to mind. To another church he similarly wrote, “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 1:4). The word implies a sincere statement of genuine gratitude for their fellowship in being with him in serving God and partnership in the ministry.

Likewise, he used the word “supplication” (Greek deesei), an expression of gratefulness for his needs having been supplied. Paul’s needs were often provided for by those to whom he ministered, and he was profoundly grateful. The Christian minister is enjoined to remember his followers with “joy.” Paul remembered them in thankfulness to God for them and to them for their response.

We should strive to arrive at a balance between our ministry goals in evangelism and ongoing care for believers’ Christian growth and steadfast doctrinal purity. What is the state of our harmony among church members, as well as our prayers for them? JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16022/

So much of what Catholics promote just feels very show-off-y rather than a humble desire to worship and witness. It's not a contest and it's very odd to brag and insult like that.

Hello all. I was cruising the Orthodoxy sub and came across a confusing post. It seems that some Catholics and Orthodox believe that Muslims worship the same God as Christians but in their own way. Q.v. Vatican II and Kyril of Moscow. Yes, there is a language difference where allah is both the Arabic word for god and Allah is the name for the Muslim god, with no capital letter distinction. Arabic speaking Christians may worship God under this name, but they are worshiping the true God as do other Christians. Is this Allah as worshipped by Muslims not a false god insofar as "he" is not the Triune God worshipped by Christians, not even being God as present/described in the Old Testament before the incarnation of Jesus?

I was raised in the Baptist and Lutheran churches and would never imagine anyone in those churches saying something like this (Muslims worship God but incorrectly). There's ecumenism within Christianity and there's interfaith dialogue, but this seems like syncretism to me. Are there any denominations that do hold a belief similar to some Catholics and Orthodox as referenced, and might have a document that explains it better than a common redditor? Here is the original post if interested, including quite a bit from someone who identified as an Orthodox priest.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/s/5tOUReiR8A

"He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad." - Matthew 12:30

PONDER THIS

I was witnessing on the streets of Pensacola, Florida, one time, and I saw two girls I’d never seen before. I said, “May I have a moment of your time?” They said, “Yes.” And I explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these two young ladies. They both seemed to be under conviction, so I asked one young lady, “Would you like to pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be your Lord and Saviour today?” She said, “Yes I would,” and I prayed with her, and she gave her heart to Jesus. And then I asked the other young lady, “Would you like to receive Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord?” She said, “I’m not ready to do that right now.” I said, “Well, now is the accepted time. There’ll never be a better time, and why don’t you give your heart to Jesus?” She said, “I just don’t want to make a decision right now.” I said, “Well, listen, if you don’t accept Christ, you’re rejecting Christ.” “Oh,” she said, “I would never reject Christ.” She didn’t understand that to refuse Christ is to reject Christ. Not to accept Him is to deny Him. And today, you’ll either say, yes or no to Jesus Christ. Do you understand that?

- What does it mean that if you are not with Jesus, you are against Him?
- How does every person have a decision to make regarding Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Have a conversation with another person regarding the decision everyone has to make with Jesus. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/there-is-no-neutral-ground-with-jesus

Revelation 12:1-2

[1] And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. [2] She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

My heart is leaning more towards the Catholic Church lately, but Protestantism has so much beauty to it in its theology.

I also think the Protestant Reformation was a good thing, and Martin Luther was wrongfully excommunicated given the Council of Trent did correct some of the errors he pointed out in his 95 thesis.

And I fear if I become Catholic I don’t know if saying he was wrongfully excommunicated would be a heresy.

It’s I guess I want to be able defend facts; and I want to ensure in life I make the right choice for my own walk with God.

I come from a non-denom background and realized my church is schismatic and hurting the Body of Christ thus my quench for a more High Church setting or at least one that is accurate and allowed to exist such as the Protestant Denominations since they were wrongfully excommunicated and are valid.

How do protestants explain Luke 1:34?
³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

If you deny Mary's perpetual virginity - why would she be surprised? How will it come to pass? it's obvious! You will get to know your husband, and then conceive. Only one who had never any intention of consummating her marriage would be troubled by such a proposition, and ask how it might come to pass.

I just don't see how you can biblically support the idea that Mary was not Evervirgin, unless you say she sinned and broke that oath, which... wow! If the Mother of God did something like that, I think it would be noted in Scripture, I cannot imagine it falling by the wayside.

Anyway, would love your thoughts on this

“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem . . . to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.” - II Chronicles 20:17

The Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites had organized “a great multitude” seeking to destroy Judah under King Jehoshaphat. But the king and his people came together to “seek the LORD” in prayer for deliverance, and God answered. “The Spirit of the LORD” spoke through Jahaziel, assuring them that “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (see II Chronicles 20:2, 4, 14–15).

Then the Lord sent what may have seemed a strange instruction. “Stand ye still,” He said. Just watch God do it! And He did. All their enemies were constrained by the Lord to fight and destroy each other, without the Israelites having to fight at all. Similarly, at the Red Sea when everything looked hopeless, “Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13). So, they did, and all Pharaoh’s armies were overthrown in the midst of the sea.

In Isaiah’s day, when Israel was tempted to call on pagan Egypt for help against pagan Assyria, God said concerning Israel’s armies, “Their strength is to sit still” (Isaiah 30:7). As the ship was being buffeted in the storm and the sailors in panic were about to flee in the lifeboat, Paul said, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31). So, they stayed, and God spared every man.

There are times for action, of course, but the principle is this. When we have done all we can, and the situation seems hopeless, this is the time to sit still and trust God to work it out in His own good way. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? God specializes in things thought impossible! HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16021/

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended." - John 16:1

PONDER THIS

What causes people to develop a grudge against God? Some possibilities are persecution, disappointment, rebuke, resentment at being rebuked, and envy at how somebody else is being blessed. The Lord Jesus knows we all have this tendency to resent God. In John 16:1-4, Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended." "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." "And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me." "But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

Jesus was saying, “I’m going to Heaven. I’m leaving you here. Don’t get offended.” If you’ve got a grudge against God, tell God about it. If you’ve got honest questions, bring them to God. Don’t come to the Lord with false expectations. You say, “Pastor, I thought it was wonderful to serve Jesus.” It is. If I had a thousand lives, I’d give every one of them to Jesus Christ. I’m not disappointed in Jesus, but I don’t want to carry a grudge because of any false expectations.

- What are examples of false expectations a person might have of God?
- What are some specific false expectations you may have of God?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time today to confess any false expectations you have of God. Ask Him to help you release these so that you won’t hold a grudge against Him. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/dont-carry-a-grudge-against-god

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” - Mark 1:35

One of the best ways to meet the Lord is to rise up early in the morning, before activities of the day can interfere. This apparently was the practice of Jesus Himself.

There are also many other occurrences in the Bible: “Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD” (Genesis 19:27). In order to set up an altar, “Jacob rose up early in the morning” (Genesis 28:18). When Moses gave the people the laws of God, he “wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill” (Exodus 24:4). Later, when he was to receive the commandments a second time, “Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai” (Exodus 34:4). “Joshua rose early in the morning” to lead Israel over the Jordan and to capture Jericho, and to take Ai, “Joshua rose up early in the morning” (Joshua 3:1; 6:12; 8:10).

During the time of the Judges, Gideon “rose up early on the morrow” to prove God’s will through putting out the fleece (Judges 6:38). Hannah and Elkanah, in praying for the son who would later become Samuel, “rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD” (I Samuel 1:19).

No doubt there are justifiable exceptions, but late sleeping is in general not a good thing. “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? . . . he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Proverbs 6:9; 10:5). It is good to seek the Lord early each day. “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me” (Proverbs 8:17). “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16008/

This post is mainly for Catholics who have transitioned into Protestants. I was born and raised catholic and before I became a Protestant, I felt very restrained in Catholicism. And there were things that did not sit well with me. This was because of several reasons which I will list below

Reason 1: There is no such thing as Mortal sin and Venial sin. A sin is a sin. Either way it is breaking god’s law and disobeying him. Now in the eyes of the law, it may be different, some things are worse than others, but in god eyes a sin is a sin regardless of what sin it was

Reason 2: According to Catholics, if you commit a mortal sin, you cannot be forgiven unless you go to a priest. What doesn’t sit well with me on this is why are we going to a priest for forgiveness when we can just go directly to Jesus? It’s like asking someone to pray for you when we can just pray for ourselves. At the end of the day, we sinned against Jesus, we did not against the priest. Therefore we should be going to Jesus to forgive us. The priest is just any other man who is a sinner like any other person. I’m not saying we shouldn’t respect priests, I’m just saying It’s not necessary to go to one for forgiveness.

Reason 3: According to Catholics, if we miss mass on Sunday without a valid reason, it is considered a mortal sin. Now first of all like I said above. There is no Venial sin and Mortal sin. Sin is sin regardless of what it is. Second of all, if we just took a moment to think about this, why would god send us to hell for not going to church? Regardless of what the reason is why we didn’t go, he’s not gonna say “oh, he didn’t go to church so I’m taking his name of the book of life.” That just doesn’t make sense to me. Another thing is I feel like people misunderstand church a lot. Let me just be clear. The Holy Spirit has a vessel, and that vessel is you. If you are a true follower and worrier of Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit doesn’t live in a church, It doesn’t live in a building. It lives inside of you. Your home could be church if you wanted it to be.

A post where people can post topics they wish for others to pray about, and where people can come and find topics and users to pray for.

"Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples," "and said unto him, 'Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?'" - Matthew 11:2-3

PONDER THIS

At the beginning of Matthew 11, John was in prison and sent messengers to ask if Jesus was the promised One of God. Jesus knew John’s heart and did not mistake the moment for the man. Jesus knew John had an honest doubt—John asked an honest question, and he got an honest answer. And look at the tribute Jesus paid to John in verse 11: “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” And John the Baptist continued to serve the Lord up to the point of giving his head for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do you know what real faith is? Real faith is not receiving from God what you want; real faith is accepting from God what He gives. Learn that and you won’t get offended at God. If things don’t work out like you think they should—if you’re serving God but you end up in a dungeon—just remember that God is God. He is good, and He is in control.

- How does today’s devotion remind you that you can bring your honest questions before Jesus?
- What question do you need to bring before Him today?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time today to journal and write out questions you want to ask God. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/still-good-still-in-control

“The same [a demon-possessed servant girl] followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” - Acts 16:17

Paul and Luke first witnessed to European unbelievers in Philippi and saw them wonderfully converted (v. 14), but a young soothsayer continually interrupted them, mocking and interfering. Paul cast out the controlling spirit of divination (v. 18), denying her owners their source of income. In retribution, they convinced the city leaders to have them brutally flogged and thrown into the innermost prison (v. 24).

But God had other plans. A mighty earthquake seemingly freed them, causing the jailer to prefer suicide rather than face capital charges for his offense. Paul intervened, and the jailer desperately pled, “What must I do to be saved?” (v. 30).

What would cause a Roman official in a decidedly pagan culture, who had heard little (if anything) of the truth, to abruptly turn to God for salvation? Certainly the earthquake had captured his attention, as had Paul’s behavior through his trial and abuse. But what made him think the truth was with Paul? Why did he ask for salvation from an incarcerated prisoner?

Perhaps during the trial he had heard of the slave girl’s testimony. In our text she had exclaimed, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” Was this ringing testimony, given in derision but heard nonetheless, involved in his decision?

We can’t know for sure, but we do know that this was the introduction of the gospel to Europe. Surely God’s ultimate plan can be seen in the events at Philippi that day. Even the unknowing truth from a demonic soothsayer contained lasting truth. Christians should never hesitate to declare gospel truth, for God will not allow it to go unheeded (Isaiah 55:11). JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16007/

Sorry for mi Bad English ;_; okay so Hi, I have a few questions. I want to become an Anglican Protestant—specifically, I am non-denominational right now. I’ve been watching TikToks about Anglican, Protestant, and Lutheran churches, as well as their lore. However, I always see comments from Catholics saying that we are heretics and stuff like that, which made me doubt Protestantism itself. I also have doubts about papal authority and some 'espinological' [ecclesiological] doubts about confessing to a priest and things like that, and whether the whole Protestant branch is heretic and wrong in its... I don't really know what heretic means and i wanna become protestant because i really like this and cw Lewis is anglican but i'm new and sadly mi tiktok fyp it's about catolicism saying anglican church was Made bye a fat obysp what whant a divorcie and the pope dint give him and why You don't follow o are catholicism

"Jesus saith unto him, 'Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.'" - John 20:29

PONDER THIS

Suppose you’ve saved all your life for a vacation. The time for your trip has finally come, and you’re in Hawaii. You’re in the finest hotel. You and your spouse are celebrating without a care in the world. The weather is perfect. The food is sumptuous. You’re having a wonderful time. And let’s suppose that you’ve left your children home in the care of someone else, and one of your children is in an automobile accident while you’re in Hawaii. Would you want to know about it? Would you want somebody to get on the phone and call you and mess up your vacation? Or would you say, “Don’t bother me. We’re having a wonderful time. Yes, I understand that my child has been hurt, but I don’t want to know about it.” Every parent knows the answer, right? “Yes, I want to know. Forget the vacation.”

That’s why Jesus left Heaven. He could have said, “I just don’t want to know. I just don’t care.” But He’s a God of love. And He loved us so much that He stepped out of glory. He loved us so much that He walked the dusty shores and the streets of Nazareth and the sandy beach of Galilee. He loved us so much that He carried the cross to Golgotha and died in agony and blood. And those scars Thomas saw there in His hands say that He’s a saving God. He has paid for our sins with His own blood.

- How do the actions and work of Jesus show you how much God loves you?
- How does imagining the scenario of loving earthly parents help you see God’s love for you?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time to read John 18–20 to see how Jesus’ love for you caused Him to act. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/he-loves-you-that-much

i am a chinese，my grandfather is dying now 。for some reason all famliymember only he is a Protestantism。my father instantly want use the traditional way to do the bereavement。it is hard to change.i just want know dose anything i can do for her like Protestantism should be.i am non-religious .i konw nothing about it even i search ed some information from the internet.should i read something pray for her. Don't ask me why.i respect the religiousbeliefs. I not believe Haven or hell.i just want he die with decent.any suggestion would be helpful.

“For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;" "to make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure.” - Job 28:24-25

It was only discovered by scientists in modern times that air actually has weight. This passage in Job, however, written 35 or more centuries ago, indicated that the two great terrestrial fluids of air and water forming Earth’s atmosphere and hydrosphere are both “weighed” by God’s careful “measure” to provide the right worldwide balance of forces for life on Earth.

Another remarkable “weighing” act of God is noted in Job 37:16: “Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge?” Clouds are composed of liquid drops of water, not water vapor, and water is heavier than air, so how are they “balanced” in the sky? “For He maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: which the clouds do drop and distill upon man abundantly” (36:27–28).

Meteorologists know that the weight of the small water droplets in the clouds is “balanced” by the “weight of the winds”—air rushing upward in response to temperature changes. Eventually, however, the droplets coalesce to form larger drops that overcome these updrafts and fall as rain. “By watering He wearieth the thick cloud” (37:11). The coalescence is probably triggered electrically in the clouds themselves, “when He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder” (28:26).

Although these verses are not couched in the jargon of modern science, they are thoroughly scientific and up to date. “Lo, these are parts of His ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him? but the thunder of His power who can understand?” (26:14). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.