“God said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of... Read more
Psalm 127:1-5 Rewards of Being a Father Mark Twain’s best known remark is always worth repeating: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” This psalm, which was written by Solomon is about the journey of a man. This is about the journey of a... Read more
“But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.” (Mark 10:6, HCSB) I wrote about this topic previously (you can go here to read it), but recent events have prompted me to write again: The Boy Scouts of America have released a statement that outlines their policy concerning homosexuals. Essentially, they will accept boys, even if they claim to be gay. However, adult males can’t claim to be gay in order to work with these boys. This... Read more
Revelation 14:6-12 Messages of Hope All around us today, there seems to be no hope. We are in the midst of a war with terror – more specifically a spiritual battle. We are engaged in a war with Islamic fundamentalists. These men are bent on destroying America and Israel. But Revelation is not just a book of gloom and doom. It is meant to spur Christians to action. It is a book of hope. There are messages of hope in... Read more
Mark 10:1-12 How to Defend Biblical Marriage in a Secular Society Two questions come before the Supreme Court this year, which have broad consequences for our faith. First, can an individual state define who gets married? This is the question of Proposition 8 which was passed in California, then struck down. Prop 8 said that marriage was between a man and a woman only. The Federal District Court in Perry v Schwarzeneggar struck down this law because it violated... Read more
Hebrews 13:4-6 Strengthening Love In a chapter of conclusion, the writer of Hebrews gives a set of relationships we should honor. HONORING OUR RELATIONSHIPS Christians Strangers (13:1-2) Outcast (13:3) Marriage partner (13:4-6) Christian leaders (13:7-17) Christian Friends (13:18-19) Respect your marriage. RESULT: Accountability THREE REASONS TO RESPECT MARRIAGE Respect marriage because it teaches me accountability to my partner (marital accountability) (13:4a) Respect marriage as God designed it, because it teaches me to be accountable to Him (personal accountability) (13:4b) Respect... Read more
1 Chronicles 11:10-19 Remembering Our Heroes We have all heard of military heroes. We have heard of heroes who made great sacrifices so that others could continue. The one characteristic of great heroes is bravery in the form of self-sacrifice. These men who followed David had heard of David’s bravery as a young man earlier in his history when he went up against Goliath. They knew that David would be willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of the... Read more
Isaiah 49:14-16 Seeing God Through the Life of Mothers Mother: “Every time you’re naughty I get another gray hair.” Son: “Gee, Mom, you must have been a terror when you were young … just look at Grandma.” Today, we honor mothers. Today we will spend time sharing how mothers are a picture of the way we see God. We will discover that every mother has the privilege to point their children to God’s love. We will see God through the life of... Read more
Selfish Leadership ““Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them: This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock?” (Ezekiel 34:2, HCSB) God warns against a common trend today in church leadership. He warns against leaders who are more interested in taking care of their own personal interests, than in taking care of the people whom... Read more
2 Peter 1:5-11 Graduating From the School of Christ Some of us here are graduating from school. We have spent years learning certain skills, which we hope to be able to apply in our lives. Perhaps some will learn more precise skills for a job as an apprentice. Perhaps others will go to college to learn “higher education.” (As if going twelve years was not high enough.) I would submit that in 2 Peter we can look at spiritual growth... Read more
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