The church of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is a huge part of God’s scheme of redemption. It is not, as some have suggested, plan B, only necessary because Jesus failed to set up the kingdom when He came the first time. Instead, it is a part of God’s eternal purpose. Ephesians 3:10–11 (ESV) 10 So […]
Growing up, before someone led me to search the scriptures more carefully, I thought that as long as I believed in Jesus, heaven was where I would end up after I died. Sadly, there are still many people who believe this to be true. They assume that living life by the will of God does […]
We can all look back on our lives and think of things we regret; things we do or say, or maybe even a pattern of life that we spent far too many years following. While Paul did not make the mistake of living in the past (Philippians 3:13-14), he did occasionally reflect upon some of […]
Psalm 115:13 (ESV) 13 He will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. Godly fear is one of the most important characteristics that we can have. With it, we will please God by living a life that is according to His will. Without it, we will live according to […]
Have you ever refused help and later regretted it? Those of us who are men seem to be more prone to this than our counterparts. Sometimes pride just will not allow us to admit that we need help. A lot of pain and problems could be avoided if we were humble enough to accept help […]
When we live lives that are pleasing to God, it can make life easier. I understand that such is not always the case when the church is under some kind of persecution, especially when that persecution comes from ruling powers targeting Christians, as it was for the people of God in the first few centuries. […]
The children of Israel were a stubborn and rebellious people. This mostly stemmed from their lack of faith and trust in God, and its most glaring manifestation was their continual practice of idolatry. It is hard to fathom a people who saw so many variations of the power of God firsthand turning to false gods […]
Procrastination is a problem that plagues us all from time to time. However, with some people, procrastination becomes a deterrent to success in both the physical and the spiritual realm. It is one thing to put off doing something that has little significance in one’s life, but it is something else altogether when one puts […]
One of the constant exhortations of Paul is to “walk after the Spirit.” I like the way he puts it in Galatians 5:25. Galatians 5:25 (ESV) 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Keeping in step with the Spirit should be the daily goal of every […]
The Bible is filled with exhortations, admonitions, rebukes, and encouragements. Concerning the Word of God, Paul wrote, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The Bible is also a book full of warnings. Often […]