Don't Trim the Sails
Don't Trim the Sails
Tuesday
"how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ."
— Acts 20:20-21 (ESV)
"but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
— Hebrews 10:38-39 (ESV)
— Acts 20:20-21 (ESV)
"but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
— Hebrews 10:38-39 (ESV)
Reflect:
To "shrink back" is to draw in the sails when the wind gets rough. We all feel the temptation. It's easier to talk about God's love than His holiness, easier to share a comforting verse than a convicting one. But what is profitable for people is the whole truth, including the call to repentance toward God and faith in Jesus. Notice that this truth was shared in public and from house to house. God's Word is meant to be proclaimed in the gathered church and lived out around tables and in living rooms. Hebrews reminds us that those who belong to Christ are not people who shrink back. By His grace, we are people who press forward in faith, even when the wind is against us.
To "shrink back" is to draw in the sails when the wind gets rough. We all feel the temptation. It's easier to talk about God's love than His holiness, easier to share a comforting verse than a convicting one. But what is profitable for people is the whole truth, including the call to repentance toward God and faith in Jesus. Notice that this truth was shared in public and from house to house. God's Word is meant to be proclaimed in the gathered church and lived out around tables and in living rooms. Hebrews reminds us that those who belong to Christ are not people who shrink back. By His grace, we are people who press forward in faith, even when the wind is against us.
Consider:
- Is there a truth from Scripture you have been avoiding, either in your own life or in a conversation with someone else?
- Where is your "circle" this week, the place where God's Word can be discussed and applied personally?
Pray:
Father, give me courage to hold out the whole truth with love. Keep me from shrinking back, and keep me living by faith. Amen.
Father, give me courage to hold out the whole truth with love. Keep me from shrinking back, and keep me living by faith. Amen.
Posted in Don\\\'t Shrink Back - Acts 20:17-38
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