Posts from 2022 (Page 2)
Do you love the church?
The church can only be effective if it consists of men and women who are dedicated to serving God. The strength of the church depends on how willing its members are to participate. There are at least four things the church needs from every member to make it strong: The church needs our loyalty. Being a member of the church is a way of life and not just some worldly membership to a lodge, civic club, or political party. We…
We All Need Jesus
A critical Pharisee once asked why Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. The Bible says, “When Jesus heard that, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick’” (Matthew 9:12). When we are sick, it is to our great benefit to see a physician. This trained professional will look at our symptoms, diagnose our issue, and prescribe a course of action that will put us on the road to…
Immanuel “God with Us”
Man has much to learn, not only from his youth, but even to the time of his death! There are so many things we do not now. One person has observed that the older he became and the more he learned, the more he realized that he did not know. We need to realize our need to be taught of God (Isaiah 2:3) and that His way are not necessarily the ways we want to walk (Isaiah 42:24, 55:8). But…
Christ our Mediator
In Revelation 4:8, the four living creatures cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” God is holy; He is above and beyond all created things. He is unknowable unless He reveals Himself to us. “For who among men know the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God no man knows, except the Spirit…
Lets All Strive to be Righteous
Righteousness is defined as conformity to God’s Law, both in our hearts and in our deeds, inside and outside. Righteousness comes only by faith in Christ. Righteousness is His character. We are not to be passive; we are to be active in faith. The righteousness of God is His character that justifies His people. We, as His people, are to show our faithfulness back to Him. Christ’s righteousness is given to us (imputed, propitiation) by our faith, which we did…
When does life begin?
By Brad Harrub The inspired psalmist observed: “For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (Psalm 139:13-14). You covered me in my mother’s womb. The Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified you;” (Jeremiah 1:5). The prophet Isaiah…
Grace or Works?
Many people believe that religion is just about morality. In that vein, they will make statements like, “All religions are the same; one is no better than the other. They all teach the same morality, so what difference does it make which one I believe?” First, they do not all teach the same morality, but even if they did, they still would not be the same because of the differences in doctrine. Is there one God, or many? Is God…
Today I Choose…
I Choose Love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today, I will love God and what God loves. I Choose Joy. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to…
Loving Those with Whom We Disagree
By Glen Elliot We must love those with whom we disagree. Jesus set the example when, from the cross, He prayed for His tormentors, saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34). His life and ministry were characterized by both com- passion and conflict. But, in His love for people, Jesus never sacrificed truth. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Such love does…
Punching Holes in the Darkness
By Brett Petrillo A young boy had his face pinned to the window and he watched with fascination as an old lamplighter came down the street. One by one he was lighting the old-fashioned gas streetlamps. Excited, the young boy called out to his grandmother, “Nana! Nana! Come quickly. There is a man outside who is punching holes in the darkness!” At its most simple, the responsibility of Christians is to punch holes into the darkness of this world. Without…
We Love the Souls of Everyone
“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3–4 Because we love the souls of mankind and want them to go to heaven, we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul knew this burden and said, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I…
Just Win Today
Brett Petrillo In 1933, Bill Knox bowled a perfect 300 game. And he did it without ever seeing the pins. Knox had a screen placed just above the foul line. He could bowl under it, but he couldn’t see past it. So how did he do it? By looking at the marks on the lanes and at the individual boards. He knew that if he bowled the ball over a particular mark, by the time the ball made it to…