In Isaiah 64: 8 God reveals Himself as a “potter”: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.” The Hebrew word for clay is ‘chomer’ 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
Practical Christain Living
Godly Respect
While a large majority of people would agree that respect is a crucial factor in society, the lack of respect – disrespect – continues to increase in the world around us. Two areas of society where disrespect is most witnessed are education and politics. But disrespect permeates all areas of society, not only in the U.S., but around the globe. Personal relationships are severed by divisive arguments instead of healed through respectful discussions. Interestingly, God's way to … [Read more...] about Godly Respect
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, God’s Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth! But what can the truth do for us? “Then 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,”' (John 8:31-32). God’s truth can set us free—if 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 Christ’s 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 didn’t fast. Jesus answered with a parable about wineskins and garments. “Then 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
Remaining Steadfast
God’s Church is central to His plan of salvation for all mankind as a precursor of the “pouring out” of His Holy Spirit on all humanity. But that profound impact is difficult to grasp because the Churches are mostly ignored by the world today. What can we do now to ensure that we stay strong and don’t fall prey to discouragement? There is a process to help us succeed. The beginning of the book of James gets right to it: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, … [Read more...] about Remaining Steadfast
Self-Examination: Are We in the Faith
We are subjected to all kinds of tests throughout our lifetime. Some are routine, but others are unavoidable, deeply personal tests: peer pressure, emotional suffering, financial upheaval, and temptation. With a fear of failure, we usually don’t consider these as positive experiences. However, with good preparation we can face self-examination confidently. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is … [Read more...] about Self-Examination: Are We in the Faith
Survivalism
Remember when it seemed as if everyone was planning for the coming zombie apocalypse? It highlighted for me the fascination people have with the collapse of society and prepping for survival. There are serious prophecies about the dark days ahead for the world, but should we be focused on preparing physically? Prepping has, for some, become a false religion called “survivalism”. It’s fueled by apocalyptic movies, survivalist TV shows, and violent video games. These are especially … [Read more...] about Survivalism