What A Godly Father Looks Like

Acts 10.1-3 describes, a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, “Cornelius.

Cornelius was a rock star. He was a warrior for both men and God. That’s what most Christian men desire to be: strong before men, holy before God. Cornelius was great not because of his position before men, which was considerable. Cornelius was great because of his position before God. (more…)

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God Lives On The Streets

Hebrews 13.16 observes, God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.

Following Jesus means living where He is, following Him to where He goes, and being with Him where He is active. God is not occupied with or limited to temples, though He may visit on occasion, rather He is a friend of sinners. (more…)

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God’s Work is for Men and Not Angels

Hebrews 2.5 records, God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here.

God didn’t put angels in charge of this salvation business. Clear, emphatic, concise, understandable. God put men in charge of sharing with men Who He is and what He requires. It’s not more complicated than that. (more…)

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Being A Christian Requires a Two Part Harmony

John 6.39-40 records, that everything handed over to Me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what My Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who He is and what He does and then aligns with Him will enter real life, eternal life.

Can Jesus be your Savior and not be your Lord? Can a person get to heaven with only half of Jesus? Jesus is both Savior of all and Lord of all. He is Judge of all and is the only One Who gives eternal life to be spent with Him and the Father and all Who are His adopted children. (more…)

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Laziness or Eagerness, Which Quality Do You Exhibit?

Matthew 26.41 describes, there is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.

No doubt all of us fall into this same description as a follower of Jesus: a part of us is eager to know God and serve Him but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire. Which part wins determines our destiny in many ways. (more…)

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Jesus, Not a Man, Is To Be Our Life Coach

Matthew 23.8-10 warns, don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.  (more…)

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More Thoughts About Being Good

2 Chronicles 12.14 observes, he did evil because he was not determined to follow the LORD.

This past weekend I noticed some friends on Facebook taking a quiz that determined whether or not they would get to heaven. They all succeeded to earn their hoped for destination having their good deeds outstrip their sins by more than ten fold. No doubt this quiz was meant to be fun but it reinforces a couple of subtle but widely held beliefs. (more…)

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Salvation is Free But Owning it Costs Everything

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…)

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What Are You Concerned About?

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…)

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How to Know the Will of God

Romans 12.2 commands, do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Nearly everyone wants to know God’s will for their life. When thinking about this matter we usually place the onus of our ignorance upon God instead of ourselves. We think because we asked but didn’t hear it’s His fault for not communicating with us. What if He responded but we didn’t hear so He will tell us its our fault for not doing His will? (more…)

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