The Value of Religious Activities

Matthew 15.11 defines, it’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.image

The Muslims are wrapping up their holy week most characterized by fasting from sunup until sundown. Fasting has been used by religious people of all stripes from all time as a means to appease the gods and or garner their attention.

Christians have used fasting historically not so much for these purposes but to discipline the flesh so that we obey the Spirit. (more…)

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Christians and Muslims Wage War Differently

Deuteronomy 33.11 asks, bless the ministry of the Levites, O LORD, and accept all the work of their hands. Hit their enemies where it hurts the most; strike down their foes so they never rise again.image

The Bible uses the language of war to describe the brokenness between man and God and man with man. War is necessary sometimes because of our refusal to love one another.

We needed to go to war against Hitler or his maniacal murderous schemes would have destroyed the world. We need to go to war against Islam since it refuses to exist as a religion of peace. Police need to go to war against criminals. (more…)

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What God Expects From Us

Revelation 12.17 describes, the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of imageher children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

The Bible describes the world as being at war. We see the evidence of this reality but as American Christians we don’t always interpret that reality as being daily and local. (more…)

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Living Our Best Life Now

Deuteronomy 11.26-28 offers, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing if you take to heart the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and the curse if you pay no attention to his commandments and turn from the way I am setting before you today to pursueimage other gods you have not known.

God gets blamed for most of the bad things that happen in the world but if we thought about it very long we would recognize that most of the evil occurs because one human chooses to harm another human. (more…)

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What it Takes to Serve God

John 12.25 promises, those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing forimages their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

Mohammad twisted this promise from God reinterpreting it to mean that his followers whose suicide kills others will automatically qualify for heaven. What kind of a god would make this offer? Only one whose true mission is to steal, kill and destroy. (more…)

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Whose Approval Are We Seeking?

John 5.41-42 states, your approval means nothing to Me, because I know you don’t have God’s love imagewithin you.

Having this attitude would certainly go a long way in helping the Church live more like Jesus. God as Man, Jesus, sought the approval of One, God the Father, but He called all those who love God and seek to obey His commands His brothers and sisters and mothers. (more…)

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What Are We to Think About Evil?

1 Peter 3.12 promises, the eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to imagetheir prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.

This promise is what we would expect from a God Who is good. It makes sense to us that a good God would watch over those who do good and hear their prayers. It also makes sense to us that God would oppose those who do evil in the world.

There is a disconnect however from this logic and some of our experiences. Evil in the world is a problem for people. (more…)

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What Are You Pursuing in Life?

James 4.3-4 claims, you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the imagesworld, you make yourself an enemy of God.

What do you think, is what we really want only what gives us pleasure? I’m thinking that God is correct, what I want most and most often is what will bring me pleasure.

God’s description of this malady? Adultery! (more…)

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