Judgement / obedience

It Only Takes One to Make a Difference

Jeremiah 5.1 commands go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgiveimages this city.

The God of the Old Testament in the Bible gets a bad rap often because of all the killing He allows and even commands at various times among various people. While these things certainly did happen and will actually happen again, the real story is God’s attempt to keep them from happening but people choose to ignore Him. (more…)

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July 9, 2015
Christian Living / obedience

Living Counter Culture

Jeremiah 2.19 observes “your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider imagethen and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.”

“How’s it workin for you?” is a sarcastic question asked to those who keep doing the same thing with the same poor results. We might ask the Church the same question as we have ignored God and His commands repeatedly these past sixty years instead reaping a culture that is growing increasingly more hostile to traditional values or the free exercise thereof. (more…)

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July 6, 2015
Christian Living / obedience

The Cost of Love

Deuteronomy 30.11 states now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or imagebeyond your reach.

God has given us everything we need for knowing Him and for doing what is pleasing in His sight. This ability is in itself a gift from God, a demonstration of His love and grace. What kind of God would He be if He left us confused or ignorant of Who He is or what He requires from us. (more…)

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June 29, 2015
Christian Living / obedience

Transgenderism is Nothing New

Deuteronomy 22.5 commands a woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s imageclothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.

Transgenderism appears to be an issue dating back to at least the time of Moses for God commanded His people not to participate in such activity.

While perversions from God’s original design for humanity have been part of our history from our earliest days, this doesn’t legitimize the activity but demonstrates our brokenness and need for a Savior. (more…)

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June 18, 2015
Christian Living / Judgement / obedience / Suffering

Getting Help from God

Psalm 91:14 promises, because he loves Me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he imageacknowledges My Name.

While we live our lives most of the time without interest in God’s interference, frequently enough we experience life outside our control and want God’s help. Some have denied the existence of God or His goodness because during these times He did not show up in the way they wanted or felt they needed.

Like the small child who has a tantrum when told no are those who curse God when He fails to behave according to their desire. So what does it take to move God favorably upon our behalf? (more…)

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June 16, 2015
Christian Living / faith / obedience

How to Know God Better

Isaiah 43.10 describes ‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.image

How do we get to know God better and more personally is the universal question among those who truly believe in God. Religion provides a means to that end sometimes and in some ways. The disciplines of Bible reading and prayer are certainly helpful to knowing God better.

God wants us to accomplish our objective so has given us two clues for knowing, believing and understanding Him. (more…)

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June 11, 2015
Christian Living / obedience

Doing or Being or Both?

Deuteronomy 6:25 promises if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.image

The Christian perspective of righteousness, right standing with God, is both a matter of being and doing. God requires righteous doing, without someone obeying Him perfectly no one can be right with God. The problem is no one can do what God requires perfectly all the time, maybe, none of the time.

Jesus did obey perfectly and can transfer His perfection upon everyone who calls upon Him for mercy. (more…)

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June 3, 2015
Christian Living / evangelism / obedience

Being less so He can become More

John 3.30 summarizes the Christian life: He must become greater; I must become less.image

John the Baptist makes simple both the process and the goal of the Christian life: Jesus must become increasingly clearer to us, in us and through us and we must become increasingly less proud, selfish and self-serving. John arrived at this conclusion because he saw himself as a servant of God.

Our occupation is the redemption of the world to God through Jesus Christ regardless of our vocation. Our vocation funds our occupation but the Christian life is simply being occupied with the work of seeing God’s kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven. (more…)

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May 21, 2015
Christian Living / heaven / Judgement / obedience

Spiritual Development

2 Peter 1.10 exhorts us to make every effort to confirm our calling and election.images

Most evangelical Christians define a person’s salvation by whether or not they believe they are going to heaven if they were to die today.

The answer they are looking for is the confession that the person invited Jesus into their lives to forgive their sins and believe His promise to receive them into His heaven forgiven because of His gracious pardon obtained through His shed blood. Satisfied they believe a person is saved because they made the proper confession they move on never to think again about this salvation we or they supposedly obtain. (more…)

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May 19, 2015