Posted: August 1, 2024
“And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.”1 I have this theory about pain.
Continue Reading “Rocky Ground”
Category: Blog
Posted: July 25, 2024
Peter writes that we believers have been given everything we need “that pertain to life and godliness.”1 And these things allow us to “become partakers of the divine nature!”2 In other words, we can possess the characteristics of Jesus! Although we describe it as becoming more like him, the truth is that Jesus takes over
Continue Reading “The Problem of Nearsightedness”
Category: Blog
Posted: July 18, 2024
Our question is what part of the body of Christ is our part? What gift have we been given by God in order to fulfill our service and find our place and purpose in the world? The list of gifts is found primarily in 1 Corinthians 12 but then alluded to in other books. If
Continue Reading “Our Gifts: Part Two”
Category: Blog
Posted: July 11, 2024
Sometimes we feel out of place in our world. We look around and think, I do not belong. And this is not merely a 21st century feeling. There were some people in the church at Corinth who felt the same way. They examined themselves and said, “I do not belong.”1 Why do we feel that
Continue Reading “Our Gifts: Part One”
Category: Blog
Posted: July 4, 2024
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”1 And then “the Jews who had believed him” proceeded to argue with Jesus—even though they “believed him.” In this particular scenario,
Category: Blog
Posted: June 27, 2024
As Jesus was discussing fears, worries, and anxious thoughts, he said this to his disciples: “Do not be anxious about your life.”1 Then he highlighted a specific situation regarding worrying over food and clothing, using flowers and birds (who do not worry, yet God takes care of them) as a good example. But .
Continue Reading “Anxious Thoughts”
Category: Blog
Posted: June 20, 2024
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”1 It sounds more demanding written in the King James Version, doesn’t it? But what does it mean, this third commandment that we have conveniently overlooked and almost completely eliminated from our minds? The first response would probably be not to use God’s
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Category: Blog
Posted: June 13, 2024
Before there were kings that ruled nations, there were judges. The judges’ job was to instruct and encourage the Israelites to serve God as their king, but some judges were not very good at their job. Over and over we read “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the
Category: Blog
Posted: June 6, 2024
If God is sovereign, why do people suffer? If God is good, why are there storms? Luke tells a great story that answers those questions. It’s his story—one that he experienced when he was accompanying Paul, who was a prisoner on his way to Rome. They were on board a ship sailing on
Category: Blog
Posted: May 30, 2024
Our earthly lives require us to move at different speeds. The same is true of our life in Christ. At times we need to “be still.”1 We must also make time to be like Mary “who sat at the Lord’s feet.”2 Other times we need to “stand firm.”3 Sometimes we will need to
Continue Reading “Walking in Christ”
Category: Blog
