Holiness is a higher priority than happiness
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)
Read PostBelieving the Impossible
Someone asked me recently, "Why would God give me a brain to reason with & then ask me not to use it?” This is an interesting question because there are at least two seemingly opposite answers that are both biblical.
Read PostWhose Will?
Shortly after Israel became a united monarchy, King Saul was instructed to attack Amalek (I Samuel 15) and to “utterly destroy all that they” had and to “not spare them.”
Read PostWho Am I? Rethinking Our Identity
In America’s modern consumerism-focused society, marketers have done a fantastic job at associating our identity with how much or what kind of stuff we own. This could be by twisting our own personal desire to stand out with bright colors, the newest car, or the latest trends that we see on social media or in advertisements.
Read PostHow Do You Worship?
When was the last time you walked around a shopping mall? Consider for a second that even in the world of online shopping, the mall is one of the most frequented “religious” sites of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
Read PostThe Transformational Power of God’s Word
There was a popular newspaper comic called “The Far Side” back when newspapers were still a thing. It was a single panel with a man standing outside the gates of heaven with an angel giving him a complex math problem. “Listen up,” the angel said, “Nobody gets in here without answering the following question,” and then the angel proceeded with a question about trains leaving different cities at different times and speeds. The caption underneath the panel said “Math phobic’s nightmare.”
Read PostOvercoming Evil
There are verses in the Bible that I find myself drawn to over and over again. They are so packed with meaning and depth that it almost staggers the imagination. Some verses become a fountain of wisdom that continually pours forth new understanding and refreshes the weary soul. One such verse for me is Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Read PostThe Call to Perfection
In Matthew 5 at the end of a particularly difficult passage on loving our enemies, Jesus concludes with the statement, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This is the standard to which Jesus calls us. It isn’t difficult to understand, although it is difficult to achieve. However, I would argue that it is achievable through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Read PostWe Were Like Those Who Dream
Have you caught yourself daydreaming? Were you hoping for something better than you have now? Perhaps a new job, a new relationship, a new path in life? How many of those dreams were completely impossible, only fantasies within your mind? Have you ever had a dream that you thought was impossible to ever come true?
Read PostThe Illusion of Control
I think it is a near universal truth that each of us enjoys the illusion of control. When my children were young, I didn’t like anyone besides me or my wife driving them anywhere. It wasn’t that I only knew people who were bad drivers; rather, it was that I was confident in my ability (and my wife's) to keep them safe. I knew that I could do it, and I didn’t trust that others could. I describe this as an illusion because as my children grew up, the Lord gave me the wisdom to understand the reality of life: we have a little control over a few things but no control over the rest.
Read PostThe Waiting Game
In an age where technology is making things more and more instantaneous, we are becoming more and more impatient. If we have a question, we can Google an answer on our phone. We have the ability to make video calls with people on the other side of the globe with virtually no delay. A two minute wait in line at the grocery store is nearly unforgivable. We do not like to wait. God does not operate any faster today than He did at any other time, and we cannot rush God.
Read PostWhen Abraham Was Saved by Jesus
The eighth chapter of John’s gospel records an exchange between Jesus and a crowd of Jews. A large portion of this dialogue revolves around Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation. To the Jew, Abraham was not only a good and righteous man that God blessed, but he represented what the ideal man should be.
Read PostWhat Might Have Been
How painful is the thought expressed by one of the great poets, John Greenleaf Whittier: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: `It might have been!”’
Read PostThe Imprecatory Psalms
The Imprecatory Psalms are those psalms, or parts of a psalm, where the inspired writer calls upon God to take action on an enemy. Sometimes the action the writer asks for is very graphic and is a reflection of intense anger and hurt the writer has experienced. Are these “out of character” statements for godly people to express? Some think so and seek to distinguish the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Covenant. It is my belief that God is the same, Old and New Testament alike. The psalmist is not seeking personal vengeance, but calling on God to take action.
Read PostWhat Is Psalms About?
A good place to begin determining the “point” of the book of Psalms would be to look at the beginning. The beginning of any work, whether poetry or prose, sets the tone, and sets up the rest of the book following. So how does the first psalm begin?
Read PostRelationships, Not Covetousness
Throughout the Bible, the Lord emphasizes His desire for relationships over everything else.
Read PostWhat is more valuable than your soul?
As Jesus went around teaching in Israeli and the surrounding territory, He spoke often of the kingdom of God. He taught that it was at hand, and He urged his followers to strive to enter it. In several different conversations and sermons, He told those who would follow Him that there was nothing that was of more value in this world than being a kingdom citizen. That was an important message to His followers then and to us now.
Read PostGood Works
God has built the Bible on paradox, and that makes humans unhappy. We want things to be one way or the other, not irreconcilably both. Thus it is that in the Lord's church, the pendulum is constantly swinging between grace and faith on the one hand and works on the other.
Read PostSalvation By Grace
Recently, I have become an even louder proponent of grace, indeed of the naked necessity of grace, than I ever was before. I can tell from the comments I've been getting on social media that this has made some good brethren nervous. They reply with variations of, "Yes, but you have to do something." In light of this, I thought it would be useful to explain my thoughts more fully.
Read PostDoes Your Church Fit
A young man visited a church for several weeks and seemed quite interested in their collective worship and work; however, he abruptly stopped meeting with the group. Seeking to understand the reason for his departure, one of the church members contacted him to see what had happened. In reply, the young man explained that he and his fiancée were looking for a church “that better fit their needs.”
Read PostWhy Did Jesus Justify The Thief On The Cross?
The events surrounding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are especially powerful and worthy of our consideration. One such account is that of the thief on the cross. He went from a disbeliever to a believer in a very short time, shortly before his own death. What happened as he was hanging on a cross beside Jesus that caused the Lord to show him mercy? And what can we learn from it?
Read PostChoices: The Test of Faith
Sometimes, evidence is indisputable. When this is the case, the one displaying wisdom will drop opposition to an argument proven wrong by the indisputable evidence, admit the error, and make the necessary corrections. The fool will not.
Read PostJoining Our Fathers
I’ve been reading the first few books of the Bible, and a set of phrases stuck out to me like they never had before. These seem to be used mostly in the early parts of the Bible, but at some point seem to have dropped out of use later on in time.
Read PostIt's Time to Hate!
The inspired wise man who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes said: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…a time to love and a time to hate” (3:1,8a).
Read PostHow To Have A Satisfying Life
What is the secret of a satisfying life? Paul gives three answers in Philippians 4:10-13
Read Post