Christian Living / Judgement / obedience

Why Are People Speaking Poorly About God?

Romans 2.24 observes, the Name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

Probably no greater indictment against the Christian could occur than being accused of causing God’s Name to be maligned by non Christians due to their ungodly behavior. God in Jesus expects and warns that His Name will be maligned by non believers. His expectation of this blasphemy is for followers of Jesus living godly lives and proclaiming that faith and allegiance to Jesus alone is necessary for pleasing God will cause the non believers to hate Him and His followers resulting in blasphemy. (more…)

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January 30, 2017
evangelism / heaven / Judgement

Who Belongs to the Family of God?

Matthew 12.50 promises, whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

It is interesting to note what God DID NOT say made people His brother and sister and mother. His relations are not among those who believe in God but is among those who obey God.

Jesus, as God, did not say everyone who believes that there is a God or that God is good, or that God loves everyone or anything else people believe about God, make people His relatives. Certainly Jesus believed in God since He is God. (more…)

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January 12, 2017
Christian Living / heaven / Judgement

Who Is Most Important?

Matthew 10.39 promises, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.

At one time in our not to recent past it was popular to ‘find yourself.’ The remnant of that objective remains in all of the self help and self absorption we still see encouraged today. Everything is about personal happiness and fulfillment.

It is why we have come to espouse that your truth and my truth can both be true while being totally opposite from one another. This narcissism has created a culture without shame and without purpose. (more…)

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January 10, 2017
heaven / Judgement

Everyone Meets God Someday

Revelation 11.18 promises, it is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest.

In the end everyone stands before God to be judged. Those who lived in relationship to the Father through the Son by virtue of the Spirit will be rewarded for their deeds accomplished for God’s glory during their lifetimes. Those who denied the Son, ignored the Father and lived apart from the Spirit will be condemned to live forever in torment with all those who choose to live the same. (more…)

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December 20, 2016
Christian Living / Judgement / money

What Really Keeps Us From Serving God.

Luke 16.13 observes, no one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.image

The Bible has many warnings against the pursuit and accumulation of wealth. It is interesting that God observes that our greatest competitor to Him will not be some strange idol from a weird man-made religion but a desire to be wealthy. Why do we want wealth? (more…)

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December 2, 2016
heaven / Judgement / obedience

Living With God Requires Obedience

1 Chronicles 28.7 requires, if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdomimage last forever.

The Jews understood and still believe, that they are God’s chosen people. Indeed, He did choose them thousands of years ago when God selected one man from all those living on the earth to be the one through whom He will build a nation culminating in His arrival as one of us, Jesus the Messiah.

God’s choice was His own, it wasn’t based upon the merits of the man nor of the people to come from the children born through that man and his wife. Today, the protestant church believes it too is the chosen people of God. (more…)

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November 30, 2016
heaven / Judgement / obedience / Uncategorized

What Does God Hate?

Hosea 9.15 observes, The LORD says, All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are rebels.image

Gilgal was a holy place. It was where Joshua landed with the people of Israel when he miraculously crossed the Jordan river into the promised land. It was the place where Samuel the prophet would make the will of God known to those who needed His judgement.

Gilgal was where God changed His mind about Saul being king as a result of Saul disobeying God by offering the sacrifice only the priest was to perform. Perhaps it is this last act that Hosea refers to when describing the leaders history of rebellion. (more…)

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November 3, 2016
Christian Living / Judgement / Theology

How to Know God Personally

Hosea 6.3 laments, Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to
Retro key and opened book
Retro key and opened book

us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.

When we think of God what do we think of? Our experience of Him personally combined with our teaching about Him will determine the thoughts we have about God as well as our behavior toward God.

The word God means, He Who is above all, the One Who is to be revered, honored and obeyed because He is perfect, wonderful and responsible for all that is, was or ever will be. Does that definition of God seem congruent with our thoughts about God or our behavior before God? Most likely not. (more…)

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November 1, 2016
Christian Living / Judgement / obedience

Integrity Building is Church Work

Daniel 6.4 observes, he was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.

Integrity Torn Paper Concept

Daniel was a trusted official in the Babylonian government. Often he was made the second highest official in the land after the king. He obtained this lofty position because of the three defining character qualities listed in today’s verse.

These qualities were not uncommon at our founding. They were the norm among most of our founding fathers. They were values held in high honor among most people of this country until fairly recently. (more…)

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October 21, 2016
Christian Living / Judgement / obedience

Keeping God’s Reputation

Ezekiel 39.25 observes that God jealously guards His holy reputation!image

All of us want to guard our reputation. This desire reflects our being made in the image of God.

Like God, we care what people think about us and why they think the way they do. Frankly, God’s marketing isn’t very good. God has chosen to limit His brand to the purveyors of His product. (more…)

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October 6, 2016