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Tag: trinity

The Advocate: The Holy Spirit, Part 1 of 2 [Podcast]

July 21, 2019 MatthewRuttan

A lot of people have questions about the Holy Spirit: Is the Holy Spirit an “it” or a “who”? Is the Holy Spirit the same

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Wasting time well spent The "Up!" Devo for December 5 Maybe we should all get a bit better at wasting time sometimes. Now hear me out. I’m not saying we should be lazy. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t work hard. We should. Just not every second of every day of every year. We generally look down our noses at wasting time. After all, we’ve got a bazillion things to do. So if we waste time, we just put more pressure on a pressure cooker that’s already feeling the pressure, right? But doing nothing—in moderation—is actually good for you. Psalm 46:10 famously reminds us to “Be still, and know that I am God…” Notice how being still is connected to knowing that God is in charge. If we chase our tails all day long we can mistakenly get the impression that everything is actually up to us. But it’s not. That’s why wasting little pockets of time here and there can be a good thing. Earlier this week I had 15 free minutes fall right into my lap. At first I checked Instagram. Then Sportsnet. And then… Pause. I put my phone down, resisted the annoying and unrelenting urge to be “productive” and sat back with my hands behind my head. It felt strange… and awesome. I stared at the wall, enjoyed a memory of summer as a child, and listed to my heartbeat come back down to normal. Maybe we should all get a bit better at wasting time sometimes. In a world where frantic is the new normal, wasting time can be time well spent. By Matthew Ruttan --Bible quotes are from the NIV. #health #rest #relax #faith #dailydevotional #inspiration #psalms

Being persecuted for the right (not wrong) reasons The “Up!” Devo for December 4 I’m sharing some thoughts about Matthew 24. It’s where Jesus answers a question about when the Jerusalem temple would be torn down, and also when he would return at the “end of the age” (v. 3). In response, he offers various insights about what to expect, including this: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (v. 9). Persecution isn’t something that many of us are used to—at least not in any overt sense. Sure, there are increasing legal challenges to our faith, and perhaps we start to lose job opportunities and friendships. But it’s not something we’re used to—and certainly not something we’re often prepared for. But consider this. According to Open Doors, over 245 million Christians are living in places where they experience high levels of persecution. They report that last year 4,305 Christians were killed for their faith and 3,150 disciples were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned. Today, I simply want to highlight one of the reasons for this persecution. It’s “because of me.” In other words, Jesus isn’t talking about you being persecuted because you’re rude or insensitive. That's different. The persecution he’s talking about here is because we are disciples who speak truthfully and act lovingly in his name. No. Matter. What. -When someone insults you, speak truthfully and act lovingly. -When someone makes fun of you, speak truthfully and act lovingly. -When someone mistreats you, speak truthfully and act lovingly. Our persecution should be for the right reasons, not the wrong ones. The Lord stands next to you, tall and true. They days are coming—and are now here—when we stand next to him, tall and true too. By Matthew Ruttan #persecution #faith #truth #bible #christianity #faith #JesusChrist #love #endtimes #secondcoming #Matthew24

The darker it gets The "Up!" Devotional for December 3 In Matthew 24, Jesus answers a question from his disciples about when the Jerusalem temple would be torn down, and also when he would return one day in glory at the “end of the age” (v. 3). In response, he offers various insights about things that are going to take place, including this: “Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24: 12). “Lawlessness” means a general and increasing disregard for society’s laws. It also includes a general and increasing disregard for God’s word and commands. Connected to this, Jesus says that “the love of many will grow cold.” Tucked into that short sentence is some wisdom about how to live. In this increasingly difficult situation, God’s people are to (a) remain true to God’s words, and (b) keep on loving. It’s hard; I realize that. But Jesus gives us a great example and hope. The darker his world became, the brighter his light shone. And so it is with you. The darker the world gets, the brighter your light shines. By Matthew Ruttan #light #darkness #love #loveGod #lovepeople #society #secondcoming #endtimes #faith #dailydevotional

Grafted to the hubnif his heart The "Up!" Devotional for December 2 Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 are often cited when looking for ‘signs’ that the world as we know it is coming to an end. Fair enough. Among other things he talks about false Messiahs (v. 5), “wars and rumours of wars” (v. 6), “famines and earthquakes” (v. 7), and persecution (v. 9). But more specifically, he was answering a question from his disciples about when the Jerusalem temple would be torn down, and when he would appear in his glory at the “end of the age” (v. 3). Quite often, people neglect the significance of the temple being torn down. That would have been HUGE. Just as he predicted, it was torn down by the Romans in 70 A.D. If we consider the fact that, for many people, the temple was the centre of their world—where they offered sacrifices to God, where they went on pilgrimage three times a year, where their nation shared so much history, and where many people considered God himself to dwell—no wonder it was earth-shattering when it was destroyed! Life crisis. Faith crisis. Identity crisis. Here’s a much-neglected facet of why all this is significant: Jesus replaces the temple as the embodiment of God’s presence, power and hope. To people in the first century that would have been a massive source of hope and encouragement. God had not left them. A place was replaced with a Person. Is your faith too focused on a building? Is it too focused on a certain denomination? Is it too focused on a style of worship or internet personality? What would happen if that building, denomination, worship style or personality were to disappear? It might bother you, but it shouldn’t break you. Why? Because you still have Christ. The persecuted prisoner in China has the fullness of God because of their faith in Christ. The frazzled mom in Dallas has the fullness of God because of their faith in Christ. And so do you. In Christ, there is no life crisis, faith crisis, or identity crisis. A place has been replaced with a Person. You are grafted to the hub of his heart. And nothing—ever—can tear him down. By Matthew Ruttan

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