As you are

Jesus didn’t wait until we deserved Him-He knew that we never could.  Instead, He gave Himself freely for all mankind and extended an invitation for every sinner, just as he or she is, to come to Him and find rest.  We are all unworthy of salvation.

Many people think they should wait to accept Christ’s offer of salvation until after they have improved themselves in some way.  But that is actually the exact opposite of the gospel’s message.

Jesus didn’t say, “Go clean yourself up, then come to Me,” did He?  Rather, He opened His arms and said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Commentary from the In Touch Devotional by Charles Stanley, April 25, 2020.

False teaching

False doctrine – anything claiming to be the truth that is in fact a lie.  

False teachers typically claim to have the superior knowledge (as in gnosticism).  They claim to know the transcendent secrets, but actually are ignorant and infantile in their understanding.

Paul identifies 3 characteristics of false teachers: 1) they “teach otherwise” – a different doctrine, or any teaching that contradicts God’s revelation in Scripture; 2) they do “not consent to wholesome words” – they do not agree with sound, healthy teaching, specifically the teaching contained in Scripture; and 3) they reject “doctrine which accords with godliness” – teaching not based on Scripture will always result in an unholy life.  Instead of godliness, false teachers will be marked by sin.

Commentary from the MacArthur Study Bible, notes for 1 Timothy 6:3, 6:20.

Spiritual Blindness

Not only can money and material possessions not satisfy the desires of the heart or bring the lasting happiness they deceptively promise, but they also blind those who pursue them to eternal, spiritual concerns (1 Timothy 6:9,10)

Commentary from The MacArthur Study Bible, notes for Mark 4:19.

Damaging

-Proverbs 21:10-

See more about my vision for these images.

God’s Artistry

Withholding

In the day of prosperity be joyful,

but in the day of adversity,

consider:  without question,

God has made the one

as well as the other,

so that man cannot discover

anything that will come after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:14

“God ordains both kinds of days and withholds knowledge of the future.”   Page 738, Ecc. 7:14, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, by John MacArthur.  Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005.