When we sow a seed of sin it promises pleasure and it delivers. There is immediate gratification or we would not be tempted by it. But that short-lived rush of reward is followed by a long term harvest of guilt, insecurity and often pain, not only for us but for countless others as the waves of sin’s impact spread. Once we start the wave we lose control of how big or far reaching it will be. Sometimes we can do nothing but stand back and watch in horror as it builds into a tsunami of destruction rolling over our loved ones and even innocent bystanders. Continue reading
A truthful lie
Proverbs 18:17
Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.
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I’ve been fooled. I listened to one side of a story and because I trusted and respected the person, I believed what they told me was accurate. “They wouldn’t lie to me”, I reasoned. However, experience has taught me even mature Christians often present a side which “sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.”
With an arrogant attitude she informed me, “My Dad refused to sign the disciplinary notice and he said he doesn’t care what you do about it.” I was principal of a Christian school and the high school girl had been brought to my office. I felt a twinge of anger rising up at Dad’s refusal to cooperate. We were bending over backwards to help get his daughter on the right path and he was refusing to cooperate. I called him but … I had been coached to always go into these conversation like a cat, gently. You can always turn into a bear later if you have to but start quietly, calmly. (Proverbs 15:1, 25:15) Continue reading
Don’t be a Christ follower.
In our society “Christian” has come to mean a bigoted, narrow minded, hater. So a growing number of “Christians” are looking to rebrand themselves. I’m OK with avoiding the term “Christian” since it initially was a term used more by the pagan world than by the Christians themselves. Other than Peter’s use of the term one time we don’t see Christians referring to themselves as “Christians” in the New Testament. A term that is coming in vogue is “Christ follower” – I am a Christ follower.
I don’t want to nit pick (though I am going to anyway) but I suggest that you might not want to just be a “Christ followers”. In the New Testament that too was not a term they used. In the NT they preferred the term “disciple”. Another popular term was “servant” – I am a servant of Jesus Christ. OK, both of those words may be a little foreign today so use “follower” if you want when explaining your stance to non-believers but don’t begin to see yourself merely as a “follower”. Here is why. Continue reading
What is your whiny baby problem?
Judges 11 is one of the weirdest stories in the Bible. It leaves us wondering: Did Jephthah do what it sounds like he did – offer his daughter as a burnt sacrifice to God? To answer that it’s important to know some things about the man and his story. Continue reading
Did he kill and burn his daughter?
Judges 11 is one of weirdest stories in the Bible. Did Jephthah really offer his daughter as a burnt sacrifice to God? That trivia question can distract us from a lesson that makes a life and death difference in today’s world, a lesson as up-to-date as tomorrow’s headlines.
Continue reading
Should Christians serve in the military?
In honor of Memorial Day and all who served we are offering this ENCORE POST
Some Christians refuse to serve in the military on religious grounds. So what of those who do serve? Are they disobeying God? Let’s look into God’s Word and see what HE has to say.
Note: Because this is such a complex issue and because the topic so deeply impacts the lives of many men and women who are serving in the armed forces, this topic deserves greater attention and this post is much longer than most.
1. What did Jesus say?
John the Baptist and Jesus both spoke to soldiers in an army that was oppressing God’s people. Certainly, if it was wrong to serve in the military, it would be extra wrong to serve in an army oppressing God’s chosen people and either John or Jesus would have addressed the issue. Neither John nor Jesus said the soldiers should change careers. In fact, soldiers specifically asked John what they should do and he never mentions getting out of the military. Continue reading
Is God really on America’s side?
In honor of Memorial Day and all who served we present this ENCORE POST
We are in a war where radical Muslims claim God is on their side. In America we pray for God to bless our troops and believe God is on our side. Does God choose sides and if so, whose side is He on?
We gain insight into the answer in Joshua 5:13-14. Joshua is preparing to lead Israel in battle against Jericho. Joshua sees “a man” standing with sword drawn and he asks him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” This “man” turns out to be an angel, or most probably, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
God had commanded the Israelites to go in and conquer the land to punish the inhabitants of it for their continued wicked ways. He had promised the Israelites that He would give them victory. If anybody could ever say, “God is on our side”, these would be the people who could make that claim. Yet, the “man” gives a very curious answer, “Neither”. Continue reading
Christians are incestuous cannibals!
Romans despised Christians because everyone knew they were horridly wicked people who were cannibalistic, incestuous, atheists. It was primarily these accusations that caused even the immoral Romans to despise, persecute and slaughter the “vile” Christians who deserved to perish.
Christians were atheists because they denied the existence of the Roman gods, cannibalistic because at their secret meetings they would eat flesh and drink blood (references to the Communion / Eucharist). And in the perverted mind of the Romans, talk of loving your brothers and sisters could only mean one thing, incest. Christians were evil people who held secret meetings to do the vilest of things and deserved torture and death. Continue reading
Whatever happens? No exceptions?
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Philippians 1:27
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What a great passage to commit to memory and use as a motto for life. Whatever happens … good, bad or otherwise … whether I understand it or am totally clueless … whether it is fair or unjust … whether I like it or not … whatever happens as I pass through life may I conduct myself in a worthy manner.
May my actions, attitude, behavior, thought life, that which I look at, that which I think about, those I associate with, everything I do, may my conduct be worthy of the gospel … worthy of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Continue reading
A Mother’s Love
Titus 2:4 makes a strange statement about older women teaching younger women to love their husbands and their children. Admittedly, sometimes men can make loving a husband quite a challenge but don’t mothers automatically love their children? Why would they need to be taught to love their children? We speak of a mother’s love being the closest thing on earth to God’s love. (I’m sure I read that on a Mother’s day card somewhere.) So what is it talking about when it says young women need to learn to love their children?