Hebrews 11.2 observes, for by it the people of old received God’s commendation.
The ‘it’ in this sentence is faith. There is a faith that God commends. In Part I we began to explore the faith that God rewards as we looked at the lives of the hero’s of the faith listed in Hebrews 11. Picking up where we left off: (more…)
Hebrews 11.2 observes, for by it the people of old received God’s commendation.
The ‘it’ in this sentence is faith. There is a faith that God commends. What does that mean? To commend, is to recognize with reward, it is to esteem, it is to uphold as significant. We have all watched award ceremonies whether the Oscars, Hall of Fame or Olympics. All of us like to be positively recognized.
One day God is going to recognize and reward people for their great works done for His glory while they lived on earth. That will be one long ceremony. (more…)
Judges 3.2 describes, God left those nations simply because He wanted to teach the subsequent 
generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war.
The idea of holy war is not a very positive one today. While it’s quite an old concept the Muslims have made the idea immensely unpalatable. The Muslim version of holy war involves using women, children and the handicapped, in addition to men without other options for gaining heaven, through the means of suicide, for accomplishing their objectives. Their holy war is the destruction of the infidel or the conversion of the infidel through terror and fear. The god they serve is abusive, terrible and unattractive in every way. Yet holy war predates Islam. (more…)
Numbers 26.64 observes, there was not a man among these who had been among those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai.
Why did the group of adult Israelites whom God had miraculously freed from slavery in Egypt fail to enter the Promised Land? The reason for God’s deliverance was to bring them into the land He had promised their forefathers as an inheritance for His people. So why did they fail to receive God’s promise, the purpose of His activity in their lives? (more…)
Mark 11.22 reports, Jesus said to them, have faith in God.
Belief and faith are not synonymous. Regrettably these words have been used interchangeably within the Church to the detriment of the Church.
Belief is a thought that may or may not bring us to action. Sort of like most of us believe we should get more exercise and diet better but we don’t…Belief’s may or may not be true. We ‘believe’ they are true but we don’t always confirm those beliefs, and even if they are not really true, they are oftentimes true to us. Like when we believe our alma mater is the best. It may or may not technically be the best at anything and who defines best? (more…)
Joshua 8.18 records hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city over to you.
I was listening to two men discuss religion today. The first commented that the Muslims are a real world problem, their book commands them to kill everyone who isn’t one. The second guy commented that the Bible says the same thing so it and its adherents are just as bad.
The first guy rebutted his friend by stating now we live by the teachings of Jesus so Christians are better. This didn’t convince the second guy that there is any difference between ISIS and Baptists. Do both of these books record God telling His people to kill everyone? (more…)
2 Corinthians 12.21 records, I will grieve for many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.
The knock on Christianity from adherents of other religions is the ease by which Christians are able to get to heaven. Christianity is the only religion that claims it’s means to heaven is the receiving of it freely from God as a gift imparted by God’s grace through faith in His love and kindness. (more…)
Matthew 17.20 observes, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to
there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.
Mustard seeds are really small; really, really small. I don’t know if any of us have faith the size of a mustard seed. Why not? (more…)
1 Corinthians 3.18 commands we stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s
standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
The cultural war around us is a war of ideas. The battle lines have been drawn between God and science and between the Bible and public opinion.
The war analogy is meaningful because there is much hostility brewing among those who oppose God and the Bible toward those who believe in God and the Bible. (more…)
Isaiah 45.19 records God stating, I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek Me if I could not be found. I, the 
LORD, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.
God knows He alone is God and that He lives regardless of the opinion of humanity. In our pride and in His humility, we are allowed to live, talk and think as though God were not real but we are sadly mistaken. (more…)
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