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We Love Our Widows
by Kim Moorehead
We hear the love and heart of God when He speaks of widows in the church and how we are to care for them. We see in Acts 6 that the very first ministry developed in the early church was to widows. The early church was simple in its approach with very few programs. There was worship, the breaking of bread at the Lord’s table, prayer, teaching of sound doctrine, and sharing of the good news to a lost world. The first ministry program we see was for widows.
God's Got It!
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (Victorian, Calvinist, Baptist minister) spoke these vivid words in a message entitled "Divine Sovereignty" on May 4, 1856:
“There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God's Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that Throne.”
Where did Pastor Spurgeon get this thinking and why should you and I as God’s children embrace it?
Examine Yourself
I hate going to the doctor!
I especially dislike those comprehensive physical examinations. The thorough inspection of my physical body and functions usually reminds me yearly of my need to take better care of myself. It doesn’t help when your doctor asks you those pointed questions about your diet, exercise, and rest habits. I can take the prods, pokes, and pulls without the stinging interrogation. But as we all know and appreciate, it’s for our good (isn’t it??).
My Three Favorite Perspectives
There are many struggles we commonly share in our sin-cursed, self-focused, and satanically-permeated world.
A few that stand out to me are guilt, discouragement, anxiety, and fear. Have you felt the sting of these crushing blows in your life lately? They can be incessant and oppressive.
The good news about our faith is God! He always has an adequate provision simply because He is the God of “all things” (Mark 10:27) who “can do all things” (Job 42:2) and causes “all things to work together for good” (Romans 8:28) and for His glory (Romans 11:36).
Here are three of my favorite truths that always provide a clear perspective when life throws me a curveball.
Justice Served
Few missed the announcement of the verdicts in Minneapolis on Wednesday against former police officer Derek Chauvin who was found guilty of the death of George Floyd. Mr. Chauvin received the presumption of innocence and due process of the law as our flawed system worked in a way that many critics thought impossible.
You Were Picked
Let these rich words by Dr. Michael Horton, Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary, sink into your mind, “A church is not a group of friends you’ve picked. It is a group of brothers and sisters God has picked for you.”
Have you ever thought about this truth? Take a moment and let it sink into your mind.
Now let’s think about some of the implications:
Never?
OK, were you taught like me to never say never or always? Why, I would ask my mom? Because it’s rarely true and doesn’t build loving relationships.
But wait a minute!
God doesn’t follow that rule.
Just coming off of Easter, I love what Paul said about Jesus: “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him” (Romans 6:9).
Check out a few things on God’s never list:
Always Hopeful!
You can virtually summarize hope in one word: resurrection.
It is claimed that humans can live a little over 45 days without food, slightly over 3 days without water, and about 4 minutes without oxygen, but no one can live without hope.
Researchers tell us there’s an array of debilitating consequences with hopelessness (insomnia, headaches, fatigue, chronic pain, increased risk of heart disease, weight loss or gain, nausea, inflammation, decreased libido, exacerbates chronic illnesses, gastrointestinal problems). Research also reveals some great advantages to being hopeful (reduces physical pain, boosts circulation, improves cardiovascular health which is preventative for heart disease).
What a Savior!
This next week we begin what is known as the Holy Week or The Passion Week of Jesus Christ.
The gospel writers record 45 different events, teachings and interactions during the final week of Jesus Christ between the Triumphal Entry and our Lord’s burial.
It is recorded in Matthew 21:1-27:66; Mark 11:1-15-47; Luke 19:28-23:56; John 11:55-19:42.
I encourage you to read through the Easter Week in Real Time as presented in this article by Russ Ramsey, or watch these short videos of each day of the week by Justin Taylor.
Two things jumped out at me about our amazing Lord as I read the opening few verses of the account of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem when Jesus is presented as Israel’s King (Matthew 21:1-11, 14-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19)