Ancient Israel experiences in the 40 years of wilderness wanderings can be a good mirror for us. Their example reveals many aspects of our nature: āMoreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was … [Read more...] about Taking God Seriously
Growth
Overcome Evil With Good
Lifeās difficulties, as many have experienced, arise from various possible angles. Sometimes we cause our own difficulties through poor decisions. However, trials also come through other people. Not necessarily from something we did to deserve it. But, wham! We get hit hard because of what somebody else does to us, often because their way of life is in opposition to ours. It becomes a tangled web, a path of carnage. People get caught in the middle and have profound effects on … [Read more...] about Overcome Evil With Good
Examining Our Assumptions
In our relationships with each other, we tend to assume a certain reality that is quite different from the full truth of a matter. So, when misunderstandings occur, our assumptions have the potential of erecting barriers in our relationships without realizing it. This major barrier to proper relationships is our proclivity to make assumptions to āunchecked perceptionsā, often leading us to jump to incorrect conclusions. It probably wouldnāt be a prolonged mental exercise to think about our … [Read more...] about Examining Our Assumptions
The Master Potter
In Isaiah 64: 8 God reveals Himself as a āpotterā: āBut now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.ā The Hebrew word for clay is āchomerā which means as bubbling up. That is of water, a wave, of earth, mire, or clay, like cement or mortar. Moses wrote that God formed man out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2.7) The Hebrew word for dust means clay, earth, mud, ashes, dust, ground, mortar, powder and, rubbish. Water is a … [Read more...] about The Master Potter
A Spirit of Truth
What makes God's truth so powerful? In the Scriptures, God refers to Himself as the God of truth. Also, Christ says that He is the way...and the truth. And likewise, Godās Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth! But what can the truth do for us? āThen Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,ā' (John 8:31-32). Godās truth can set us freeāif we continue steadfastly in … [Read more...] about A Spirit of Truth
Garments, Wineskins and Fasting
Parading their self-righteousness, the Pharisees, the religious elite of Christās time, and their followers fasted twice a week. Yet the disciples of Christ did not. The religious leaders demanded to know from Christ why his followers didnāt fast. Jesus answered with a parable about wineskins and garments. āThen He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the … [Read more...] about Garments, Wineskins and Fasting
Perils Of Spiritual Denial
How does spiritual denial affect our preparation for Christās return? The apostles Peter and Paul initially felt that Christ would return in their lifetime. Much later, realizing he would die before Christ returned, Peter worried that Godās people would grow slack and forget the intensity needed to endure. We may know what is right, but do we act on it? Or do we justify our lack of energy for Godās way of life? Once, while browsing a gift shop, I found a miniature baseball bat that had … [Read more...] about Perils Of Spiritual Denial