Christian Living / evangelism

Goals for 2016

2 Corinthians 13:5 commands test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you –unless indeed you fail the test?image

A new year, a new beginning, a new opportunity for being more and doing more than we have ever done before. What should be our focus as we begin the new year? We instinctively know the answer to this question: God, family and work but not necessarily in this order. Yet this is indeed the order that matters most spiritually, emotionally and eternally.

Before we take a step forward we must assess where we are by looking backward. (more…)

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January 4, 2016
faith / Theology

Who is This Jesus?

John 12.45 describes the one who looks at Me is seeing the One who sent Me.image

Jesus is unique among all historic figures and religious leaders for He declared Himself to be God. Here Jesus says when we look at Him we see God.

Jesus is God visible. Jesus is God tangible. Jesus is God recognizable. Jesus is God identifiable.

What do we see when we look at Jesus? (more…)

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December 22, 2015
heaven / Judgement

God’s Judgement and Getting into Heaven

Revelation 9.20-21 records the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not imagesrepent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

While most people believe if there is a God that He is loving and good, and He is, they extrapolate from this that He will not punish people for their disobedience against His will. Nothing could be further from the truth, at least the truth recorded in the Bible.

God appears to allow us to get away with our disobedience today because He desires us to ask His forgiveness and reconcile ourselves to Him before we die. It is God’s desire to restore us not condemn us but failure to seek Him for restoration in this life will result in eternal separation from Him in the life to come. (more…)

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December 18, 2015
heaven / Judgement / obedience / Suffering

What are You Depending Upon?

2 Chronicles 16.9 promises the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose thhearts are fully committed to Him.

This declaration was made by the prophet to the king of Judah who had just exhibited unfaithfulness to the Lord. How was he unfaithful? By not seeking God for help but looking to others to rescue him during his time of need.

Its normal for us to solve our own problems or seek help from others when those troubles are larger than our own resources. This kind of living is defined by God as being wise in our own eyes. (more…)

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December 14, 2015
heaven / Judgement / Suffering

Why Evil Persists in the World

Jonah 4.2 describes,  I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger andimage abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

No other god in any holy book is described as loving and compassionate, gracious and slow to anger. The One True God stands alone in this characterization of Who God really is and what He is really like. (more…)

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November 25, 2015
Judgement / obedience

How to Get to Heaven

James 2.12 commands we speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that givesimages freedom.

God plans to judge everyone. We inherently know this to be true yet suppress it as much as possible from our conscience. When we do think about God holding us accountable we normally give ourselves a passing grade as to our adherence to His commands.

The answer to what God will judge us on and how He will judge us has all been revealed by God so that we can pass the test. (more…)

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November 20, 2015
Judgement / obedience

Remaining in God’s Love Part 2

John 15.9-10 warns us to remain in Jesus’ love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love,image just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

If I must remain in God’s love am I not working my way to heaven, the antithesis of orthodox Christianity? Of course not for we cannot even know God until He reveals Himself to us. God must draw us to Himself for us to have a relationship with Him. In addition, He must supply the power and Person we need to remain in that relationship. (more…)

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November 10, 2015
Judgement / obedience

Remaining in God’s Love Part 1

John 15.9-10 warns us to remain in Jesus’ love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, imagejust as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

It seems odd to hear God command us to remain in His love. We presume that we just always remain in His love without effort or thought on our part. After all, God so loved the world He gave Himself in His Son to reconcile us to Himself.

Why then would I need to remain in His love since He already loves me? Indeed God loves everyone but the experience of His love occurs only in a relationship with Him through Jesus. (more…)

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November 9, 2015
heaven / Judgement / money

Building Heavenly Treasure Part 2

1 Timothy 6.19 promises, in this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for imagesthe coming age. God encourages us to create and store treasure for ourselves in heaven. Think of it as the ultimate retirement savings account.

To earn heavenly treasure we have to think in the economics of heaven. We also have to choose which priority we will live for: short term this life existence or long term eternal life existence.

God warns us we cannot love money and God: we will focus on accumulating either the treasure of this world or the treasure of the world to come. In the passage today God lists additional means for us to accumulate heavenly treasure besides working at reconciling people to Jesus as Savior of the world. (more…)

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October 28, 2015
heaven / Judgement / obedience / Theology

Truth Hurts

2 Thessalonians 2:10 observes, they perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.image

Truth hurts. Most of us don’t really like the truth because it has a nasty way of disagreeing with the way we want things to be.

Truth is not swayed by our will or wishes; it doesn’t change because we cry or scream. We become deceitful and lie in order to create an illusion of truth so that we get what we want.

God says He is truth. (more…)

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October 21, 2015