In my previous post, we looked at how Christians should respond to other believers who differ in matters of conscience (e.g. wearing face masks, getting vaccines, etc.). We saw that we don’t use our freedom in these matters as an opportunity for division or pride, but rather to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). We demonstrate love to one another by putting other’s interests above our own (Philippians 2:3-4). And so the law of love trumps division over differences of opinion on these issues. But how do we as believers respond to the world which differs from us (and not just in matters of conscience)? How do we glorify God in our response to a world that is often hostile to the church?...
The world is in turmoil right now. At the forefront of the uproar are the matters surrounding the coronavirus and justice. Camps have formed on these issues with gaping chasms dividing opinions. To further complicate matters, everything is politicized. Wearing a mask in public, posting certain slogans on social media, agreeing or disagreeing with the president or governor all automatically place you into a particular camp....
It is easy to overlook beautiful truths that can change our lives as we read the Bible. We may miss these truths because we are distracted or are so familiar with the text or simply because we don’t understand it. Or it could be that there is another incredible truth that we focus on that causes us to miss the other truth in the same passage. This is what happened to me as I read John 12:25-26...
They do wrong and evil. They know it and yet keep doing it. They even give approval to others who do it. This is Paul’s point in Romans 1:32: They do wrong. They know it’s wrong. They even condone such wrongs. If I were to discuss this with the average Christian, who would they think I was describing? Them. The culture. The world......
In my previous post , we looked at how trusting in the sovereignty of God leads to great comfort. He holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:2-3) and works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). In these truths, we find great comfort in any circumstance. But we don’t only have a God who is in control; we have a God who is here with us. In today’s post, we will consider four comforting truths of how the sovereign God is with us in our circumstances....
People often view prayer in simplistic terms: Prayer is about telling God what you want and waiting for Him to give it to you. Sure, you thank Him when He does what you want, and you give Him praise to make sure He’s listening, but prayer is a magic formula to make your life better and satisfy your desires. This popular conception runs into problems when your prayers aren’t answered the way you expect them to be. The question becomes what went wrong. Was God not listening? Was your faith too weak? Is God punishing you? ...
The coronavirus crisis has infected us with a myriad of what if questions. What if my elderly parents contract the disease? What if my high-risk wife gets sick? What if my kids catch it? What if I lose my job? What if I have to close my business and claim bankruptcy? What if a loved one dies? What if I die? ...
All of humanity is born with the innate ability to blame others for their problems. We are capable of surveying any problematic circumstance and finding someone or something to blame. Even if outwardly we profess ownership of a problem, we can find a way to justify our action or inaction inwardly. Perhaps it is not difficult for you to remember some recent issue that arose privately or publicly for which you have found a way to justify by thinking or stating that it was the fault of someone else. Indeed, if you have said, thought, or done something wrong, it must be due to another person or an external factor over which you had no control, right?...
When the world seems to be falling apart, people seek hope. They are looking for something to hold on to, anything that will help them get through their crisis. They are looking not only to weather the storm but to find themselves in an even better place than they had been. Hope is a powerful motivator and comfort, enabling us to survive and endure while we wait for the better days to come....
Our culture is a culture of more. Buy more things. Make more money to buy more things. Sign up for more activities. Be more relevant. Take up more hobbies. Be more connected. Work more hours. More. More. More. In a society that screams, “Do more. Be more. Spend more,” is it any wonder why being content seems impossible?...
We are motivated by what we love; we are driven by what we believe is valuable. As has been said often, if you want to know what someone loves, see how they use their time. Let’s take this same principle and press it into the individual a few steps deeper. Rather than looking at how we spend our time, let us instead consider our thoughts. Our minds tell the story of how ...
Keep Reading
Psalm 91 promises, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” (Psalm 91:4-6) This is God promise. It’s true. Yet pestilence an...
Keep ReadingMore than any other time in recent memory, the entire world is fighting the same battle and the entire world is looking for the same victory. The impact of the Coronavirus is even more expansive than the two "World Wars" of the 20th Century! That is not to say the death toll or the suffering of the Coronavirus will be same as World War I and II, but history does not give ...
Keep Reading
In times like these, people may question everything they thought was true. Our world is turned upside-down. Things we took for granted are no longer available, our daily routine is restricted, and the future is so uncertain we’re not even sure how worried we ought to be. When our world is this crazy, it can be tempting to question where God is in all of this....
Keep Reading
Our circumstances are far different from what they were two weeks ago. Everything is canceled and closed. Required social distancing. Increased restrictions. Mandatory self-isolation. Our world has been turned upside down. If you polled people and asked them, “How are you feeling?”, you can imagine what the most common answers would be. Anxiety. Fear. Worry. Boredom. L...
Keep Reading
Most of us have grown accustomed to a world that has readily offered an incredible variety of options to chase. I certainly don’t mean that we have all had equal opportunities. More accurately stated, the world has always provided many things to which we could give our time, money, talents, and attention—our worship. While some of these are undoubtedly sinful pursuits,...
Keep Reading
You could look back at this coronavirus season as one of the times where you grew exponentially in Christ. Or not. We each have the opportunity years from now to remember this season...
Keep Reading
As a pastor I am blessed with the opportunity to walk with people through both life's joys and life's sorrows. As the entire human race deals with the threat of the Coronavirus, I am seeing a consistency of questions in the minds of our people: How dangerous is the disease? How long will we be forced to stay isolated? How will I survive the economic fall out? How long ...
Keep Reading
Our nation and our world are in a state of panic right now. The COVID-19 virus has had long-reaching and devastating effects not only on the health of people but on the economic well-being of billions. People are uncertain about their future, frightened of a potentially deadly disease, and seeking any answers they can find to the question of what their future holds. In our...
Keep Reading
Almost everyone is working from home, schools are closed, nearly everything is shut down, sporting events are canceled, events and gatherings are postponed, and now a statewide curfew of 8PM is in place (which is earlier than what we would impose on teens), so we should have more time to pray than ever....
Keep Reading