John 17.17 asks, set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.
The Christian is not to live, look, speak, or work like others who do not know the One true God. Christians are to live as Jesus did for they too are children of God. (more…)
Revelation 12.17 describes, so the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war
on the rest of her children, those who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus.
Spiritual warfare is a topic usually resigned to a fringe element of the Christian spectrum. While orthodox Christianity would acknowledge it’s reality most avoid the topic, fewer describe what it is or looks like and even less actually enter into such a world as least as far as men can enter into spiritual warfare. (more…)
1 John 4.17 warns, by this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of
judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world.
Recently an acquaintance of mine died. This man was well known in the community. Many loved him but a few didn’t. He was very wealthy and successful. Gave quite a bit of money away though not much as a percentage of his wealth. Attended church regularly. Once I asked him if he was going to heaven, he answered that he hoped so then proceeded to call a friend who was ill to encourage him. Another good deed to his credit to hopefully put him over the threshold of the amount needed for gaining heaven. (more…)
Luke 13.24 commands, exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you,
will try to enter and will not be able to.
Consider God’s words about the cost of belonging to Him:
Matthew 6.15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
Luke 9.24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Luke 14.26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
Luke 17.33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.
John 6.53 I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. (more…)
1 Peter 4.2 observes, he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not
human desires.
The focus of the Christian is to be the same focus as Jesus Christ the Lord. That focus is upon doing the will of God regardless of result or cost.
As humans we begin our lives self-focused. Everything is about us from infancy. The child portrays this truth early and often. We never evolve from this focus if we do not lose our lives by giving them over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is why He observes that, unless we lose our lives for Him and His mission, we cannot keep them for eternal life. (more…)
Jonah 2.8 observes, those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.
It appears offensive to some for others to claim that there is only one God in the universe. It makes sense that only one God exists. If there were two gods wouldn’t they battle it out to see who really was GOD? The definition of the word assumes supremacy over all.
Religion is the access point to God. False religions lead to false gods. Offense occurs when a person’s religion is deemed false. (more…)
Hebrews 10.36 reminds, you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.
Why do we need endurance to do God’s will? Does anyone feel the need for endurance? Most people trying to do God’s will want more resources; money, people, time, strength but rarely endurance.
Endurance has the idea of persevering through difficulty. In a world of, with God all things are possible, what do we need endurance for anyway? (more…)
2 Timothy 2.25-26 encourages, perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive to do his
will.
The world is going crazy because people are increasingly doing crazier things. Granted, 24-hour negative news brings to our attention more crime, more violence and more human atrocity than we ever had before but still, does it seem like the world is running amok at a greater rate than ever?
The world has been in tough places before. It would have been hard times to be on the wrong side of Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan. It would have been hard times during the black plague. It was hard times during both world wars. It is hard times for those living wherever ISIS rules or seeks to rule. (more…)
2 Thessalonians 1.8 observes, with flaming fire He will mete out punishment on those who do not know
God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
The next verse says that God will then send to eternal punishment all of these same people. In a word Christianity defines this place of eternal separation from God and eternal suffering as hell. Hell is no longer an accepted place among people. (more…)
Ezekiel 22.30 records, I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the
gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.
God is watching us. God is watching us to see who is working for Him and with Him to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In the case of Israel, God looked for a man who was praying for mercy on behalf of the people and warning the people about the consequences of their disobedience in order to move increasingly more people toward obedience to God.
This work, God said, would have delayed or even thwarted His plan for punishing Jerusalem but alas, no one was found to be working on this project resulting in Jerusalem’s destruction. (more…)
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