DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

July 21: Truth and Honesty Can Be Painful 2 Samuel 7:1–8:18 ; 1 Peter 4:12–19 ; Psalm 137:1–9 A commitment to honesty and truth often puts us in unexpected spiritual situations—something David experiences in 2 Sam 7 . David thinks he will build God a great house—a temple—but instead God plans to build a house for him—a legacy. Because David seeks God, God does great things through him. Yet, as David discovers, being part of God’s work and living in His will isn’t without difficulty or pain. Consciously or subconsciously, we often cling to the notion that “If I do good works for God, He will owe me.” Isn’t that the assumption behind the statement, “I am loyal to God, but He has afflicted me with pain” ? We frame our pain in light of God’s role. Instead, we should view it in relation to the sin of our world. We sin, just as people did in the past, so why should we not expect pain? Like David, Peter and his fellow missionaries experience a great deal of pain in doing God’s work...

April 15: I’ll Take the Arrow Deuteronomy 29:1–29 ; 2 Corinthians 7:8–16 ; Psalm 42:1–43:5 “Better is an arrow from a friend than a kiss from an enemy.” When I first heard this saying, I was struck by what a truism it is. It wasn’t until years later, though, that I began surrounding myself with wise friends who would tell me the truth even when it was difficult to hear. Paul was a true friend to the Corinthians, and it’s for this reason that he rebuked them: “For if indeed I grieved you by my letter, I do not regret it.… For grief according to the will of God brings about a repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but worldly grief brings about death” (2 Cor 7:8, 10). I recently felt God asking me to rebuke someone. I was hesitant at first, but I followed through. Afterward, I was tempted to lighten the weight of my words by writing a follow-up explanation, but I was certain that it wasn’t God’s will that I do so; I felt that nearly all the words I had spoken ...