After the Apostle Paul had received aid from the brethren in Philippi, he wrote and thanked them. His expression of love and care for them is instructive to us in our relationship with one another. He used the situation to instruct and encourage them in things pertaining to greater unity amongst themselves. Firstly, he is thoughtful of their needs and presents prayer to God on behalf of the congregation and specific individuals. His prayer style, in regard to the Church in Philippi, is … [Read more...] about The Philippian Formula
Love
The Importance of Parental Love
I read an article recently on FocusOnTheFamily.com which lists five benefits of parental love. The link to the article is: (https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parental-love/). The five benefits and descriptions are listed below. I would like to apply them to our families' and our spiritual lives as followers of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Spiritual Growth Love is a physical need for children. When children receive and learn to give love, they wonât be as thirsty for love … [Read more...] about The Importance of Parental Love
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
Five Attributes that Strengthen Marriages
Devotion to fulfilling marital roles begins with a devoted relationship with the God who created the marriage unit. He gives success to those who are devoted to His pathway to unity. There is just one path: Godly love and respect. Besides being devoted to incorporating love and respect into our marriages through prayer, we need more specific concepts to pray for. Below are five specific points to pray about which can help restore a damaged marriage to a peaceful unity of mind and … [Read more...] about Five Attributes that Strengthen Marriages
Marriage, a Safe Haven
God instituted marriage and the family for procreation to teach us about how He lives. He wants mankind to know what motivates Him, what His purpose is for mankind, and how His nature and character developed in human beings would give families peaceful relationships. If mankind functioned in marriage the way God intended, this world would be a vastly different place. The dysfunctional families that are increasingly the norm would seldom exist. However today we see the removal of any … [Read more...] about Marriage, a Safe Haven
The Purpose of Righteousness
Even within Christian churches that look fairly homogeneous doctrinally-speaking, we can find diverse attitudes. For example, there are currents of more liberal or fundamentalist approaches to religious practice. One such current that can be problematic within churches is self-rightness. I donât mean the arrogant presumption that one is perfect. I mean the tendency to let ârighteousnessâ become an idol. Itâs an easy trap for any of us to fall into so we need to examine our motives … [Read more...] about The Purpose of Righteousness
The Nature of Peace
This world does not reflect the nature of a loving God. The relationship between the Creator and His creation has been broken. However, this condition has a limited allotment of time before God moves to restore all things to Himself. Everything seen and unseen was created for a purpose and existed under the loving care and direction of God. But peace in the creation was destroyed through angelic rebellion which has led to a state of hostility toward God and toward other peoples and … [Read more...] about The Nature of Peace