As we delve more into God’s law and its ultimate purpose of restoring broken relationships, first with the Father and secondly man to man, we begin to see that all healthy relationships are based on love that begins with the Father (I John 4:16-19). Godly love (agape) is an outgoing concern away from self. The more we are motivated by a Godly love – God actively working through us – the less we are concerned about ourselves. When Godly love is absent then the void is filled with its … [Read more...] about Anxiety and Broken Relationships
Practical Christain Living
Reality Bites
“To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’ And to Adam he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you … [Read more...] about Reality Bites
The 3 D’s of Satan’s Toolbox
I want to identify and explore three points of weakness that Satan can and will use to his advantage to manipulate followers of Christ to sin and to look at some ways we can counter his manipulation and strengthen these areas. These three points, I call “The 3 D’s of Satan’s Toolbox.” The first of these is doubt. Doubt is something that comes quite naturally to the human mind. I know this because every time I play golf, I doubt that I will do well. But in this current age we find … [Read more...] about The 3 D’s of Satan’s Toolbox
The Liberal Mind
From the Romans to the Biden era, the word “liberal” has taken on many meanings. It is one of those “it all depends” words. Yet, it has not always had a negative connotation as it does today in political/social circles. The cradle of its development, which impacts us today, was in 18th and 19th century Europe. It was a response to absolute monarchical rule. Liberal was the idea of individual freedom and liberty, through limiting the powers of government. Government was expected to protect … [Read more...] about The Liberal Mind
Unity in the Church
What is Church unity and where does it come from? Having been drawn out of the world, as followers of Christ our position regarding unity is decidedly different than the common ideas about unity which surround us. There are two important aspects of unity of which we need to be mindful: our calling and our baptism. The Apostle Paul emphasized these factors when he wrote a letter to the Church in Ephesus. Paul’s message conveys, among other important teachings, the fact that God provides both … [Read more...] about Unity in the Church
The Exposing Light of Persecution
I have been reading a book about church history by Ivor Fletcher. Today, I want to address the topic of persecution. There are two basic concepts that struck me as I read this book. One was the idea that obeying God is hard. I would ask us to question relatively speaking in our modern context, how hard is it to obey God? The other question that was brought to mind was, how will we, in all the churches of God, use markers of identity to distinguish among ourselves. Will … [Read more...] about The Exposing Light of Persecution
By Your Patience Possess Your Souls
In Luke 21 Christ is talking to His disciples who have asked Him what the sign will be that "these things" are about to take place. The time of the end is the context: Nations are rising up against nations, kingdom against kingdom. There are famines, pestilences and great earthquakes in various places. As we go further away from these beginning signs which we can observe today it’s going to get more difficult for God’s people as the end times draw nearer. It becomes more intensely … [Read more...] about By Your Patience Possess Your Souls