Amusing Ourselves to Death?

Amusing Ourselves to Death?  That is the title of Neil Postman’s book that you can download the free PDF here.

I began to think about this title and the contents of this books in reflecting on this year.

My wife and I recognized how strongly we are pulled to amusement and entertainment.

Please pray for us as we seek to increasingly wean ourselves off to experience greater joy and satisfaction in God and seeking to advance his Kingdom through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As Christians, secure in Christ, there is no way to truly amuse ourselves to death, but the reality is that we can amuse ourselves to the death of others.   People are suffering, dying, and broken all around us.  Please pray that our hearts would be moved with compassion not to amuse ourselves to death, but the serve others unto death for the glory of God, through the power of God, and because of the Gospel of God.

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December 27 – Psalm 148, Malachi 1-2, 2 Chronicles 35, Revelation 21

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

December 27 – Psalm 148, Malachi 1-2, 2 Chronicles 35, Revelation 21

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• Focusing on Malachi 1
• God is the greatest King, the most worthy Master, the most glorious Lord of all
• Yet, the people of Israel (and we) regularly dishonor Him by giving Him so much less than we give to earthly kings, masters, and lords
• The people were giving to God blemished sacrifices, second hand gifts, when they feared not give those same things to earthly masters, fearing punishment
• But, just because God is invisible, they thought they could “trick ” God
• God would rather sacrifices to stop and the Temple doors to close than the people to continue to offer worthless sacrifices and incur increasing judgment
• Yet, despite all of the current people’s worthless sacrifices and dishonor, God is clear that He will be great among the nations because of His supreme character, power, and works
• God is the only Great King of all

How Points to Christ

• In reality, God is the only One who has offered the only truly unblemished and pure sacrifice
• All sacrifices in the OT were pointing to God’s ultimate sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ
• OT sacrifices were to be unblemished to convey the glory of God’s provision
• When the people offered worthless, maimed sacrifices, it brought dishonor to God and Jesus
• Jesus is the perfect sacrifice offered for the sins of the world

Apply

• Now, in Romans 12, it is clear that because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, the sacrifices we now offer are not to be dead ones of animals anymore, but to be our own bodies and lives as living sacrifices
• Yet, it is convicting how often we offer “worthless” sacrifices of our own lives
• Whereas we would hardly think about falling asleep on the job before our earthly bosses, we more easily fall asleep at church or in times of prayer and while reading the Scriptures before our heavenly King and Father
• Whereas we offer our best time and energy to earthly masters, we are so often tired and weary when we come before our heavenly Lord
• We are just like the OT Israelites, and just like them, we need to repent, turn to Jesus by faith, and offer up our best in worship to the King of Kings
• Please pray for grace and joy and perseverance in serving the true King!

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December 27 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Dolpo, Dolpa Tibetan of Nepal

Population: 5,300

Language: Dolpo

Religion: Buddhism

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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December 26 – Deuteronomy 34, Zephaniah 13-14, 2 Chronicles 34, Revelation 20

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

December 26 – Deuteronomy 34, Zephaniah 13-14, 2 Chronicles 34, Revelation 20

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• Focusing on Revelation 20
• This world is filled with so much suffering, injustice, oppression, crimes, abuse, and brokenness
• BUT, one day, it will all end!
• The seeming endless cycle of pain, sin, and suffering has a certain end point
• Satan and all of his allies will one day be completely defeated
• Often times, this chapter in Revelation has been so vigorously debated regardless the timing of the end, especially in relation to the millennium
• There are people who are post-mill, pre-mill, and a-mill
• While there is a place for those discussions and searching through Scripture to come to a view, we must not miss the truth that all the views have one thing in common – we are all PRO – mill
• We are all in favor and excited for the millennium, however it looks – because it means the utter end and defeat of our ancient foe, Satan!

How Points to Christ

• At the cross of Jesus Christ, Satan’s certain defeat began
• When Jesus returns again, Satan’s defeat will be complete
• Why the delay? – God’s patience desiring more people to be saved from Satan’s Kingdom to be reconciled into God’s Kingdom through Christ

Apply

• Please pray that the hope of glory would fill my heart, that I would grow in living with an eternal perspective
• Please pray that I would remember why Jesus has delayed in coming – not so I can indulge in the things of creation, but so that I can be on mission to proclaim Christ and call more sinners to repent and believe and enter God’s Kingdom

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December 26 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Jat, Sikh of India

Population: 11,025,000

Language: Panjabi, Western

Religion: Other / Small

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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December 24 – Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52, Zephaniah 9-10, 2 Chronicles 32, Revelation 18

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

December 24 – Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52, Zephaniah 9-10, 2 Chronicles 32, Revelation 18

THANKFUL for Vacation!  =)  Back to life with a little more technology.

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• Focusing on Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52
• We can barely begin to comprehend God’s holiness
• Seemingly “extreme” examples in Scripture simply begin to scratch the surface of how utterly HOLY, HOLY, HOLY God is
• At the end of Moses life, after all his faithfulness and service to God, he does not get to enter the Promised Land [why?] – because he did not obey God at the rock – he struck it with his rod instead of just speaking to it
• In 32:51 – God reveals more fully the seriousness of Moses’ actions
• It was an act of unbelief – Moses broke faith with God
• It was an act of attack against God’s holiness – Moses did not treat God as holy in the midst of the people of Israel
• (All sin is deadly serious)

How Points to Christ

• Until we understand God’s holiness and the seriousness of any and all sin, we won’t really understand why Jesus came on Christmas
• Jesus needed to come because of God’s holiness and the demands of holiness to punish with death all sin
• Jesus came with the purpose to die as the only holy substitute for sinful man

Apply

• Please pray that I would daily remember the seriousness of sin, that I would not desire to indulge in sin because I know God’s forgiveness in Christ
• True recognition of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection (all because of the seriousness of sin and the utter holiness of God) will hate sin and seek to kill sin
• Please pray that God’s people would take this seriously and increasingly be marked by holiness

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December 24 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Berber, Filala of Morocco

Population: 334,000

Language: Tachelhit

Religion: Islam

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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December 12 – Psalm 144, Zephaniah 2, 2 Chronicles 24, Revelation 11

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

December 12 – Psalm 144, Zephaniah 2, 2 Chronicles 24, Revelation 11

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• Focusing on 2 Chronicles 24
• I am so thankful that no human king or president or leader is the true King of Kings and Ruler of All
• Joash started off so well when Jehoida the priest was living and guiding him
• But, after Jehoida died, Joash descended into sin and treachery so quickly – including killing the son of Jehoida, the one who basically adopted him and protected him from death
• So sad that someone could swing so quickly and so sharply from seeking to honor God (repairing the temple) to rebelling against God and forsaking Him

How Points to Christ

• Praise God that no human king or president or leader is the answer to God’s promise to His people to rule over them with peace, grace, truth, and righteousness
• Jesus Christ is the true King of Kings, and His reign is not hindered by temporary human rulers

Apply

• Please pray that I would trust God and seek to be faithful in this fallen and broken world governed by very flawed people
• Please pray that I would faithfully pray for them in their governance and submit insofar as I am submitting to God in everything
• And please pray that Jesus would come quickly and establish His perfect reign for all time
• Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!

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December 12 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Gypsy, Domari of Iran

Population: 756,000

Language: Domari

Religion: Islam

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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December 11 – Psalm 143, Zephaniah 1, 2 Chronicles 22-23, Revelation 10

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

December 11 – Psalm 143, Zephaniah 1, 2 Chronicles 22-23, Revelation 10

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• Focusing on Psalm 143
• Times of trial and need are truly gifts from God
• In the context of Psalm 143, verse 6 jumped out
• The reality is that our soul is always like a parched land here in this fallen and broken world
• But, many times we try to soothe our souls with broken cisterns that can hold no water
• We sprinkle little drops of water on our parched soul, thinking the temporary satisfaction is a true one
• So praise God for the gifts of times of trial and need, when we more accurately see the state of our souls as in need of living water from God
• Only God can satisfy
• Only God is worth us stretching out our hands to, as we remember and meditate on all that God has done
• Only the steadfast love of God and all the manifestations of God’s love will satisfy our parched souls

How Points to Christ

• The greatest work of God is giving us true living water in and through Christ
• Christ is the fullest expression of God’s steadfast love
• Only Jesus will satisfy the longings of our soul

Apply

• Please pray that I would regularly stretch out my hand to God, thirsting for God like a parched land
• I am always in need of God, always-dependent on God for everything
• And please pray that I would joyfully and boldly and freely offer the only living water in this world to parched people

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