Although this is the shortest book in the Old Testament, it is not without its importance in the spiritual lessons it imparts to believers today. Here are three. From Crosswalk.com……………..
3 Key Lessons We Can Learn from the Small Book of Obadiah
God Uses Our Minds to Communicate with Us — Dallas Willard
Focus your mind on God
If we do not use our ability to turn our minds and thoughts toward God, we do not have contact with God. Undoubtedly God could move into the human realm and invade the mind. If God did act in such a way, what are the chances the receiver would properly interpret such an encounter, if there is no knowledge of God at all? Therefore, what human beings can and must do is progress to the point where we consciously, intentionally focus our minds on God. The minister of the gospel is tasked with the very special and essential calling of directing and illuminating our minds toward the reality of God and his ways.
From The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth. Copyright © 2014 by Dallas Willard amd Gary Black Jr. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Yahweh Roi — The Lord Is My Shepherd
Here is another nice one from Ann Spangler on what is probably one of the very top Names of God — The Lord is My Shepherd!……………….
Yahweh Roi — The Lord Is My Shepherd
El Shadday — God Almighty
Another article from Ann Spangler, as she looks at the scriptural meanings behind one of the most important names for God, El Shadday. God Almighty.
El Shadday — God Almighty
From Protest to Praise
I identify with this article!
”The word of the Lord came to me:I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.But I protested, “Oh no, Lord God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am [only] a youth.”Then the Lord said to me: Do not say: I am [only] a youth, for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you.Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to deliver you.” Jeremiah 1:4-8
“But I protested…”
These three little words made me pause and think. In this text, God was telling Jeremiah some magnificent and wonderful truths. Jeremiah was chosen to be God’s child before the foundation of the world. And just like Ephesians 2 says, all the works he was called to do were prepared…
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Dallas Willard Lists His Essential Scriptures for Discipleship and Kingdom Living
Essential Scriptures
Of course, in all our study the person of Jesus is the center of attention. But He is not really separable, for us, from the written revelatory word, including the Law, the Prophets, the history, and the wisdom of the Old Testament. One who would train disciples “to hear and do” will direct them to all these, still centered on the Person of Jesus.
The twenty-third Psalm is also an exquisite summary of life in the kingdom. The mind of the disciple should have it internalized, to always foster the joy and peace of the kingdom as well as to orient all of his or her actions within it. The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sermon on the Mount, Romans 8, Colossians 3, Philippians 2–4, and a few other passages of scripture should be frequently meditated on in depth, and much of them memorized. This is an essential part of any training for Christlikeness. Positive engagement with these scriptures will bring kingdom order into our entire personality. This is something you will strongly experience as you go through the process of such study
From Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks. Copyright © 2016 by Willard Family Trust. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Our Life Comes From the Kingdom of Heaven — Dallas Willard
Your life comes from the kingdom of Heaven
But we get a totally different picture of salvation, faith, and forgiveness if we regard having life from the kingdom of the heavens now—the eternal kind of life—as the target. The words and acts of Jesus naturally suggest that this is indeed salvation, with discipleship, forgiveness, and heaven to come as natural parts. And in this he only continues the teachings of the Old Testament. The entire biblical tradition from beginning to end is one of the intimate involvement of God in human life—or else alienation from it. That is the biblical alternative for life now. “The crooked man is an abomination to the Lord,” as the proverb sums it up, “but He is intimate with the upright” (Prov. 3:32 NAS).
From The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. Copyright © 1997 by Dallas Willard. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Encouragement As You Wait
Children hate to wait for birthdays and Christmas, but we adults are expected to be able to wait for things. But do we wait well? As Christians, we need to recognize that God does things in His own way and in His own time! From The Disciple Maker and The Navigators……………
Unanswered Prayers
This article looks at the wisdom of one of the great Puritans, Richard Sibbes, and his thoughts on why some prayers seem to go unanswered. From Two Journeys………………
God Hasn’t Forsaken His Eternal Purpose (Even If His Children Have)
This brief article from author Frank Viola reminds us of God’s eternal purposes for His children and His church, through examining the Epistle to the Ephesians. From Beyond Evangelical……………………….
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