The Bible is full of people like Joseph and Paul who endured difficulty, suffering and isolation. They could have been crushed but they were strengthened by God and their toughness came from a continual relationship with the Lord. We look to Jesus Christ as our perfect example of how to be tough despite the circumstances.
Each week on Alive and Active, Ron Brown and Mike Bliss dive into Scripture with real life discussion and life applications of Biblical precepts for men today. Ron Brown is a thirty-two year veteran college football coach. He is well known in Nebraska for leading and challenging men to live all out for Jesus Christ. Co-host Mike Bliss has ministered to Nebraska men with Ron Brown for years. The Alive and Active radio program is a result of Ron and Mike’s desire to reach the state of Nebraska for the Gospel challenging men to “get off the bench and into the game for Jesus Christ!”
Each week on Alive and Active, Ron Brown and Mike Bliss dive into Scripture with real life discussion and life applications of Biblical precepts for men today. Ron Brown is a thirty-two year veteran college football coach. He is well known in Nebraska for leading and challenging men to live all out for Jesus Christ. Co-host Mike Bliss has ministered to Nebraska men with Ron Brown for years. The Alive and Active radio program is a result of Ron and Mike’s desire to reach the state of Nebraska for the Gospel challenging men to “get off the bench and into the game for Jesus Christ!”
In 1 Kings 6 the Lord came to Solomon and promised Solomon that if he observed His laws and kept His commands then the Lord would live among the Israelites and not abandon His people. Solomon knew the law, especially Deuteronomy 17 which instructed kings on how they should serve. By 1 Kings 11 Solomon had violated the law and pursued gold, foreign women and foreign gods. When we are tempted for power, money, lust, and more things that will set us apart from God, we must confess our sins and repent and turn back to Jesus.
In Luke 22, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus looked at Peter with love and pursued him after his resurrection. Peter went back to fishing, but Jesus met Peter on the shore in John 21 and he wanted to challenge and teach Peter that he no longer needed to be fearful of man. We too can walk in the unconditional love that Jesus alone provides.
In second Samuel 24, David's pride shows itself as he takes a 10-month census to count how many soldiers he had. At the end of the census David realizes the sin he committed and how he had put his hope in the number of fighting men over his trust in the Lord. David owns his sin and falls on his face before the Lord. There were consequences, but David modeled what true repentance looks like and he ran to the Lord. Have you owned your sin and are you running toward or away from the Lord?
In 1st Kings 3, God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks him to ask for whatever he wants. Solomon understood the important responsibility of leading God's people and he asked for a discerning heart to govern God's people. It says the the Lord was pleased with Solomon's ask and God blessed Solomon and gave him way more than he could have ever asked for. We tend to be trivial with our asks and we don't get in the paint with God because we don’t understand his ways however, we too have the opportunity to ask the Lord good asks that are in line with His desires for us, but we have to have a trustworthy relationship with the Lord and learn and study His Word. As we mature in the Lord, our asks will also mature.
Steve Prefontaine was a world-class runner who beat other runners with his incredible toughness. As Christians we are being beat down by the world and taking blow after blow for the sake of Christ. We are called to die daily and to be conformed into the image of Christ. We should grow in our toughness and allow trials to shape us.