Practicing Your Religion Doesn’t Make You Right With God

Jeremiah 7.23 describes, however, I did give them this command: Obey Me, and then I will be your God, and you will be My people. Follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you.

For the most part we prefer religion over obedience. Religion is easier. Religion keeps us in charge of determining if we are pleasing to God or not. Religion requires the least amount of effort and sacrifice. Religion gives power to a small group of people. Religion keeps things at the surface level rather than at the motive level. The One True God is not interested in our religion per se. (more…)

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God is Looking For A Few Good People

Isaiah 6.8 records, I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.

Oh that everyone in the marketplace would hear God ask them this question. In truth, God has transitioned this question to a command telling us all to go and make disciples. When God lived among us as one of us, Jesus the Savior, He said He came to change His followers into fishers of men. (more…)

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How To Live In Community

Leviticus 19.17-18 commands, do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

We are to live holy lives because God is holy. We want God to live among us and bless us. Therefore, we must live holy lives for He is holy. This holiness is to be both individual and communal. (more…)

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Perfect Love is for God and Man

1 John 4.21 is clear, The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.

It is absolutely amazing to me that the Creator has so completely intertwined His command to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, with the command to love our neighbor as our self. This command of God is entirely unique to Christianity among all religions in the world, now or ever. (more…)

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What True Believers Look Like

1 John 2.2-6 observes, here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.

Who are the people who truly know and belong to the One true God? They are easy to identify. (more…)

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The Great Commandment is Fulfilled by Doing The Great Commission

1 Chronicles 28-9-10 commands, Solomon my son, get to know well your father’s God; serve Him with a whole heart and eager mind, for GOD examines every heart and sees through every motive. If you seek Him, He’ll make sure you find Him, but if you abandon Him, He’ll leave you for good. Look sharp now! GOD has chosen you to build His holy house. Be brave, determined! And do it!

This is Old Testament language to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as our self by going and making disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded us, beginning with our own household. (more…)

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The One True God Really is Good.

2 Kings 13.22-24 records, Hazael king of Aram badgered and bedeviled Israel all through the reign of Jehoahaz. But GOD was gracious and showed mercy to them. He stuck with them out of respect for his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He never gave up on them, never even considered discarding them, even to this day. Hazael king of Aram died. His son Ben-Hadad was the next king.

The world has no idea how fortunate we are that God is good. Seriously, if God were really evil think of how awful our lives would really be. (more…)

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