Luke 16.15 warns, Jesus said to them, you are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts.
For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight.
This statement by God, warning us that what we value He despises, should terrorize us. Now certainly this cant be true in everything. (more…)
Exodus 6.9 observes, they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and hard labor.
God had great plans in store for Israel but they couldn’t receive them because their life was hard. They wanted what God was offering but when the process became more difficult than they expected they didn’t believe God was really going to deliver on His Word.
This is how most of us respond to God. (more…)
1 Corinthians 7.35 encourages, without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.
This expectation seems opposed to Jesus’ commendation of Mary who sat with Jesus instead of Martha who was busy making lunch for Jesus. Jesus’ caveat was that He would not always be with us in the flesh so Mary had indeed chosen the better activity.
From the beginning however God has been at work. So too the Son came to work by seeking and saving the lost. (more…)
1 Corinthians 4.1 observes, people should think about us this way – as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of
God.
Christianity is maligned most of the time unfairly. Haters are just gonna hate. Of all the good in the world most is done by Christians.
When tragedy strikes in the world it is the Christian Church globally that steps in through gifts and talents of supplies and workers to help those struck by nature’s worst. You never read of the Muslim mission society, or the Buddhist mission society or the Hindu mission society helping people in need. (more…)
Romans 2.24 observes, the Name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
Probably no greater indictment against the Christian could occur than being accused of causing God’s Name to be maligned by non Christians due to their ungodly behavior. God in Jesus expects and warns that His Name will be maligned by non believers. His expectation of this blasphemy is for followers of Jesus living godly lives and proclaiming that faith and allegiance to Jesus alone is necessary for pleasing God will cause the non believers to hate Him and His followers resulting in blasphemy. (more…)
Acts 26.20 states, I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the
Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.
What should a Christian look like? A Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is an obedient follower of the commands of Jesus. Not complicated really but certainly arguable, at least it has been for more than 2000 years. Why? (more…)
Nehemiah 9.33 proclaims, You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for You have acted faithfully. It is
we who have been in the wrong!
When things go badly for us our propensity is to blame God. Our thinking goes something like, ‘if He loved me He would do good to me.’ “Since He is all powerful He can keep the bad from happening.” “Since I am a good person God should want good for me.” “Since bad is happening to me anyway either God is not good or God is not all powerful.” (more…)
Matthew 12.50 promises, whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.
It is interesting to note what God DID NOT say made people His brother and sister and mother. His relations are not among those who believe in God but is among those who obey God.
Jesus, as God, did not say everyone who believes that there is a God or that God is good, or that God loves everyone or anything else people believe about God, make people His relatives. Certainly Jesus believed in God since He is God. (more…)
Matthew 10.39 promises, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.
At one time in our not to recent past it was popular to ‘find yourself.’ The remnant of that objective remains in all of the self help and self absorption we still see encouraged today. Everything is about personal happiness and fulfillment.
It is why we have come to espouse that your truth and my truth can both be true while being totally opposite from one another. This narcissism has created a culture without shame and without purpose. (more…)
Matthew 6.33 commands, above all pursue His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well.
God does want more from us than mere acknowledgement of His existence. He promises us eternity and then tells us to prepare for that existence by storing up eternal treasure. Presumably that treasure will be either necessary or a determinant for our quality of life to come. This is not dissimilar from investment brokers pleading with us to invest today so that we have something to live on tomorrow when we are no longer able to work but must subsist on what we saved. (more…)
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