What A Godly Father Looks Like

Acts 10.1-3 describes, a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, “Cornelius.

Cornelius was a rock star. He was a warrior for both men and God. That’s what most Christian men desire to be: strong before men, holy before God. Cornelius was great not because of his position before men, which was considerable. Cornelius was great because of his position before God. (more…)

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Overcoming Our Fear of Identifying with Jesus

Matthew 28.16-17 observes, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him they worshiped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Shame, and similarly, fear of what people might think, are two cancers impacting greatly the Church, inhibiting its obedience to the mission assigned by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching people everywhere to obey His commands. (more…)

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How Do You Measure Obedience To God?

Jeremiah 13.8-11 mourns, GOD explained, “This is the way I am going to ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem—a wicked bunch of people who won’t obey me, who do only what they want to do, who chase after all kinds of no-gods and worship them. They’re going to turn out as rotten as these old shorts. Just as shorts clothe and protect, so I kept the whole family of Israel under my care— GOD ’s Decree—so that everyone could see they were my people, a people I could show off to the world and be proud of. But they refused to do a thing I said.

God’s description of Israel is certainly apropos to many in the Church today. We don’t obey God, we do what we want to do, we chase after and worship no-gods. (more…)

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What Does It Mean To Live As God’s People?

Matthew 21.43 observes, This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life.

The kingdom life is given to kingdom livers. We do not possess what we do not possess. We do not keep by promise what we do not live by faith. The Father expects His children to live as sons and daughters of God. So what does it mean to live a kingdom life? (more…)

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July 4th Reflections

Jeremiah 2.1-3 records, GOD ’s Message came to me. It went like this: “Get out in the streets and call to Jerusalem, ‘ GOD ’s Message! I remember your youthful loyalty, our love as newlyweds. You stayed with me through the wilderness years, stuck with me through all the hard places. Israel was GOD ’s holy choice, the pick of the crop. Anyone who laid a hand on her would soon wish he hadn’t!’” GOD ’s Decree.

We just finished celebrating the 4th of July, the birth of America, the greatest nation on the earth. Great because it allows its people the greatest freedom to be who God made them to be and to exercise the gifts and talents that God gave them. It is the greatest nation because it is the most free nation for worshiping the One True God, without constraint or control by the government – or at least it used to be. (more…)

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The Most Appropriate Response to God

Joshua 5.14 observes, Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, What orders does my Master have for His servant?

When we encounter God our response to Him is simple, what would you have me to do? It’s not complicated really. He is God, our Creator, our Sustainer, the One Who brought us into His world and allows us to live upon it. If we chaff at this idea of responding to God humbly and obediently it is because we are poor in at least two areas. (more…)

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What Does YOUR God Require From You?

Joshua 4.23-24 observes, Yes, GOD, your God, dried up the Jordan’s waters for you until you had crossed, just as GOD, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong GOD ’s rescuing hand is and so that you would hold GOD in solemn reverence always.

Holding God in solemn reverence always. What exactly does that mean? It certainly means honoring Him. How do we honor God? (more…)

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