Coming before the Living God in corporate worship is a blessing secured for you by Christ’s death. If your desire is to see your children truly worship God, then show them that corporate worship is a profound privilege. Don’t conform to the world and critique the worship of God because things in the service may not have gone as well as you think they should have. Because we are sinners there will always be times when we fall short. A sermon that you think could have been better is no reason not to be in awe of God. Even when men fail, God remains holy. Renew your mind in worship as your encounter the power of the trinity. Pray that […]
Monthly Archives: September 2012
15 posts
Josiah became King of Judah when he was eight years old. Judah could not have been more of a spiritual and cultural disaster. Manasseh and his son, Amon, had just concluded 57 of the most perverse years of leadership that Judah had known. Manasseh set a new standard of wickedness during his reign and his son, Amon, picked up where his father left off. The temple of the Lord was desecrated by living quarters of the male shrine prostitutes. Provision had been made in the temple for the worship of Baal and his consort, Asherah and the starry hosts. Provision was also made throughout the land for the burning of incense Baal, Asherah, the sun and the moon, and the […]
There are a number of passages that clearly teach that God commands his people to be a holy people, e.g. 1 Peter 1:16. There are many ways to describe holiness. One of the most basic is to understand that being holy means being different. Holiness is being distinct from the world. If we are to love God we must be constantly aware that he is holy. He is different. This is what we are to model for our children as we bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Today, the prevailing mood of our political leaders is that we should not be defined by our differences, we should be strengthened by them. A Christian has a […]
More Americans now die from suicide than from auto accidents. The American Journal of Public Health reports that suicides now take more lives each year than car crashes. In 2009 more than 37,000 American took their own lives. The story was reported by medicalexpress.com. The combination of deaths from fatal car crashes decreasing by 25% and suicides increasing by 15% brought about the statistical change. The story also says that suicides may actually be under reported by 20%. Improving the safety of automobiles has been a focus of government and the auto industry. The effort appears to be paying off. However, the continued political debate between the forces of self-reliance and governmental assistance is not providing a similar benefit to […]
There is a difference between having the truth and loving the truth; only the latter leads to obeying the truth. Dale Ralph Davis
This Saturday morning, September 22nd, at 10:49 a.m. the Sun will once again slip past the Equator and continue to head south towards Sao Paulo, Brazil. The angle of the Sun’s light will decrease in intensity in areas north of the Equator. As the sunlight falls away to the south, the leaves will change color and fall away to the ground. This absence of the Sun’s most direct light will energize climatic forces that produce the cold, fierce storms of the winter ahead. Indeed, if the hand of God does not stop the Sun when it reaches Sao Paulo and turn it north towards Havana, Cuba on December 21st, the entire Northern Hemisphere would be plunged into an unprecedented season […]
Guidelines to help you to analyze the impact of movies and electronic media on your life. Modern electronic media can be described as the power tools of influence. Below are some things to consider as you and your children interact with our culture in the arena of entertainment. As Christians we must always ask ourselves, “How have I been influenced?” When you watch a movie you are in close company with people who are specialists in the field of influence. When you watch a movie you enter a world where skilled professionals excel at manipulating thoughts and emotions. If you do not guard your heart diligently when viewing movies, you make yourself vulnerable to those who are masters of influence. […]
You and your children are targets of a subtle but powerful enemy. The enemy is a master of deception and stealth. He knows that if he attacks openly he will be recognized for who he is. So this enemy plans his attacks when they are least expected. He has no sense of fair play. He looks for the times when you and your family are the most vulnerable. His desire is to create as much destruction and mayhem in your lives as possible. Am I talking about al-Quaeda ? No, actually, this enemy is more dangerous and cunning than al-Quaeda. The apostle Paul warns against being taken captive by this enemy, and Solomon says to guard your heart. Both are […]
Proverbs 3:7-8 indicate that our bodies don’t do well when we rely on own understanding. Trusting God and purposely loving him in all that we do brings health. Trusting your own understanding will lead to a lack of health. This is not a magic formula. Loving God in every area of your life means an intentional awareness of loving him. Recall God’s instruction in Deuteronomy 6:5-6. A deep love for God is followed by God’s commands being woven into the heart. This is one example of acknowledging God in all of your ways. Merely reciting God’s word will not keep you from being wise in your own eyes. The book of Judges is full of apostasy, because everyone was wise […]
This morning I received a text alert on my phone to tune to live network coverage of the moment of silence being observed at the White House in remembrance of September 11, 2001. Then I thought about Elijah challenging the people of Israel to choose whom they would serve, God or Baal. Here is the passage: Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. I Kings 18:21