Applying the Bible Por arte de portada

Applying the Bible

De: Krystal Craven Christian Music
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  • A weekly devotional designed to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, through practical application of spiritual truths from God's word.
    © 2020-2024 Krystal Craven
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Episodios
  • God Knows Your Heart, Part 2

    God Knows Your Heart, Part 2
    Jul 18 2024
    The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. (Luke 16:14-18) Since these last verses on divorce and adultery tends to get sectioned off as its own little segment by those who broke down the section titles in the Bible, I’ve included the previous verses for context. But just like we saw last week where Jesus seemingly took a turn into another topic, He’s actually still on the topic of the heart here. He’s just using another example to His initial point that they were justifying themselves before men, but that God knows the heart. Before we jump in here to this, I know divorce can be a touchy topic, especially in our culture where the divorce rate is almost half of all marriages. As we look at what Scripture says on this, it isn’t to point fingers at you or anyone else, this is simply the section of Scripture we happen to be in and we’re looking to grow in the Lord and understand His word. Everyone Who Divorces Jesus makes a clear claim that everyone who divorces and marries another is committing adultery. As we look at this, we have to take this in context to the rest of Scripture, because far too often it’s verses like these that get used as weapons and chains of captivity and that is not the heart of God here. God never intends for His word to be weaponized to keep people captive in abusive relationships. We get more insight into what Jesus said on divorce in Matthew 19 where it says, And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:3-9) Paul also spoke to divorce details in 1 Corinthians 7, with the instruction that divorce shouldn’t happen, but that if a believer has an unbelieving spouse who will not stay married to them, let it be so and let the unbelieving spouse leave. What we need to remember here is that in the whole context of all these verses is the same thing – these are issues of the heart. Remember in Matthew 5 where Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28) As we look at what Jesus has said about adultery and divorce, we need to remember the true issue of the heart here because that’s where the Pharisees were going wrong, was justifying sins of the heart with a perspective of having purity of the body. Divorce Exemptions In the days of Moses and beyond, divorce became an option that was deemed acceptable as long as proper protocols were followed, such as a certificate of divorce. Yet God doesn’t want what He joined together to be separated by man. Now in light of the verses in Matthew 5 that talks about anyone who looks at someone with lust commits adultery, there honestly aren’t many marriages in which a spouse hasn’t committed adultery then because lusting in the heart is such an unseen thing. The ultimate ideal would be repentance and reconciliation, whether committed with only the heart or also with the body. But if sexual sins are committed, these are where the exemptions come into play. It is gracious of God though, to expressly word exemptions such as sexual immorality or an unbelieving spouse leaving. Otherwise, there would be people who stay in abusive relationships with their spouse habitually cheating or watching pornography or in sexual abuse or the like, and that’s not the purpose of God saying He doesn’t want divorce. In an ideal world, people would get married, have a perfectly blessed marriage, never battle with sexual sins, and be married till death parts them. But we don’t live in a perfect world and God, ...
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    11 m
  • God Knows Your Heart, Part 1

    God Knows Your Heart, Part 1
    Jul 11 2024
    The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. (Luke 16:14-17) Jesus had just told quite a few parables about the kingdom of God, God’s heart and perspective, that we can go astray and how much joy it brings God when we repent, and that we cannot serve God and money – really hitting home that the issues of sin are a heart issue, not a ‘how good you can act outwardly’ issue. And even after all that, it says that the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus. Hearts Motivation The text gives us context here as to why the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus and it was because they were lovers of money. They had just been told by Jesus that they cannot serve God and money and since they were lovers of money, it apparently hit close to home and they didn’t like it, so they ridiculed Him in response. That word “ridiculed” in the Greek means to scoff, deride, or turn up the nose at. This wouldn’t be the last time they do this to Jesus either. The next and only other time this Greek word is used is in Luke 23:25 during Jesus’ crucifixion where it says, And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” Unfortunately, the ridicule or scoffing over the truth that one cannot serve God and money would continue to drive the scoffing at the cross as Truth Himself looked back at them as He died to offer them redemption of their souls. Hearts Revealed It’s pretty cool to notice here that Jesus didn’t react with an outburst of upset when they ridiculed Him, He responded again with truth that got to the heart of the matter – their hearts. Jesus, who we know doesn’t look at the outward appearance but looks at the heart, told them a few poignant truths about themselves: They were justifying themselves before men, God knows their hearts, and what was exalted before men is an abomination before God. These were undoubtedly hard things to hear, but Jesus told them for their benefit because He loved them. Yet, the specific things that Jesus pointed out were bound to cause one of two responses – either, pushing away due to a prideful heart or drawing near due to a humble and repentant heart. And these are the responses we get to choose from when faced with things Jesus tells us too - push God away or draw near to Him. The Law Revealed As Jesus mentions the Law and Prophets, it would seem that He moved into a whole new topic but in actuality, He’s still on the same topic. All of this is in context to the heart and the fact that in our flesh we seek to justify ourselves before men, but that God knows our hearts. Jesus mentioned the Law and Prophets right before mentioning that the good news of the kingdom of God had been preached. The Pharisees didn’t exactly put this together, not realizing that the Law and Prophets all spoke of Him, but this is what Jesus is telling them. And He adds that everyone forces his way into it – this is speaking of the misunderstanding of the Law and Prophets and thinking that outward observance of the Law would save them. As the people read/heard the Law and Prophets, they had a desire for their Messiah to come set them free physically from their captivity under the Romans, not really understanding that He would come to set them free spiritually from their sin under death. When Jesus came and John the Baptist had made straight His paths, they both preached repentance and that the kingdom of God had come. But the people tried to force their misaligned perspectives into the mix and even used that as a reason to justify to themselves and others that Jesus wasn’t their long-awaited Messiah, as they continued to try to force their way into it. Yet, Jesus was reaffirming that He would indeed fulfill the Law when He said that it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. Jesus knew His calling and mission, and nothing was going to deter Him from it. Our Response Remember those two responses that were mentioned when Jesus points out specific heart issues? We read that the Pharisees pushed away, staying prideful and justifying themselves before men, but it doesn’t have to be that way for us. We can learn from their mistakes and when God puts these hard truths in front of us to face, we can draw near to Him with a humble and repentant heart, ready for Him to cut that out of our hearts and mold and shape us more into His image. For the Pharisees, there were the things of their day that was exalted ...
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    13 m
  • The Fight for Freedom

    The Fight for Freedom
    Jul 4 2024

    Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:13-14)

    In our walk with Jesus, we come to know and understand a profound truth – our freedom in Him is both a gift and in part a battle we continue to fight for. When we first encounter His grace and receive salvation in Him, we are liberated from the bondage of sin and death. It’s a moment of joy and relief as we realize that through Christ’s sacrifice, we are indeed set free.

    Yet, as we walk by faith, we soon learn that our freedom is not passive – it’s free, it just costs the rest of our lives. Just as a nation must defend its freedom against external threats, we too must fight the demonic threats and temptations that come against us. The apostle Paul clearly describes this struggle: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other” (Galatians 5:17). Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces that seek to ensnare and destroy us.

    Jesus has already won the ultimate victory over sin and death through His death and resurrection. His triumph on the cross secured our freedom once and for all. But the battles we face daily remind us that we live in a fallen, sinful world where temptation and trials are a daily thing.

    In these moments of struggle, we are called to remember the truth that sets us free – Jesus Christ. He is not only our Savior but also our source of strength and victory. Through Him, we find the ability to resist temptation, the wisdom to discern right from wrong, and the grace to forgive others and to seek forgiveness when we all fall short.

    The freedom we have in Jesus is not just a one-time event but a continuous journey of transformation and renewal. It requires discipline, prayer, and a deepening relationship with God. As we immerse ourselves in His Word and surrender our lives to His will, we experience the freedom found in the truth of His word.

    Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Let us hold on tight to this promise, knowing that in Christ, we have the strength to overcome every single obstacle we face AND the assurance of eternal life in Him.

    As we celebrate our nation’s freedom, let us never forget the freedom we have in Jesus. It is a precious gift that empowers us to live boldly, love deeply, and serve faithfully. May we continue to fight the good fight and run our race well, knowing that our ultimate victory is assured through Jesus who loves us and gave up His life for us.
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    6 m
Ministerio y Evangelismo Espiritualidad
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Scripturally accurate Bible devotionals

This is a huge number of devotionals that are accurate to scripture and help me to be encouraged in my walk of faith through life.

The production quality of the podcast is high, Krystal's voice is easy to hear, her personality is upbeat and fun (as much as a devotional can be), and you can tell she is faithful in her walk with Christ.

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