Fusion: week of 6/26

FAMILY THEME: LOVING PROBLEM PEOPLE

Romans 12:14-21;  Matthew 18:15-17

There will be times when people get on our nerves. This devotion

will help you deal with those times.

1.  Persecutors Are Problem People

     (Romans 12:14,  15-21;  Matthew 5:44;  18:15-17)

     Persecutors include those who seek to harm us by their

     words and actions.

 
2.  The Successful Might Be Viewed as Problem People 

     (Romans 12:15;  1 Corinthians 12:26)

     It can be hard to celebrate with those who are celebrating

     when we don't see much to celebrate in our lives.

 
3.  The Hurting Might Be Viewed as Problem People

     (Romans 12:15;  Galatians 6:2)

     When we avoid the weak or hurting, we demonstrate that

     we see them as a problem.

Fusion: week of 6/19

FAMILY THEME: NO ROOM FOR RACISM

Acts 10

Racism is nothing new. This devotion shows us how the early

church had to deal with the sin of racism.

1.  God Wants His People to Reach Out to Every Nation, Tribe,

     and Tongue

     (Acts 10:1-16)

     Prejudice is so deeply seated in the heart of man that it 

     takes the power of God to erase it.

 
2.  The Holy Spirit Leads His People to Cross Ethnic Barriers 

     (Acts 10:17-33)

     The Holy Spirit directed Peter to go with the delegation from

     Cornelius.

 
3.  We Must Realize That God Shows No Partiality and Proclaim

     the Gospel to All People

     (Acts 10:34-43)

     The gospel is for every person regarless of nationality.

4.  God Will Save People From All Ethnic Groups As We Present

     the Gospel to Them

     (Acts 10:44-48)

     

Fusion: week of 6/12

FAMILY THEME: LIVING IN THE SPIRIT

John 15:18-27;  17:15-19,  2 Peter 1:3-4

How are believers to live in a world that is increasingly secular and 

hostile toward the gospel? The devotions this week will help you

answer this question.

1.  The Spirit of Christ Reveals Truth to Secular Culture

     (John 15:18-27)

     Jesus promised a "Helper" who would come and would testify

     about Him.

 
2.  The Spirit of Christ Doesn't Seclude or Secularize Us, but

     Sends Us Into the World 

     (John 17:15-19)

     Believers should not hide from the world or be like the world.

 
3.  The Spirit of Christ Equips Believers to Live Within a Secular

     Culture

     (2 Peter 1:3-4)

     As believers, we have everything we need to live a godly life.

Fusion: week of 6/5

FAMILY THEME: WHAT IS TRUTH?

John 18:37-38;  14:6,  17:17

What is truth? Many in our world do not feel there is an absolute answer

to this question. As believers, we must be able to give an answer to

those who ask us about the hope we have.

1.   Truth is Exclusive

     (John 18:37-38;  John 14:6)

     There must be an answer of absolute truth or else all actions,

     decisions, and worldviews are equal.

 
2.  Truth is a Book

     (John 17:17;  John 8:31-32)

     God's Word is the standard by which other claims of truth are

     measured.

 
3.  Truth is a Person

     (John 18:37-38)

     Truth, an essential element of who God is, was embodied in a

     Person, the Person of Jesus.

Fusion: week of 5/29

FAMILY THEME: CONFESSION & RESTORATION

Job 42

Job was humbled when he came to understand the magnitude of God.

God accepted Job's confession and restored him.

1.   We Confess and Repent When We Realize We Were Wrong

     (Job 42:1-6)

     Job revealed what he learned in his confession.

 
2.  We Make Things Right With Those We Hurt and Forgive Those

     Who Hurt Us

     (Job 42:7-9)

     God expressed His anger toward Job's three friends because

     they misrepresented Him, yet He offered a path to forgiveness.

 
3.  God Restores When We Repent

     (Job 42:10-17)

     As Job humbled himself, God accepted his contrition and

     restored him.

Fusion: week of 5/22

FAMILY THEME: GOD OF WONDERS

Job 38-39

God used questions to help Job better understand His greatness.

1.   We Can Do Nothing Compared to God's Unlimited Power

     (Job 38:4-21)

     God illuminated Job about His creative power in His first series

     of questions.

 
2.  We Know Very Little Compared to God's Complete Knowledge

     (Job 38:22-38)

     The next series of questions enlightened Job about how little 

     he knew, and about God's unlimited knowledge.

 
3.  We Are Extremely Limited Compared to God's Boundless

     Presence and Design

     (Job 38:39  -  39:30)

     God's series of questions show He is present and involved in

     the animals of His creation. 

Fusion: week of 5/15

FAMILY THEME: WHEN GOD DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

Job 19:1-27

Job did not understand why such terrible things happened to him, yet

he continued in his faith that God would redeem him and one day he

would see God.

1.   Sometimes It Can Feel Like Everything, Including God, Is

      Against Us

     (Job 19:1-20)

     Job felt that his friends had attacked him with their words and that

     God had focused His anger against him.

 
2.  Reach Out to People But Realize Their Limitations

     (Job 19:21-22)

     Job reached out to his friends for pity, but they were better at 

     making things worse than they were at making things better.

 
3.  Do Not Abandon Your Confidence in God

     (Job 19:23-27)

     Despite all that had happened, Job never relinquished his faith

     in God.