23 January 2022
Two-Minute Features | 30 January 2022 | 16 January 2022

Discussing Predestination Again, Part 3 (TMF:1775)

Friday, January 28, 2022
Peace to Live By: Discussing Predestination Again, Part 3 (TMF:1775) - Daniel Litton
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       It means that since God had already decided before the foundation of the world that he wanted us to be his, that he also called us. This is where he extends the invitation for us to come into personal relationship with him, to be on good terms with him. I’m sure some of you out there are not thinking, “But if God chooses me to be his before the foundation of the world, how is it that I choose to come into personal relationship with God? I thought people had a free will? So, do I choose God or does he choose me?” The understanding of this concept of God’s election versus our free will is definitely difficult for us to understand, as believers in Jesus. I believe at the end of the day we have to conclude that God is the one who chooses us first, who draws us to himself, even though we do choose to come into personal relationship with him. I mean, just think about. In our fallen states, we couldn’t have chosen God because we weren’t good enough, we weren’t smart enough to make a choice like that. We were steeped in sin.

Discussing Predestination Again, Part 2 (TMF:1774)

Thursday, January 27, 2022
Peace to Live By: Discussing Predestination Again, Part 2 (TMF:1774) - Daniel Litton
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       Simply put, it means that God has chosen beforehand those of are to be his sons and daughters. It is as Paul told the Ephesian believers, “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4, ESV). In short, this is pretty mind-blowing. It’s an amazing thing. It’s not that one day God happened to look down at the right time and see us standing there, put his hand to his chin, and think, “Hmm, I think I’ll call that guy there.” No, God has thought about us before time even began, before he created the world that we are now residing in. He personally chose us. He personally cares about us. He personally knows us. The next thing Paul tells us is that God called those whom he predestined. This is the second part of the process. It means that since God had already decided before the foundation of the world that he wanted us to be his, that he also called us. This is where he extends the invitation for us to come into personal relationship with him, to be on good terms with him.

Discussing Predestination Again, Part 1 (TMF:1773)

Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Peace to Live By: Discussing Predestination Again, Part 1 (TMF:1773) - Daniel Litton
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       Romans chapter 8, verse 30: “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” What a big verse we have here to start us today. I was always taught, and the traditional understand of this verse is, that we have four things going on here, three of which have already happened for us, and one of which is still yet to happen in the future. Traditionally speaking, Paul talks about the fourth thing here, that of being glorified, in the past tense, as if he’s so confident that it is going to happen that he speaks of it in the past tense. Let’s go ahead for now and run with this understanding, and discuss it this way, though, there is another understanding I want us to consider in talking about this verse. We talked about the concept of predestination last week, and let’s remind ourselves of what we understand predestined to mean. Simply put, it means that God has chosen beforehand those of are to be his sons and daughters.

Choosing A Personal Relationship with God (TMF:1772)

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Peace to Live By: Choosing A Personal Relationship with God (TMF:1772) - Daniel Litton
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       He can accomplish through us what he desires and wants to accomplish. As long as we are seeking to follow him, he will cause us to be more like Christ, which obviously will result in us accomplishing good works for the kingdom of God. Jesus was “the firstborn among many brothers.” This means anyone out there today who doesn’t feel their in personal relationship with God, who doesn’t feel God is conforming them into the image of his Son, can change directions and come into personal relationship with God today through Jesus Christ. You can become one of Jesus’ many siblings, as many of us have already made that choice. As we’ve been talking about, the mission of Jesus’ life was to do the Father’s will, and he did that some 2,000 years ago when he died on the cross and rose from the dead so that all of us, anyone of us, who trusts in Christ’s sacrifice can have a relationship with God, be at peace with him, and live our lives in righteousness, lives we will thoroughly enjoy and be happy with. Go to God today in prayer and tell him you want a new life in Christ.

God Has Created Each of Us Different (TMF:1771)

Monday, January 24, 2022
Peace to Live By: God Has Created Each of Us Different (TMF:1771) - Daniel Litton
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       Again, we don’t lose our individuality, for God created us each as unique, custom persons. That’s the way God has designed people; there are all kinds of people with a variety of interests. In fact, in what God has gifted us to do with our lives, we are the only person on the earth that can do that task exactly like God has designed us to do it. You ever thought about that? You can do things that others cannot do, and others can do things that you cannot do. And God has an individual plan for each one of us. The point in saying all this, however, is that we need to stop looking at what we feel we can accomplish or not accomplish. We need to stop trying and instead start trusting. We need to look to God and realize that it is he who conforms us to the image of his Son—he can accomplish through us what he desires and wants to accomplish. As long as we are seeking to follow him, he will cause us to be more like Christ, which obviously will result in us accomplishing good works for the kingdom of God.