Hosea 12.6 commands, you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by waiting for 
your God to return to you.
Almost daily we are bombarded with tragic news. Senseless killings. Natural disasters. Awful accidents. The world is broken. The obviousness that something is terribly wrong is overwhelming. We want solutions but are we looking in the right place for the answers? (more…)
Titus 1.1 records, Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God’s chosen
ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness.
In this opening sentence in Paul’s letter to his friend Titus, he gives an insight into the true meaning of godliness. When most people think of godliness they think of people like Mother Theresa or Billy Graham. They also think of character associated with godliness like goodness, honesty, kindness, love, generosity.
I suppose everyone has their own list. No doubt most of us would consider ourselves somewhat godly. (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…)
Philippians 3.10 claims, my aim is to know Him, to experience the power of His resurrection, to share in
His sufferings, and to be like Him in His death.
What is the goal of your religion? To get to heaven? This was not the goal of arguably the greatest Christian who was not also God. Perhaps the secret to his Christianity was the fact that he made his understanding, practice and experience of God now, not future. (more…)
Psalm 107.2 declares, let those delivered by the LORD speak out, those whom He delivered from the
power of the enemy.
Who is the enemy? The enemy of all humanity? Death.
Only one God promises deliverance from death to ALL who humble themselves and follow Him. Only one God proved His ability to deliver on His promise by Himself rising from the dead after men were convinced of their killing Him on a cross. (more…)
Psalm 101.8 describes, each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land, and remove all 
evildoers from the city of the LORD.
David was a man deeply committed to the ways of God. At least initially. His commitment was so serious that God described him, ‘as a man after His own heart.’ For God to consider a man like Him in desire, will and way is the greatest compliment anyone could receive. Yet, David imploded. (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…)
2 Corinthians 4.2 encourages, by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s 
conscience before God.
What do non Christians expect from Christians? Certainly a virtue or morality that is different from everyone else. This would include honesty, compassion, love, hard work, and thoughtfulness. While no one lives perfectly, thus each of us demonstrates our need for God’s forgiveness, those who claim to follow Jesus are expected and even commanded, to live like He lived. (more…)
1 Corinthians 16.13 commands, stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.
With all of the natural disasters occurring recently some are speculating the end of the world as we know it is near. I believe this thinking is normal whenever difficult times on a mass scale are being experienced. No doubt throughout the ages Christians and others have exhibited similar thoughts while enduring plagues, famines and wars.
Whether the end is near or not I don’t know, I do know how we are to live regardless of ‘the end’s’ proximity. (more…)
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