Credibility Gap (1)
Years ago Dr. Mildred Wynkoop wrote a great book, called the “Theology of Love”. She observed the lives of some who claimed a high level of holiness, but whose lives and lack of love exposed what she called the credibility gap. Their actual living did not lend credibility to their profession. When love, which
Holiness and Love
“Be you holy for I am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Join this to what Jesus said, “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), and you will get an understanding of how holiness is joined to love. This section of Matthew is about how the Father loves unconditionally (5:43-48). We usually think
Trust and Love
Trust in God can’t be built in the heart where love for God is not central. When we know that He is a God who loves us without reservation, we know that He is trustworthy. We know that we can trust a God like that. It is hard to have faith and trust in
Loving the Imperfect (2)
If loving the imperfect is godly, then, just maybe, mocking the imperfect is demonic. Who would mock a Downs’ child? Who would mock a person whose cerebral palsy had wrecked mobility or altered speech? Who would make fun of a class or ethnic group with demeaning, offensive, and abusive rhetoric? Jesus teaching in Matthew
Loving the Imperfect (1)
To the extent that we are not able to love the imperfect, to that same extent we are ungodly/un-God-like/un-Christlike. We certainly know He loves imperfect ones, because He loves us. Perhaps our problem is that we are making ourselves more lovable, since we are less imperfect or more righteous, than the folks with whom
Humility and Pride (3)
In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron were critical of Moses over his marriage. Then in anger, they spiritualized their attack. Miram and Aaron said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” (v. 2). True, He had at times spoken through both of them, but now they
Humility and Pride (2)
We all have opinions; humility says, “I could be wrong”. Pride can cause great harm, but can never say, “I am sorry that I hurt you”; this is horribly dethroning to the self. Pride can disguise itself as spirituality; it can wear the clothes of the most sanctified saint. Underneath these garments there is
Humility and Pride (1)
Humility is a forgotten and most neglected virtue. It is no longer prized; it is seldom sought and practiced. It is sorely needed. Humility is the opposite of pride. When pride is guarding the door, humility is not granted admission. Pride makes of oneself its own god; it wants to be a god, but
Made Holy to Love
The Great Commandment is to love God with our WHOLE BEING (Mark 12:30-31). The great benediction of 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 is that our WHOLE BEING would be sanctified through and through, with the promise that the One who calls us to holiness is the One who will do it. This is no casual connection;
Faithful To Christ and Others
Jesus was faithful to the Father in His mission to the world. Since He was on a mission of rescue, His faithfulness to the Father proved to be faithfulness to us. Our faithfulness to the Lord is also faithfulness to all of those in our sphere of influence. We cannot let the Lord down
Acts Of Becoming
What I do comes down to who I am. Actions flow out of character. Words and deeds flow out of thoughts. All of these things speak of who we are. Observe them. There are things about our own words and actions that should alarm us. There are things about our thoughts and attitudes that
Valleys And Mountains
We place too much value on getting out of the valley and on top of the mountain, as if our goal and god is always some spiritual high. I have learned that when I live in brokenness, valleys and mountain peaks mean very little. There may be highs and lows even in brokenness, for
The Face of God
The Psalmist cried out to see the face of God. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” (Psalm 42:2, NRSV). Moses wanted to see the face of God but could not (Exodus 33:20-23). The face of God that the Psalmist and Moses
Down On The Church
Do not get down on the church: She is Christ’s Bride. Do not get down on the church: The Spirit of the Lord is still speaking to it and empowering it in so many places. Do not give up on the church, for Christ said that He would build it, and the gates of
Pursuing Truth
We are people pursuing truth. We pursue truth not as though we have not found it, but we pursue truth to follow it to the conclusions to which it leads us. Truth matters. All truth, including scientific, is derived from God. We need not fear any truth, from simple scientific truth to complex quantum
Dividing The Church
In our day of polarization, careless words are said about church leaders that can be very hurtful to the person and divisive to the body of Christ. This often happens when someone behaves as a sniper, firing away at a pastor, either directly or by innuendo. We live in a hyper-critical environment. It is
Gideon As King
Gideon was a rare soul. He had an offer to be king before Saul and David. He was not hungry for power. “Only the Lord himself will rule over you.” He knew who he was in the grand scheme of things. When we have truly bowed to the Lord our King, then we
Love’s Demands
Love requires a response. Love places a burden on us. It does not force us, or it would not be love. Love moves us. We want to do something in response; that is love’s demand. It calls receivers to be givers. It calls the disinterested to be interested. It calls bystanders to be participants.
Refillings Of The Spirit
The refilling of the Spirit is for one reason. It is not so you can chalk up another spiritual experience or a new emotional high. Never! The Father is not the least bit interested in giving you the Spirit for narcissistic reasons. He wants to give the Spirit so that you may again witness
The Rebuilt Temple
The old temple, where God and humans met, was destroyed in 70 AD. Jesus had the new temple already in place 37 years before Herod’s temple was destroyed. Jesus is the temple. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The NT church saw Jesus as being the
Be Good, Do Good
If you want to be good then go out into the world and do good. Do good, not to be seen by the camera, but to be seen by your Father (Matthew 6:4). This world is in need of sheer goodness, salt-of-the-earth goodness, light of the world goodness. Jesus commissioned his followers to do
Love Inspires Good
God does not force people to obey his own laws. Though His laws are against it, He does not stop those who are determined to use God’s name in vain, worship idols, steal, kill, destroy, commit adultery, bear false witness, and covet. He pursues us in love, but does not force. Paul reminds us
Intercession
Both Christ and the Spirit intercede for us (Romans 8:26, 34). Yet we are urged to offer “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1). This is more than participation in intercession. Is there an intercession where the Spirit is interceding through the intercessors? If so, would this not be the
The Mirage
We are constantly shown images of perfect lives, bodies, jobs, and families. These images are not harmless. They create distress. They create entries to voices in our heads about how everyone else has it so good and we have it so bad. It is really the sin of envy. It is a mirage. It
Without Excuse
In some quarters, there is a pessimistic view of ever really living a holy life. What we must understand is that our loving Father has provided everything we need to live holy and godly lives. The cleansing by the Son, the abiding of the Holy Spirit, and the great promises of God’s word come