THE BLOG
Topic
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The Benefits of Gathering With God's People
I just read this interesting piece of research: “People who attended a religious service at least once a week were significantly less likely to die from ‘deaths of despair,’ which included deaths related to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol poisoning” according to research published recently in JAMA Psychiatry. The study went on to say “women who attended religious services at least once a week had a 68 percent lower risk of death from despair compared to their peers who never attended services and men had a 33 percent lower risk of death from despair.” (“Attending Religious Services Associated with Lower Risk of Deaths of Despair,” Mind, Mood & Memory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Vol. 16, No. 9, p. 6)
Election Reflection
At the time of this writing, there are still a few elections that have not yet been called. In particular, is the one regarding who will be leading our nation for the next four years. There is always an array of emotions depending upon which referendum or initiative did or didn’t pass, or whether the candidates we preferred were elected or not.
No matter what your reaction during times like these, we as believers can be confident about the following things which were true this past Monday (before the election), Tuesday (during the election), Thursday, and beyond (after any and every election):
Resist Distraction
For the past 10 years, AT&T has been running a national campaign called “It Can Wait.” This crusade is about motivating people to avoid the dangers of driving while distracted. They have invited people to take a pledge to never drive distracted. Over 40 million have taken the following pledge.
God’s Tool Box for Growth
Are you growing in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ?It’s a must! You and I are saved to grow (Col. 2:6-7), commanded to grow (2 Pet. 3:18), and equipped to grow (2 Pet 1:3).But growth is not automatic.The blessing of the Christian life is that the Lord gives us all the TOOLS we need to grow, but we need to use them.Here are a few must-have, must-utilize tools:
Never Forget
It seems like a big part of life is remembering things…your keys, phone, names, bills, turning things off, turning things on, etc. Some of us are better than others at remembering things. We’ve all seen or read the bumper sticker that says “I’ve got everything together, I just forgot where I put it.”
But we also know there are things we should never forget…birthdays, anniversaries, appointments, promises, and most importantly, the lavish richness of God’s grace and truth toward us who believe!
God is not a forgetter even when He chooses not to recall our sins against Him (Jer. 31:34; Isa. 43:25; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). The Hebrews writer makes this amazing statement about our God: “for God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints” (Heb. 6:10).
God doesn’t forget:
Clear Communication
Communication is vital when you consider just how much it influences our life experiences. Of course, God has a few things to say about it.
Let's Get Political
Hmmmm, I thought politics didn’t belong in church. Please read on.First, as the only Creator, God made the nations and kingdoms in which there are governments and citizens.Second, God views believers as dual-citizens who simultaneously live in two kingdoms (earthly-Rom. 13:1-7; heavenly-Phil. 3:20) with an allegiance to both (Matt. 22:21), yet a greater one to God (Acts 5:27-29).
Social Media Dilemma
Last week, I watched The Social Dilemma, a 90 minute Netflix documentary that was very alarming. In it, former social media company executives (e.g., Facebook, Google, Twitter, others) talk about how what began as a beneficial tool for society has now been transformed into a virtual addiction that is “bringing out the worst in society” (Tristan Harris, former Google design ethicist). The practices of social media giants have essentially made them the wealthiest and most powerful influence in the history of the world and are having dire social consequences in people’s lives.