Inside out It is quite common for an unbeliever to believe that mankind, although not perfect, is fundamentally good. Even many believers hold to a watered-down form of this belief where they technically admit that every one of us is a sinner, but practically think that we aren’t that bad. You know, maybe we were […]
Brokenness: The pathway to blessing Normally, when something breaks it loses value. For example, a collision decreases the worth of an automobile, and a shattered keepsake is remorsefully discarded as a total loss. Within the physical realm, the laws of nature work to depreciate the value of our possessions, but this is not so in […]
Enjoying the Christian life depends on our focus I once went to my father and said, “ I’m not happy, Dad.” He patiently sat down with me in his study and listened to my woes. After a nice chat, he sent me on my way, feeling much better than when we started. The next day, […]
Eager or reluctant? The Law that God gave to His Old Testament people, Israel, contained a great many commandments pertaining to the moral and spiritual lives of each individual. But it is not without significance that, proportionally, far and away the largest two topics covered by the Law are the offerings (picturing the person and […]
“… those who live should live no longer for themselves.” When we have heart problems physically, we usually go to a specialist, a cardiologist. But there is no better heart specialist than the Lord—the heart’s Maker. He designed the heart to be filled and functioning without interruption. The same is true for what is figuratively […]
Dealing with Dawkins In this third and final installment of “Reader’s Guide to the Origins Debate,” I recommend books which respond to the writings of Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion 1—a harshly worded attack on religion in general and Christianity in particular. I single out Dawkins for consideration because of his notoriety and […]
Read More… from Reader’s Guide to the Origins Debate (part 3)
Does my heart work like His? Most of us will recognize the title topic as a description of David, as recorded in 1 Samuel 13:14. Paul also makes reference to it in Acts 13:22, and this is perhaps even more instructive to us as we endeavor to understand the heart we are to have as […]
Submitting to the truth “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.” The will, the intellect, and the emotions—the very core or heart of man—is fallen. One need not turn very many pages in Scripture to find that truth implicit, but Scripture is repeatedly explicit on the […]
A growing problem Most Christians take a strong stand against certain sins. There is a holy rejection of sexual immorality. The pro-life movement is strong with its plea for the life of the unborn. Alcoholism and drug abuse are rightly condemned. Pornography is abhorred. But there is a common sin which has become acceptable among […]