ARTICLES
The Greatest Gift
Just as the presents under our Christmas trees have specific names on them, so too did God send Jesus into the world to provide forgiveness and eternal life for individuals.
Thanks-Living
How would it change our Thanksgiving Day if instead of sharing the traditional things for which we are thankful—health, a good job, etc., we said that we were grateful for a trial in our life? Trials are not punishment but a petri dish for growing our faith.
Not Getting What We Deserve
There is no better news than God’s wrath averted, His forgiveness received, and eternal life secured through faith in Christ.
Reality Check!
God’s word is absolute and authoritative truth (John 17:17), whose moral standards and merciful Savior we reject to our culture’s peril and our eternal punishment.
Love: An Old Truth with a New Lesson Plan
Jesus taught: “A new command I give you: Love one another.” What was so new about this very old principal? It was His example.
Forever Free
As grand as it is to live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” there is a freedom more precious and permanent purchased at great price.
Don’t Let Busyness Prevent God’s Nearness
There is no shortage of activities with which we busy ourselves. But is all this busyness necessary? Does it prevent or promote our spiritual health?
Sweet Aroma or Pungent Odor?
Spring is supposed to bring flowers with their bright colors and pleasant aromas. A relationship with Christ is supposed to produce within His followers “the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Excited About Empty
I got into our car only to discover that the gas tank was nearly empty. I was not excited about empty. Recently I reached into a granola bar box only to realize that it was empty. I was not excited about empty. Empty is not usually exciting, but every year at this time, Christians are very excited about an empty tomb.
Mercy in a Me-First Generation
A Me-First mentality is incompatible with an awareness of the need for or an appreciation of mercy. The Bible paints a completely different picture of the human condition.
Resolution Responses
Good servants of Christ “train for the purpose of godliness.” Training is neither natural nor accidental, but deliberate and intentional. Let’s be intentionally spiritual in 2019!
Remember Joy
Christians should have a monopoly on joy because of what Christmas celebrates: The coming of a quite literal bundle of Joy, Jesus our Lord and Savior, bringing joy to the world.
Thanksgiving, Even in Tribulation
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul admonishes the believers… “In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” “Everything” must include triumph as well as tribulation. Consider two ways that suffering profits God’s people.
The Dark Path of Covetousness
When we covet what our neighbor has it takes our focus off what we have and puts it on what we think is missing. The covetousness forbidden in the 10th commandment is basically a form of the idolatry forbidden in the first, where we ignore God’s provision to us and look to objects or status for our ultimate satisfaction and identity.
Humbly and Boldly Unashamed
It seems that the longer we have been a follower of Jesus, the less likely we are to speak up boldly about what He has done in our lives.
Live On Purpose
Psalm 90 gives us incentive to live purposefully, which begins with a right standing with God and continues with right living with God.
Prayer As A Priority
Our proclivity to participate in what we deem profitable reveals that gathering as a church family to pray is not very high on the priority list.
Set Free
Our celebration of Independence Day has come and gone, but I wonder if we know what it really means to be “set free” in our personal lives.