Christian Living

What Does God Really Want From Us?

1 Samuel 15.22 warns, does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.

If you slowly read this verse and soak in it’s meaning, doesn’t it make sense that if there really is a God this is exactly how He would be? Doesn’t it make sense that if there really is a God He couldn’t be fooled by our religion into thinking we were good? Neither would religious activities truly make a person good if the normal activities of their life were evil. Wouldn’t obedience to God seem to make the most sense as to what God really requires? (more…)

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August 25, 2017
Christian Living

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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August 23, 2017
Christian Living / obedience

Another Unintended Consequence of Permissive Parenting

Proverbs 13.24 describes, the one who spares his rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child is diligent in disciplining him.

Recently I heard someone state that the constitution prohibits hate speech. Many young people would either agree with that thinking or support that amendment were someone to make such a proposal. The constitution actually prohibits the muzzling of hate speech. The constitution commands free speech. (more…)

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August 18, 2017
Judgement / obedience

Bad Times and Good Times At The Same Time

Mathew 24.38 describes, in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.

I had the recent pleasure of visiting the life size Ark built to replicate the one described in the Bible. God had Noah build an ark for saving his family and an animal remnant from God’s judgement of the entire earth for its rebellion against Him. It’s amazing the size while inside are descriptions and replications for how Noah might have housed, fed, watered and removed the waste of all the animals. (more…)

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August 14, 2017
evangelism / Judgement / obedience

Who is Your King?

Judges 21.25 records, in those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.

Not much has changed in 4000 years or so. People are people with the same propensities from generation to generation and from nation to nation.

It is because our origin is from God through His creation of one man and one woman from whom all the peoples of the world have their beginning. This ideology is unique to Christianity and explains why in precept, not always in practice, Christianity stands alone in its teaching that all people are created equal regardless of gender, race, income or intelligence. (more…)

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August 8, 2017
evangelism

The Natural Progression of our Religion

Acts 22.14-15 describes, the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a command from His mouth, because you will be His witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.

Paul’s description of how he came to know the one true God summarizes how all of us come to know the one true God. We enter the world estranged from God. It is not inherent to the human species at birth to recognize or serve God. From infancy, we humans are self preserving and self seeking. (more…)

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August 4, 2017
Christian Living / Judgement / obedience / Suffering

It is Difficult to Be Faithful

Judges 14.17 describes, she cried on his shoulder until the party was almost over. Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle.

Nagging has a way of wearing us down. That explains why children use it most often because it is so effective at moving their parents to give them their way. God rewards faithfulness and even warns that only those who remain so until the end will be rewarded. Faithful until what end? Ours or the world’s I suppose. (more…)

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July 31, 2017
Christian Living / evangelism / Judgement / obedience / Suffering

Who Is Willing to Suffer for Jesus?

Acts 5.41 records, they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

The Church was able to grow from a handful of believers in Jesus into a world wide religion because it has been willing to suffer dishonor for the proclamation of Jesus as the only God and Savior of the world. When the Church has lost influence it has been the result of those who profess Jesus as Savior privately being afraid to do so publicly lest they suffer for proclaiming His ways. (more…)

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July 18, 2017
Christian Living / obedience

How to Bring More Love Into the World

Matthew 24.12 observes, because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.

It’s hard to do good when everyone else is doing wrong. Its hard to do good when everyone else seems to be advocating doing bad.

Our hearts and minds are shaped by someone or something. If we saturate ourselves with Bible reading, listening, memorizing and meditating we will think about things more like God thinks about things. If we listen mostly to the radio, internet and television while attending public schools and working in a secular environment we will think and thus act, more like those around us. (more…)

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July 14, 2017
heaven / obedience

Who is Going to Heaven?

Matthew 22.14 reports, many are called, but few are chosen.

Who God is and Who we think He is are often in-congruent. What we expect God to do or be like often conflicts with how He acts or describes Himself in the Bible.

Bible reading and study is the critical discipline necessary for aligning our opinion of God most closely to the true nature, character and ways of God. Today’s verse is a case in point over Who God really is and what we normally think God is like. (more…)

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July 12, 2017