YOUR SATURDAY SEVEN - #30
Compiled by: Rob Martinez, February 4, 2023
Your Saturday Seven is a hand-selection of seven articles from this week that will hopefully be a blessing to you. You can see more past articles here. Note: I do not necessarily fully endorse or agree with all content posted.
1. GOOD SHEPHERDS ARE EASY TO FOLLOW.
By: Steven Lee, 2.2 / Desiring God
“Though we are not perfect shepherds, we can, by God’s grace, be faithful shepherds. Elders are to carry out the high and holy calling of shepherding God’s people without shame. So, pastor, shepherd with earnestness, eagerness, and honesty. Do not shrink back. Do not fail to rebuke, admonish, and correct with gentleness. Do not withhold the whole counsel of God. Do not fail to build up, equip, and encourage.”
2. DON’T GO TO CHURCH CARELESSLY.
By: Carolyn & Nicole Mahaney, 2.3 / Crossway
“But listening doesn’t end with the preacher’s closing prayer. Proper listening in Scripture does not occur until we obey what we hear. And so, instead of rushing out of church and into your week, take some time on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning to review the sermon and ask the Lord: What is one way I can listen by obeying this week?”
3. WHEN TRAINING PASTORS, AIM FOR JOY.
By: J. A. Medders, 2.1 / TGC
“If you plan to take a group of men through elder training, put Workers for Your Joy in the stack of required reading. Pastors exist for the glory of God and the joy of their people. May that vision be true of pastors in this generation and the next.”
4. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE FORGIVEN?
By: Bill Mounce, 1.30 / Zondervan Academic
“I am for any translation that emphasizes John is talking about God’s character, and it is out of his character that he forgives. When I find myself in need of forgiveness, in my mind I don’t rely just on a purpose (or result) of God. I rely on who he is, and then will full confidence know that I have been forgiven.”
5. WISE PASTORS UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS.
By: Nathan Williams, 1.31 / The Masters Seminary
“First, you shepherd people who live emotional lives, and this is not a bad thing! Quite the opposite, in fact. God has given us a precious gift by making us emotional creatures. The basic idea behind the English word “emotion” is “to move,” and it’s certainly true that without feelings we wouldn’t get much accomplished. Emotions motivate us, strengthen us, help us make decisions, and connect us to others. “
6. HOW BEING OVERCOMMITTED CAN DISTRACT YOU.
By: Charles Stone, 2.2 / Outreach Magazine
“Something prompted me to ask her if she had anything to eat. In broken English she said that she hadn’t eaten all day. After we talked for a few moments I learned that she was Muslim, had immigrated from Turkey 5 years earlier, and had been homeless for 4 years.”
7. ALISTAIR BEGG ON HOW TO INTERPRET THE CHANGING CULTURE.
By: Alistair Begg, 2.2 / Truth for Life
“When I read in my newspaper of the declining impact of Christianity in the West, I say out loud, “BUT JESUS SAID ‘I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.’” Countless millions throughout the world, in ages past and yet to come, who have taken their stand on the Gospel will be found in the great gathering that God planned from all eternity.So let the pessimist look down and the fearful look around, but the let the Christian lift his eyes and look up. Keep on!
