TopekaStew

Our memory verse this week is 1 Peter 2:24: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." As I was working on memorizing it during my prayer time today it occurred to me that I should use this verse to teach my kids about the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Why? Why do I think it's important to teach them about the atonement? The atonement is one of the central doctrines of Christianity. Paul said, "I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." The tendency in American churches is to get soft on sin and not talk too much about the bloody atonement of Christ. A full understanding of the atonement will grab their hearts. It will inspire worship. If they understand who God is and why he does what he does then the roots of their faith will sink deep into the soil of God's love and they will bear the fruit of righteousness. So, here...

What does it mean to be led by the Spirit? How can I test myself to see whether I'm following his lead? One of the most concrete places to look would be my checkbook. Today I came across an anecdote that illustrates the point: "Allen and Jean Hitchcock decided to en their marriage of 24 years. In anticipation of the divorce settlement, Allen began to review the family's financial records. As he sorter through the files, he came across an old faded check made out to the hotel where he and Jean had stayed on their honeymoon. Another check had paid for an installment on their first car. He picked up still another check and remembered with fatherly pride how he had written it out the hospital when their daughter was born. And then there was the down payment on their first home..." (Howard Dayton, Your Money Counts , p. 7)." After several hours of sorting through such checks Allen picked up the the phone and called his wife. He surprised her by blurting out that he wa...

Today in my sermon I talked about understanding money in terms of the eternal reward God promises to his followers. Here's a classic quote from C.S. Lewis that well illustrates the point: "If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are halfhearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mudpies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." May God increase our desires.