March 16, 2016 Year C Psalm 20:1-9 Many people want to have victory in life. They want to see success in everything they do. Here, David prays for victory in the oncoming battle. He asks for God to hand him victory. He admits that other people trust in other things to gain victory. David only trusts God (Psalm 20:7). But just because he doesn’t trust in other ways for success, that doesn’t prevent him from making the “big ask.” Eight... Read more
A More Christ-Like God by Bradley Jersak A More Christlike God by Bradley Jersak makes the case with the subtitle that there is a more beautiful Gospel when God is made Christlike. Instead of showing Christ to be like God, Jersak makes the case that God is more like Christ. Jersak makes the claim that God is like Jesus, not the other way around. The personality of God is identical to the personality of the man called Jesus of Nazareth.... Read more
Love Trumps Hate Love Trumps Hate is a simple thought reflection that addresses the love of God over political hate. March 15, 2016 “You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10, NLT) I live in Missouri, which holds its primary today for the Democratic and Republican candidates for President. What has struck me during this entire election cycle is the contrast between... Read more
Revelation 6:9-17 A Picture God’s Grace and God’s Judgment The first four seals (6:1–8) function as preliminary judgments that God allows to operate throughout human history, sometimes resulting in the suffering of God’s people at the hands of sinners.1 The Fifth Seal: Persecution of the Saints “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had.” (Revelation 6:9, HCSB) What determines the killing of people? They are... Read more
March 14, 2016 2 Kings 19:29-37 Many people ask me: “How can a loving God commit such acts of violence?” My simple answer to this question is that He doesn’t act that way personally. Instead, God delegates His anger, judgments, and violence to others. In this scene, King Hezekiah is asking for deliverance from King Sennacherib. The Assyrian king plans to destroy Jerusalem. So Hezekiah prays to God. God answers by saying that He will rescue them (2 Kings 19:29).... Read more
Revelation 6:1-8 The Four Horsemen As we begin chapter 6, we start to see the unfolding of God’s judgment in history. World history begins its end with the seven seals in this chapter. The future timeline now begins to open the scroll by breaking the seals. (This initiates three sets of judgments in Revelation 6–16: seals, trumpets, and bowls, with each using a four-three pattern.)1 This four-three pattern is how we will address each of the sets of judgments. I... Read more
Revelation 2:18-29 Living a Holy Life If I am going to suffer for Christ’s sake, and keep God’s truth, then I am trying to live a holy life. Living a holy life is the test of obedience. Living a holy life means that I put God before other priorities. It is a test of obedience because other people are watching. Will I do what God tells me to do? Will I obey him or dismiss Him?1 SEVEN PARTS OF THE... Read more
What Makes Me A Sinner March 8, 2016 Year C Psalm 53:1-6 What makes me a sinner? According to this psalm, we have a variety of characteristics that define a sinner. These include the following: A sinner is a fool (Psalm 53:1) A sinner denies the existence of God (Psalm 53:1) A sinner does no good work (Psalm 53:1) A sinner turns away from God (Psalm 53:3) A sinner sucks the life out of other people (Psalm 53:4) A sinner... Read more
March 4, 2016 1 Kings 18:11-12 Do you remember the transporter from Star Trek? The crew would stand on a platform, and the engineer would “beam” them somewhere down on the planet or another ship. When they wanted to come back, they just called using their communicator and asked: “Beam me up!” Instantaneously, their body would change into a swirl of energy and reappear without defects on the transporter room platform. This is something that can only happen in science... Read more
March 3, 2016 Year C 1 Kings 11:1-13 We have many stories of people who have veered away from the path that was chosen for them. In many of these classic tragedies, the hero sets off on a course that will lead to success against a foe, only to be sidetracked. The hero takes a detour that distracts them from their real purpose. Some heroes recover, but many do not. Here we have the story of a hero. Solomon was... Read more
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