faith – Page 2 – indycrowe

10 Contrasts Between Saul and David

Israel’s first king, Saul, had the royal throne ripped away from him and given to David. He rejected God’s commands, and God rejected him as chief-in-command. But why does God respond so firmly to Saul and so graciously to David? If both Saul and David were sinners, why is Saul portrayed so negatively overall in and why is David portrayed so positively overall?

Who was the prophet Samuel?

Samuel was “…the kind of leader that Israel actually needed. Their need was not for a great military hero or genius. God had demonstrated unambiguously that he could deal with their enemies without such a champion. Their need was not for a brilliant political giant who could organize the nation efficiently. Israel’s need could not be met by management abilities. Israel’s great need was a leader who would bring them back to God. They needed a leader who would lead them in righteousness. They needed a Samuel. And God gave them Samuel!”^[1]

In many photos of Samuel online (such as the one above from Amazon’s series House of David), you might get him confused with Gandalf the Grey. Both appear old, wise, travel with a nice staff, and perform some pretty awesome deeds. But who was Samuel in the Bible, or what was his ministry to Israel?

10 Things to Know about 1 Peter

Peter, the Apostle, wrote the book and refers to it in his second letter (2 Peter 3:1).
Peter likely penned the letter around AD 62-63 while in Rome (“Babylon” in 5:13).
At the time of Peter’s writing, the famous (or infamous) Emperor Nero ruled Rome. Within a couple of years, he would have Peter killed.
Although persecution at the time of writing was not yet widespread or officially sanctioned by the empire, it was taking place on a local level. Peter addresses these exiles experiencing opposition and suffering throughout his letter.
Peter wrote to believers scattered or dispersed throughout Asia Minor (1:1), now modern-day Turkey.
Most likely, the audience primarily consisted of Gentiles (see 1:14, 18; 2:10) who seemed to have been instructed in the Old Testament after their conversion. There is a lot of Old Testament theology and background Peter draws upon as he explains to them who they are, what Christ has done for them, and how they fit into God’s redemptive story.
The theme of “exile” is prominent throughout the book and gives us a lens to understand much of what Peter writes. Whether they were physical, cultural, or spiritual exiles (or all of the above), Peter wants to remind them to see themselves and their role through God’s purposes and plans rather than the world’s evaluation and treatment of them.
Another key theme is that while we don’t belong to this world we do belong to God, who has redeemed us to Himself (1:1-2, 18-19; 2:9-10, 25; 3:18). They are not just exiles, but they are “elect exiles,” known, loved, and treasured by God (1:1). Because they belong to Him, their lives display to the world what He’s like (2:12).
The purpose of the letter is to encourage believers to both endure suffering and pursue holiness in an evil and hostile culture. Peter will repeatedly bring them back to who their living Savior is and who they now are in Him as an appeal to then live out their new identity and calling in Christ. Because they have hope in a living Savior, they can endure earthly hardships.
At the end of the letter, we see that Peter was with John Mark. This is the same Mark who participated in ministry with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25; 13:5, Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11), whose mother hosted a church (Acts 12:12), and who most likely wrote the Gospel of Mark through the direction and influence of Peter.

Christ’s Work for Us in 1 Peter

Peter’s letter is full of encouragements about what Christ has done for us and how His death, resurrection, ascension or reign, and return are the good news we live in today. We have hope in Him and we endure suffering through the grace and strength He supplies. We also hope and wait with the knowledge of all that awaits us when we meet Christ, either at His return or upon our death. Here are some of the effects, results, or implications of Christ’s death, resurrection, reign, and our reunion with Him.

Hold on to Hope: Eight Elements of Biblical Hope

“Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” Leia Organa in Star Wars: Episode VIII

“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Andy Dufresney in The Shawshank Redemption

What is Hope?

In the Bible, “hope” is not a wish, dream, or something that has a chance of happening. Hope doesn’t spring from optimism about circumstances but confidence in God. It’s something we can expect and anticipate, even have assurance of, though it might require much waiting and trust. Biblical hope is anchored in the character, promises, and work of God, which is why the Bible calls God our hope (Ps. 71:5; 1 Tim. 1:1) or the gospel a gospel of hope (Col. 1:23; Rom. 15:13).

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.” (Ps. 71:5)

Live in the Land of “And Yet”: Why Faith Must Speak into Our Feelings

“Faith is a footbridge that you don’t know will hold you up over the chasm until you’re forced to walk out not it.” Nicolas Wolterstorff

What do you do when things don’t go the way you wanted, and now you’re in a mental, emotional, and spiritual funk? How do you escape the frustration, discouragement, or disappointment that feel so powerful in both the small annoyances and larger trials of the day? How do you get out of your own head or not be ruled by your feelings so you can instead seek, trust, and walk with God in the troubles of the day?

Earlier today, I felt frustrated and disappointed, and then I felt frustrated and discouraged because I couldn’t shake those feelings. (I’ll share more of the details later or below in this post.) What God nudged me toward was I needed to choose trusting and resting in Him rather than remain restless and frustrated over my circumstances. There were two parts in this movement toward experiencing God’s peace. I needed to shift my attention away from undesirable circumstances and onto the glorious God, and I needed to choose to trust in the objective truths of who God is rather than be ruled by the subjective feelings in my circumstances.

Much of the Christian life is learning to live in the tension of not feeling like trusting or praising God but still choosing to trust and praise God. You might feel frustrated, disappointed, and discontent, and yet part of how we respond to these normal experiences is by choosing to still trust that God is good, present, and at work for my good even in this situation.

8 Lessons on Prayer from Hannah

There’s something about Hannah that draws out in me both compassion for her and admiration of her. As she reels in sorrow and distress, we feel for her. As God answers her prayer with a son, we celebrate with her. And as we listen in on her prayers, we’re invited to learn from her.

The books of 1-2 Samuel offer several “hero stories.”^[1] The “heroes” in these stories are not perfect people, but they do model key virtues and aspects of what it means to know and follow God. Hannah shows us through her words and actions what a posture of humility looks like. She offers an example of what to do with hurt and pain as she takes it to God in prayer. She lives out a gritty faith, knowing the sovereign God who closed her womb (1 Sam. 1:5-6) can open it. And she also models how we can pray to God, both in our pain (1 Sam. 1:11) and with our praise (1 Sam. 2:1-10).

In 1 Samuel’s short account of Hannah, we can learn a lot about how to pray. Here are eight of those takeaways.

Why Does It Matter that God is WITH His People (And What Happened When He Wasn’t)?

In the Bible, there’s a secret advantage that can turn any “mission: impossible” into guaranteed success. God calls His people to do difficult things they could never accomplish in their own strength or wisdom. How could a stuttering Moses who spent his middle age tending sheep in the desert tell Pharoah to free all the Hebrew slaves? How could Israel then make it all the way from Egypt to Canaan, both escaping Pharoah’s chariot in pursuit and enduring the desert littered with danger? How could Joshua lead God’s people into the promised land despite their overwhelming fear of its inhabitants? Or what supplied David with victory after victory despite overwhelming odds against him?

Who I am In Christ…in 1 Peter

Part of the hope in 1 Peter is the good news that who we are (identity) is now centered upon our union with Christ. Peter refers to our identity as Christians repeatedly, both to encourage us in God’s work on our behalf and to exhort us to stand firm and endure. Here are some of the things we notice about who we are and what we have in Christ.

Have You Considered? (10 Things to Think About)

Every day, we fill our minds with lots of thoughts, ideas, daydreams, concerns, worries, and considerations. What we think about it isn’t neutral. Our thoughts direct our desires, hopes, fears, passions, emotions, and actions. The old adage “you are what you eat” reminds us what we put in our bodies affects our bodies. But it’s also true “you are what you think” because what we put in our minds affects our mind, heart, and behavior.