16 January 2022
Two-Minute Features | 23 January 2022 | 09 January 2022

What was the Character of Jesus Like on the Earth? (TMF:1770)

Friday, January 21, 2022
Peace to Live By: What was the Character of Jesus Like on the Earth? (TMF:1770) - Daniel Litton
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       Yes, Paul said, ““For those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” We become more like Christ in this life, as each day goes by, as we live throughout our whole lives. And we will ultimately be just like Jesus after we leave this earth. If we were to summarize the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, using the time he was here on the earth during his earthly ministry, how might this look? What was Jesus like? I don’t believe it would be possible for us to get a full summary of his character here, but let’s still point out some characteristics. So, first, we might say Jesus’ mission in his life was to do his Father’s will. He carried out the what his Father desired in all aspects of his life: his personal character, his career (what he spent his time doing in his life), how he related to others, and who he was friends with. In other words, everything about Jesus was filtered through what the Father wanted, or we might say, was approved by God. It didn’t mean he didn’t have freedom, or personal choice we might say. He just wouldn’t do anything that the Father would be against. And it’s the same way with us. God seeks to align the different aspects of our lives, or our personal characters, so that they look more and more like Jesus.

Trying to Understand Predestination, Part 2 (TMF:1769)

Thursday, January 20, 2022
Peace to Live By: Trying to Understand Predestination, Part 2 (TMF:1769) - Daniel Litton
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       Everyone God calls, according to the Calvinists is chosen by God and therefore saved in his or her time. We are going to get into this in Romans chapter 9. God is adding more and more brothers and sisters to the flock, so that Jesus himself will have these people to be his siblings, us. And that is why we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone. He is the firstborn. He is the first of all of us to rise from the dead. He was the first to experience bodily resurrection. And one day we will all be like him--those of us who believe in him, who trust in him in his sacrifice on the cross. And that’s such an encouraging thing for us. Differing views exist on this predestination thing, but what we can all agree on is that we need to share the Gospel with people so that more and more can come into personal relationship with God and be conformed into his image

Trying to Understand Predestination, Part 1 (TMF:1768)

Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Peace to Live By: Trying to Understand Predestination, Part 1 (TMF:1768) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, verse 29 of Romans chapter 8: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29, ESV). “For those whom [God] foreknew.” What is Paul talking about here? We certainly understand and are aware that God knows the future. No matter what time he is looking from, he knows what is going to happen in the future from that time. In the theological world this is known as God’s omniscience. That is, God has knowledge of everything that can be known. And this is where the big debate comes into play with the Arminians versus the Calvinists. The Arminians take the viewpoint that God looks into the future and sees those who will willingly believe in him, and then predestines, so to speak those who will choose him. In other words, God sees who’s going to choose him in the future and then calls those people seeing that they choose him. The Calvinists believe that God actually decides ahead of time those to whom he is going to save, and then he works to save those people as time passes by.

God Has a Will for Each One of Us, Part 2 (TMF:1767)

Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Peace to Live By: God Has a Will for Each One of Us, Part 2 (TMF:1767) - Daniel Litton
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       If God has good plans for people who not currently in right relationship with him, don’t you think it be safe to say he’s got good plans for us? It is so exciting to see what God brings about in our lives. Personally, I’ve been surprised time after time again by big things God has done in my own life. For sure. A practice I personally put into place a couple years ago is a running list I keep on my computer of these surprises at the times they happen. I call the list, ‘Big Things God Has Done,’ and anytime something good happens that’s is big and notable I enter it onto the list with the date it happened. It’s so encouraging for me to look back on these things from time to time and see what God has done. This is especially true if I feel I am experiencing a dry season, where it feels like God isn’t doing much. I look back on this list and say, “Oh, I remember when God did that. And when he did that!” and it encourages me that God still cares, and that he’s still active in my life. It’s good for us to remind ourselves of God’s good workings from the past.

God Has a Will for Each One of Us, Part 1 (TMF:1766)

Monday, January 17, 2022
Peace to Live By: God Has a Will for Each One of Us, Part 1 (TMF:1766) - Daniel Litton
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       Notice too that Paul says we are “called according to [God’s] purpose.” This means that God has a will for each one of us. Coming to my mind right now is one of my favorite verses, which is Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (ESV). I’ve heard people in the past say, “You cannot just pull a verse out of the Old Testament that was meant for Israel and apply it to Christians.” Well, hold up. Sometimes that’s true, but I believe in this case just like God had and still has good plans for Israel, so does he have good plans for us, as believers. I mean, think about it. If God has good plans for people who not currently in right relationship with him, don’t you think it be safe to say he’s got good plans for us? It is so exciting to see what God brings about in our lives. Personally, I’ve been surprised time after time again by big things God has done in my own life. For sure.