Engage Or Escape
The gospel song said, “I cannot wait to leave this world of sin and sorrow!” We have heard a hundred variations of that escapism line. When Christ entered our space, He knew very well what awaited Him! He fully embraced a sinful world and its suffering. He stuck to it until He finished His
Sanctifying The Tragic
Relationships can bring great joy and great sorrow. Words, decisions and deeds of another can negatively affect all persons connected to them. To be affected by this means more than picking up the pieces and moving on. It means bringing your situation to the foot of the cross and to your Lord. Take a
When God Has Not Spoken
It is dangerous to speak for God when He has not spoken. To offer prophetic words that do not come to pass have shattered the faith of many. We have all observed the person that is too quick with “a word from the Lord.” God keeps his own words but is not bound to
Giving Back New Life (2)
The idea of giving your life back to God that we have in Romans 6 is taken up again in Romans 12:1-2. Jesus gave His life to us without reservations. That gift should inspire us to give our life to Him with nothing held back. We are called on to become a living sacrifice;
Giving Back New Life (1)
Romans 6 begins with the reminder that when we come to Christ we receive new life. That born-again life is not to be given back to sin and unrighteousness, but it is to be given to God by a life of right living (righteousness). The result of presenting ourselves to God is sanctification. We
The Ananias and Sapphira Spirit
A wave of generosity was sweeping through the early NT church meeting the needs of the poor (Acts 4:32-37). People were being praised for their generosity. Ananias and Sapphira wanted that kind of praise. They gave part, pretending that it was all. They wanted credit for what they did not do. Educators and politicians
Moses’ Great Challenge
Moses had to face the tyrant of his own self before he could face the tyrant Pharaoh. He wanted to deliver his people his way; so, he killed a man. God had another way to deliver them but Moses was not yet ready. Before we can complete our mission in life we have to
Unknowing Asking
Sometimes we do not know that for which we ask. We know what we want so we hasten to ask for it. We think of all the things we would do if we could get that great windfall, that position, that place. Really? Two disciples used their mother to try to get two places
Trouble and Fear
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27 NRSV). This was Jesus’ admonition to the disciples before His departure. In that chapter Jesus promised them
Survival Mode
Businesses sometime go into a survival mode where saving the business for the long term is more important than profits in the short term. Even plants go into the survival mode in dry weather where they drop fruit rather than die. Sometimes we may go into a survival mode in our life’s journey; we
Thoughts (3)
Studying is a way of shaping and training the mind. It should be a way of arming ourselves with better tools; when rightly processed, it will make our thinking clearer and more truthful. Good biblical and theological thinking is the duty of all who follow Christ. What we believe about Him is what really
Thoughts (2)
We become what we think. We are no better or worse than our thought life. Right thinking is the foundation for character growth. It is where both intent and motive are revealed. It is where secrets are formed and played out. It matters what we think; it matters to what we are and what
Thoughts (1)
Our thoughts make or break us. The mind is where the battlefield is; it is where we win or lose. Our actions flow from our thoughts, be they pondered, or occurring in a split second. Jesus said adultery is as much consenting in one’s mind to the thought as doing the action. He taught
Defining Sin
If we only define sin as law-breaking, then we may view ourselves as pretty good persons. Jesus said that all of the law and prophets could be summed up in the Great Commandment. All of the law is really meant to express itself in loving God and others. When I fail to love, that
God of the Living
To be the lord and king of the cemetery is no great complement to that lord or king. It would be cause for the mockery of such a king. In the case of the biblical witness, we read that “God is not God of the dead, but of the living.” Those who are His
Ministry Antenna
We need to keep our antennas up for any signal from a person, or from the Spirit, so that we might minister Christ to those in need. For this we will have to be prayerfully alert. We will need to stop interrupting their speech so that we can get in what we want to
Get Together
We are not called to be “Lone Ranger” Christians. We are called to be a part of a community of faith. That community of faith is important to the thriving of our own faith. Those isolated from the body may become weak, lonely and even fall away. We need to take the initiative to
Sanctifying Spirit
The Holy Spirit is more than a guide in our lives. Why is God’s Spirit called the Holy Spirit? First, He shares the nature of God Who is Holy, second, to distinguish Him from evil spirits, third, it is His office to make us holy. He is the sanctifying Spirit. He is the nature
More Than Sinners
We are much more than sinners saved by grace. We are called saints and we are called to be saints (Romans 1:7). We are called from our former life as sinners (2 Peter 1:9). Conversion frees us from being a slave to sin (Romans 6:1ff). Jesus said, to more than one person, “Go and
Hear the Old Stories Again
Don’t strangle biblical stories with theological contortions about the story. (Though I know theology has its place). Let the story speak to you as it has spoken to those for ages and ages. We need to rehear the stories; we need to learn to retell them again to those we love. We need to
Sin as Slavery
Paul said, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 ESV). We need to practice the things that pertain to our freedom. Freedom must be maintained by life practices. To yield to sin is an invitation to be placed under
Lose It to Find It
This is a life principle that Jesus often referred to on more than one occasion. If you want to save your life for yourself you will lose it. Jesus asks us to “lose our life for His sake and the gospels so that we might find it”. He asks us to die so that
Aligning with Creation
A man bought a large arid piece of land, planning to grow plants on it. A friend asked, “What are you going to plant?” He said, “I do not know. I have to listen to the soil before I know what will work.” The earth has often been abused and molested by people who
Shaped or Misshaped
Culture wants to shape us like itself. In this regard, it is a force that must be acknowledged and reckoned with for our own spiritual good. Conforming to the world is the enemy of our transformation into Christlikeness. This is why Paul warned us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be
Curing Prejudice
Peter was sent in an amazing step-by-step way to preach to the Gentiles and see them fully embraced by God Himself as they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). His mind was changed, but a lifetime of cultural shaping about non-Jews had to be confronted in an unpleasant way (Galatians 2:11-14). The multi-language