Category: CHRISTIAN LIFE
Jesus on Obedience
Did you know that your motive for obeying someone is just as important as the obedience itself? For example, if a child obeys a parent just to avoid punishment, or just to get a reward, it is not as meaningful as if the child were to...
Our Blessed Hope
I was visiting a wonderful, godly lady yesterday who has faced tremendous, continual suffering in this life. She nearly died recently, unconscious and failing for many days, and then she woke up, right on the brink of death. She told me that when she awakened, she...
The Stories in the Gospels: Why You Need Them, and How to Read Them
Ever seen a book about some event in history and thought to yourself, “That looks like a must read!”? And then, several dollars later, the book is yours. Was it a must read? Probably not. However, there are true stories about real people and events in...
Five Ways Every Member Can Love and Strengthen the Church
If you want, you can pay someone to wash your car. You can pay someone to iron your clothes. You can pay someone to make food for dinner. You can even pay someone to take care of your children for large parts of the day. It...
Psalm 23 Revisited: How We Come Into the House of God
We all love Psalm 23. The image of being shepherded by the Great Shepherd through good and difficult times is comforting for the true believer. The first portion is idyllic. Read it again: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie...
Jesus on Forgiveness
When we wish to learn as much as possible about something, and when there is a singular renowned expert on that particular subject whose teaching happens to be plentiful and immediately accessible, it would seem unwise to spend a lot of time looking elsewhere for our...
What Is the Bible, Anyway?
We Christians spend a lot of time reading the Bible, hearing it preached, and meditating on its words. Why this commitment? We are committed to the Bible because of what it is and what it does. The Bible guides us to its purpose and power through...
Faith, Hope, and Love: Recovering the Essential Triad of Christian Living
We are called to be many things as Christians—generous, hospitable, disciplined, respectful. Each biblical characteristic is important and should be pursued wholeheartedly. But there is one set of characteristics—a triad of traits—that is foundational and essential: namely, faith, hope, and love. If we do not have...
What if You Fall Back in Love With This Present Age?
One man always comes to my mind when I think about people I’ve seen fall away from the Lord. He was so zealous for Jesus when I baptized him. His fervor lasted for several years. But then he started to “run with the wrong crowd.” He...
Mommy Wars: Judging and Feeling Judged in a Diverse Body
Within a few hours of airing on YouTube, a Similac commercial called “Mother ‘Hood” went viral. In it, groups from several different mommy sub-cultures show up at a playground—nursing moms, bottle-feeding moms, businesswomen-moms, even baby-wearing-yoga moms. Battle lines are drawn immediately and insults fly. Eventually, just...
