Christ’s birth was that of a peasant and his death was that of a criminal. He was born in the company of animals in a stable. He died in the company of thieves on a cross stained with his blood. The political leaders of his country tried to murder him as a baby. But it was the supposed Bible-believing religious leaders who finally succeeded where Herod had failed. His friends fled from him at his trial. His family fled to Egypt when he was a toddler. This is not exactly the story one would expect for the greatest life ever lived. If someone were to come to your church to speak and his bio read like Christ’s, you would be […]
World View
“Keep us from evil.” It is a prayer that many pray by rote. But one way God answers this prayer is with the men and women who would offer their lives to keep us from evil. The photo above is a church in Germany, within sight of the concentration camp at Dachau. The peacefulness of this scene attempts to mask the demonic face of evil. Whether it is with the evil within or with the enemies of freedom, fighting evil comes at a high price. I took this photo driving away from Dachau. I was with two of my closest friends. We were stunned at the horror of what we had just seen: Man’s inhumanity to man! This church looked […]
There is only one thing about tomorrow that you can know with certainty. God will be faithful to you. You can plan for tomorrow, and that is a good thing. But tomorrow may not go according to your plan. World events may radically change your life. Your car may not start. Your kids could get sick. Your financial situation could change. Your pet could go missing. The uncertainty of tomorrow is the constant reality of your life. The way you anticipate tomorrow will impact the way you do life today. Worry about tomorrow comes from the lie that humans are in control of your life. This gives us reasons to do something other than to seek treasures of God’s kingdom […]
Why do your children fight? The short answer is, the same reason you do! They fight because they do not have what they want. As adults, we think we have moved beyond childish selfishness, we have developed “mature” reasons for our arguments. However, if you strip away the adult “sophistication” of our arguments, you will find that you are not much different from your children who squabble over a favorite toy. We believe the lie that if we are hurt a robust defense is justified. Getting into a fight seems like the right and necessary and “real” thing to do; we have to protect ourselves! Our kids are like us. The hard truth is that you and I fight because […]
If we are to live a life that is wise, it is imperative that we understand we have an Enemy who attempts to discredit the wonders of God with counterfeit musings. This discrediting can take the form of misinterpreting the good things that God does. For example, as magnificent as a sunset may be, it is not the ultimate that God does. That ultimate is reserved for heaven and the new earth. But the enemy wants you to think that what you see now is all there is. Also, we have grown accustomed to seeing breathtaking imagery on the big screen. But even these images pale in comparison to the reality of the world that remains unseen to us. Plus, […]
What if you could see Jesus standing next to you? What if you could physically see Jesus next to you when: you argued with your spouse? you disciplined your children? your children were disrespectful to you? you were upset about being treated unfairly? you were tempted to lust? you acted on your anger? your friend threw you under the bus? you were cut-off in traffic? your team lost the game on terrible call by the officials? you had a flat tire? your check engine light came on? you are too tired to pray? You get the idea. Would your typical responses to any of these scenarios change if you could see Jesus standing right there with you? If the answer […]
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Monday was the beginning of Fall and Spring, depending on which side of the equator you reside. The Sun’s direction relative to the equator will be to the south until 11:19 p.m. December 21st when it starts its six-month journey northward again. This is the way it has been and the way it will be as long as God intends. The Sun’s annual trek means that the earth will be constantly exposed to changing angles of the Sun’s intense heat. It is this movement that produces our seasons. The changing seasons produce the rains that produce the crops that feed and nourish you and me. Psalm 65 […]
A Texas superstore. A Dayton entertainment district. A school. These should be safe places, but they were not. Why? The Holy Spirit wrote Scripture knowing exactly what fears you would face in this your life. The face of terror is ugly and unnerving. Cafes, concerts, sporting events, and church are common gatherings that traditionally have provided places of safety and refuge. But as the terror of the dark human heart is revealed before our eyes, the reality is that there is no place apart from God where anyone is truly safe. What happened in Texas and Ohio this past weekend could just as easily have happened to anyone of us and our families. Evil may wear the face of an […]
The book of Judges speaks of a people who once loved justice and truth, a people who loved God. But these people grew weary of the constraints of loving God and his truth. They devolved into being true to themselves. They became focused on doing what was right in their own eyes. They did what they wanted and expected God to bless them anyway. America, too, has moved on from the Bible and its views of morality. She now worships three modern substitutes for the living God of the Bible. These new “gods” have emerged to succeed and improve the supposed outdated structure of biblical Christianity. Here they are: Public Opinion Public opinion has assumed the role of Scripture. When […]
My friend, Will Hunter, has offered a thought-provoking challenge about the amazing benefits that Christ has secured for us from Romans 5:1-11. Through the sacrifice of his Son, God has given his people the huge blessing of a justified life. However, it is so easy and so foolish to fail to take advantage of this “justified life.” You have been given the gift of being justified by faith and not by the good things that you try to do. This gift is immediate and continued access to God’s grace. You have been reconciled to the mighty, awesome, majestic Lord of the Universe. You have peace with the ultimate warrior and avenger. You need not fear death. There is no person, […]