heaven / Judgement / obedience

Closing the Gap to God

Mark 12.34 observes, realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, You are not far fromimage the Kingdom of God.

Knowing and doing are not the same. We inherently know this in our dealings with people, especially family. We know our spouse loves us but sometimes their actions are hurtful. We know our children know what they are to do but they often fail to do what they have been made responsible to do.

On and on it goes in our experience of the gap between knowing and doing, both in our own lives as well as the lives of others. (more…)

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April 12, 2016
Theology

The Difference Between Christianity and Islam

The article below describes some Muslim militias attacking and killing some nuns and their patients in a nursing home in Yemen. This story is a microcosm demonstrating the magnitude of difference between imageChristianity and Islam.

Those who believe all religions are the same and lead to the same end are sorely misguided as this story illustrates as well. (more…)

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March 7, 2016
Christian Living / obedience

What Does God Want from Us?

Luke 14:33 claims those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.image

The God Who made the universe and all it contains…The God Who sustains the universe and everything in it…The God Who is larger than the universe…this God compressed Himself into a human being so that He could communicate His love to us in a way we would understand through both His words and His deeds.

This is the story of God Christianity and the Bible tells. (more…)

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August 19, 2015
Christian Living / evangelism / heaven / Judgement

What Makes Us Great?

Luke 7.28 declares among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who isimage least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Everyone wants to be great at something. When we are young our desire to be great usually focuses upon our studies, popularity, sports or arts. As we mature our desire for greatness shifts to our work or even our family.

We want to be great because we want to be the best because……why is it so important we always win? (more…)

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August 12, 2015
Christian Living / obedience

Doing or Being or Both?

Deuteronomy 6:25 promises if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.image

The Christian perspective of righteousness, right standing with God, is both a matter of being and doing. God requires righteous doing, without someone obeying Him perfectly no one can be right with God. The problem is no one can do what God requires perfectly all the time, maybe, none of the time.

Jesus did obey perfectly and can transfer His perfection upon everyone who calls upon Him for mercy. (more…)

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June 3, 2015
heaven / Judgement / obedience

Motives Matter

Numbers 22.32 observes I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one beforeimage Me.

When God’s not happy ain’t nobody happy!

The problem with the One True God is that He cares as much about how and why we do something as He does with what we do. This makes sense actually if there really is a God.

All the other religions, including Islam, place all of their emphasis upon outward behavior without regard for the motive of that behavior. In reality, we all have this propensity. (more…)

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May 13, 2015
Christian Living / Judgement

Living Burden Free

Psalm 68.19 declares, praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, Who daily bears our burdens. Godimage bears our burdens.

Does that really make any sense? No other religion other than Christianity makes such a claim.

Surely allah doesn’t bear anyone’s burdens. Most gods place burdens on humanity forcing us to get better by their impossible demands.

Our idols have the same burdensome propensity. We beat ourselves because we are not strong enough, smart enough, rich enough or pretty enough so we keep working trying to pacify that voice in our head that is never satisfied. (more…)

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May 11, 2015
obedience

How to Please God

Psalm 40.8 declares, I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.images

Most of us who claim to be seekers of God want to please Him, the breakdown occurs in determining what it takes to please God. It seems only fair that if there is indeed a God that He would make clear what He requires from us.

Fortunately, that is exactly why God had His thoughts, words and deeds recorded and preserved in a book. In this way, all peoples for all time in all languages could know what the One True God requires of us. (more…)

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May 1, 2015
Judgement / obedience

Is God Fair?

Leviticus 5:17 declares if anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible.image

God says we are guilty of disobedience to Him, sin, even if we don’t know what He requires. For many, this seems too harsh, unfair and therefore unacceptable to them for giving their allegiance to God.

Why does God take this position, that all will be held accountable to Him for disobedience even if they didn’t know His commands? I think there are three primary reasons. (more…)

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April 2, 2015
Christian Living / faith / heaven

Becoming Like Children

Luke 18.17 records God promising anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little childimage will never enter it.

This is a very familiar warning to us but few take it seriously because most of us don’t understand what He means to receive the kingdom like a little child.

We usually begin by thinking of sweet and innocent children all of whom will go to heaven because it only seems fair. Those of us who have children however know they are often not so sweet nor innocent but are rather quite overt in their selfishness.

This takes us back to ignoring the meaning of God’s warning because it fails to make sense to us. (more…)

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March 4, 2015