So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can. (I Corinthians 10:14 MSG) Mom always used to have conversations with me about the friends I would make because she knew the 'danger' in making the wrong ones. Maybe the danger wouldn't be physical, but the emotional strain could be there - emotional distress I didn't need or want. Perhaps the danger would come in the form of being led into activities I really shouldn't pursue because they would be harmful to me. Yet there is no relationship as harmful as the one that interferes with the purity or sanctity of my relationship with Jesus. When anyone tries to reduce God to someone they can control, or discounts his power or authority, they aren't the ones we want to keep company with for very long! How do we reduce God to something we can control? One of the most common ways is through having 'religious practices' or ...
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13 MSG) People frequently misquote this verse to mean God will not allow anything to come our way that is bad or too difficult for us to get through. Look again - it deals with testing times and temptations we might not have known would come our way. It doesn't say we will never face them and be challenged by them. It tells us we won't be pushed 'past our limits' because he will help us come through those times. Not escape them - go through them with his help to get us through them. It doesn't say we will never lose a job, but we can count on God to help us find a new one, help us figure out how to make ends meet until we do, and send us the necessary help that will be needed as we go through tho...