blogs@bereanbfc.org

Trash Talk

dduggins — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:27:19 +0000

King Ahab was a truly evil king — definitely not a good example. But you have to admire his comeback to the trash talk of his military rival, Ben-Hadad. “Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off” (1 Kings 20:11).
That could be adapted so many ways for modern life. “Let not the one who laces up his basketball shoes boast like the one who takes them off.” “Let not the one who sets up the chess board boast like the one who puts it away.”
Better yet — don’t boast at all.

The Path to Idolatry

dduggins — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:27:59 +0000

Did you notice what led two kings into idolatry? For Solomon, it was romantic love (1 Kings 11:1-3). For Jeroboam, it was political fear (1 Kings 12:26-30). Two different men with two different weaknesses, but the same tragic result. What weaknesses could Satan exploit in your life? What resources from God are you using to defend yourself?

Global Vision

dduggins — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:28:27 +0000

King Solomon’s prayer of dedication (1 Kings is remarkable for many reasons, but perhaps most of all for its missionary vision. On this great day for the Jewish people, celebrating their new center of worship, Solomon remembers to pray for foreigners — “tha they may know Your name and fear You” (v. 43). May we share the same desire — “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other” (v. 60).

True Worship

dduggins — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:16:18 +0000

Imagine you are the king. Imagine an army of rebels has driven you from the palace. Imagine they are led by your own son. As you travel east and look back at the city, with your mind full of memories and your heart breaking, what do you do?
David worshipped. That’s right — in the worst crisis of his life, while he was literally fleeing for his life, he paused to worship God (2 Sam. 15:32). That is the truest form of worship, to turn to God in our darkest hour and offer love from a broken heart.

The Importance of Romans

dduggins — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:49:59 +0000

As you continue your New Testament reading in Romans this week, I thought you might be interested in what others have said about this epistle.
Martin Luther: “It can never be read or considered too much or too well, and the more it is handled, the more delightful it becomes, and the better it tastes.”
John Calvin: “When anyone gains a knowledge of this epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture.”
John Chrysostom: “Romans is unquestionably the fullest, deepest compendium of all sacred foundation truths.”
Frederic Godet: “Every movement of revival in the history of the Christian church has been connected to the teachings set forth in Romans.”

Dagon vs. Jehovah

dduggins — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:02:38 +0000

It’s not easy being an idol. First, a fallen Jewish hero is brought to the temple of Dagon — and he destroys the temple with his own hands (Judges 16:23-31). Then the temple is rebuilt and the Jewish ark is captured in battle. When the ark is brought to the temple, Dagon “mysteriously” falls and ends up prostrate before the ark as if in worship (1 Samuel 5:3). Someone dusts him off and restores him to his place. But the next night he falls again, this time breaking off his hands and feet (5:4). It was an obvious sign of helplessness.

Both Truths

dduggins — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:56:49 +0000

Our readings in Judges are not just the record of ancient conflicts. In the midst of those descriptions of political intrigue, civil war, and foreign invasion, we also learn about the character of God.
In Judges 10, we read that the children of Israel again drifted into idolatry (v. 6). How did the Lord respond? “The anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon” (v. 7). But not for long. “His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel” (v. 16).
What a beautiful summary of the two sides of God’s character. He is angry at sin, yet compassionate toward sinners.
Those twin truths lie at the heart of the gospel. They are the same truths we celebrate this week as we remember the cross.

The Sickening Cycle of Spiritual Stagnation

dduggins — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:08:14 +0000

The Book of Judges makes for some sad reading. It shows what happens when a nation strays from God. As you work your way through the book, you will notice a familiar pattern repeated many times.
SIN — The people forget God.
SUFFERING — They come under oppression by enemies.
SUPPLICATION — Eventually they call out to God for help.
SALVATION — God sends a judge to deliver them.
SIN — Once the crisis is over, they forget God again.
The lesson should be clear for us as individuals, for churches, for nations. Stay close to God, and you won’t repeat the cycle!

Incomplete Victory

dduggins — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:03:16 +0000

The latter chapters of Joshua tell the sad story of incomplete victory. After the dramatic early victories in cities like Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon, the Israelites faltered with some of the remaining pockets of resistance.
“As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out” (Josh. 15:63).
“And they did not drive out he Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer” (Josh. 16:10).
“They put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out” (Josh. 17:13).
Something similar can happen to us in the Christian life. We win some initial victories, but through lack of faith and courage, we tolerate certain pockets of sin. It might be lust or anger or swearing. It might be alcohol abuse or gluttony. We all have some territory that is hard to conquer.
Let the example of the Israelites motivate you to something better. Don’t settle for incomplete victory.

When the Sun Stood Still

dduggins — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:56:54 +0000

The miracle recorded in Joshua 10 has always intrigued me. How exactly did God make the sun stand still?
Was it a planetary miracle — did He actually stop the rotation of the earth for a day? If so, many other miracles were needed also, to counter the incredible forces of gravity on the surface of the earth and the rock layers underneath. A sudden stop alone would probably destroy the whole planet.
Instead, maybe it was a miracle of light. Perhaps the earth continued its usual rotation, but God somehow reflected sunlight over the darkened portions of the earth. It’s hard even to describe what that might be.
However God did it, through one of these methods or some other, this miracle remains one of the most dramatic displays of His power. The God who created sun and earth can certainly alter their motions any time He wishes.