Have you ever sat back and thoughtfully read through the first few chapters of Genesis? Have you ever really contemplated Creation? The story begins with, “In the beginning… God” In eternity past, before Creation, before time as we know it began, there was the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In Colossians, we read, Col. 1:15 [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all [...]
Do you long for spiritual breakthrough? Do you long to see God work in miraculous ways in your life? Do you hear others talk about the power of God at work in their lives, but you are embarrassed to admit that you have not experienced it? Do you wonder why some Christians seem to experience something more in their faith? I have come to understand that it is in the nature of God to work [...]
If you and I were total strangers and I were to walk up to you, hand you a bottle containing an unidentifiable liquid and tell you to drink it, what would you do? For all you know, it could be a refreshing cool drink for a hot day. Or it could be a deadly poison. You might think it a little strange, politely refuse, and walk away. You might be curious and initiate a dialogue [...]
You believe in God. You trust Jesus as your Savior. You enjoy the fellowship of church on Sunday. But where does your faith fit in your everyday life? What is your reality? Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21) James added that anyone who is merely a hearer of [...]
How is your prayer life? Mine can always use improvement. So, I was studying some verses on prayer when I came across this one: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men... This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim. 2:1,3-4 To tell [...]
Continued from part one... As we continue to wrestle with the question of forgiveness, I want to take a look today at Psalm 51, written by King David. This is a man about whom God said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22c) But David was far from faultless. Most of you will be familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba, [...]
Child survivors of Auschwitz At the end of World War II, the Allies entered the concentration camps of Germany to find unbelievable carnage. Among the masses of emaciated bodies, the following note was found in the clothing of a dead child. It reads: O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon [...]
What is forgiveness? What does it mean to be forgiven of our sins? According to the Scripture, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Heb. 9:22) because the wages of sin is death (Rom. 5:12, 6:23). As believers, we know that God provided a way for us to receive His forgiveness by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross in our place (Eph. 1:7-8a, Acts 10:43, Col. 2:13-14). But what [...]
