He Rules With Truth and Grace (Part 4 of 4) Verse four of “Joy to the World” completes the biblical worldview contained in this Christmas hymn. This last verse is a dynamic testimony to the power of the gospel. The King: who was anticipated in the first verse, celebrated for his rule in the second verse, and viewed as the Savior of this sin-cursed world in third, now is praised for bringing a just judgment to the world. Life often appears to be unfair and unjust. Will evil people prevail? Will the hard things in your life ever be resolved? Corruption and perversion are everywhere. The Holy Spirit says there is no need to despair at the apparent inequities […]
Authority
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The Holy Spirit makes a statement about the uniqueness of God in Psalm 62. It is a simple, straightforward declaration: He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. When David says God alone is his rock and his place of safety, he means just that. God is the only safe place. He is not one option among many possibilities. He is the only option, period. There is no person, place, or thing that can take God’s place. The greatest miscalculation that any person can make is to believe that there are other places of security besides God. This does not mean that we can’t find peace and safety in people, places, or […]
Good writing is a work of connected beauty. Words and thoughts are woven together that build word pictures that can be etched into hearts. No other piece of literature is comparable to the Bible in this regard. When we read we must look for these connections to understand the power of the Spirit’s work. The Bible is the literary masterpiece of all time. Every word is exactly placed to draw the hearts of God’s people to the life that is truly life. It can be dangerous to make connections that are not obvious in the text. But it is equally dangerous to ignore the connections that are there. Like an exquisitely cut diamond, the Bible is a multi-faceted literary gem […]
The concept of authority has fallen on hard times. Even Christians become almost apologetic if they exercise authority. The culture around us has made authority to arbitrary and a necessary evil. However, authority is God’s way of caring for the universe and for your family. He ordained authority to be a blessing to all people. In the Bible, God provides the way that authority is to be administered. Yes, authority is to be clear, firm, and direct. But it must be much more than that. More importantly, authority is to be administered with biblical wisdom and care. If authority is to be faithful to God it should demonstrate these seven qualities as given in James 3:17: Pure Peaceable Gentle Open […]
Solomon warned about the destruction of an unguarded, wandering heart in Proverbs 4:20-27. Verse 23 gets most of the attention in this passage: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. However it is important not to miss the warning that follows to keep your feet and eyes, that is, your heart and your body, from wandering away from what is right: Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Solomon is retelling the hard lessons he learned from his father, […]
As I write this Hurricane Dorian is approximately 350 miles east of West Palm Beach moving on a westerly course. Dorian is a powerful storm with winds of 150 mph. A storm of this intensity will be catastrophic to any land area that it strikes. After thinking the storm would move into Florida, forecasters believe the Dorian may turn north and move along the east coast for several days. This would threaten several hundred miles coastline with high winds, damaging rains and devastating storm surge. What are we to think of this kind of raw power? The Holy Spirit provides insight with these words in Job 37:1-13: My heart pounds as I think of this. It trembles within me. Listen […]
Two children plus one toy equals trouble. No, this is not the beginning of a new math word problem. But it is a scenario that leads to disruptions in families every day. In this case, both children each want the special toy that came from Grandma. What is the typical question, the fair question to ask? Who had it first? Or, who had the toy most yesterday? You see, the problem is not fairness, but the selfishness of little hearts. “Who had it first?” This type of question is based upon the assumption that being fair is the underlying principle for settling disputes. However, suppose you were to ask God to treat you fairly, based upon your actions and thoughts. […]
All parents share at least one thing in common: each one of us fails on a regular basis. It’s not pretty but it is true. Parents are imperfect! Parental authority is not based upon human worth but on God’s choice. Parental authority is derived not earned. This means you cannot earn your children’s obedience. This truth is important for them and for you. For children, this means that parental perfection is not a requirement for obedience. Because parents are humans, they will not do parenting perfectly or even close to perfect. Children obey imperfect parents because this is part of God’s plan to help them look to God as the only authority that can be absolutely trusted. In Ephesians 6 […]
Things are not as they seem. It appears that everywhere we turn the wicked to appear to have the upper hand. Evil is continually finding new ways to shock and discourage. But the word of God assures us that things are not as they seem. King David wrote a song that was used to remind God’s people that the wicked have limits. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. (Psalm 37:10-11) David states that the meek shall inherit the land. Some 1,000 years later Jesus quotes these very words as he […]
When you are sick you want relief. When you are angry you seek justice. When you are hurt you want comfort. For all of these things, we as Christians are told to cry out to God. This is good! But from this point things can get a little uncertain. Should you pray for an immediate response? Has God turned away from you if there does not appear to be one? There is some clear guidance for us in the Lord’s prayer. Christ instructs his disciples to pray: your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. These directions put everything in perspective! Yes, you want immediate relief. I can relate to this, four years ago I received 7 […]