Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” is an admonition to trust God for everything. This trust is commended for those who are suffering and still striving for righteousness in Matthew 5:3-12. The believers are told to trust God to bring about effective change through their holy living in 5:12-16. Those who felt the burden of the … Continue reading I Hope This Gets A Lot of Likes!!: The Freedom of Trust
Month: July 2019
IMAGES
Images force us to react. Blue lights in your rearview mirror, the check engine light in your dash, the yellow caution light, and the notifications on your phone all demand you react in some way. These impersonal images, through no real power of their own, force you to interact with them. Even in listing those … Continue reading IMAGES
Resurrection and the Life
Photo by Emre Can on Pexels.com The world is filled with death. Everything is dying. Everyone we know is, in some way approaching death. Jesus took the machinery of death and made it run backwards. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Not only did Jesus rise from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20). … Continue reading Resurrection and the Life
ALL THINGS NEW: THE TEMPLE IN REVELATION
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In that space, God placed Adam and Eve to dwell with him in harmonious fellowship. Sin came. God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden temple. God himself abandoned that defiled dwelling. But there was a promise of return. There was hope for … Continue reading ALL THINGS NEW: THE TEMPLE IN REVELATION
Steadfastness of Hope
The final of these cardinal Christian virtues Paul mentioned was their “steadfastness of hope” (ESV) or “endurance inspired by hope” (1 Thess. 1:3). Christians are motivated by the future promised by God and guaranteed by Christ himself. “Endurance refers to a faith that persists even through trials because of the end-time hope in Christ’s coming … Continue reading Steadfastness of Hope
God, Sovereignty, Inspiration, and Interpreation
Whenever we pick up the Bible, we hold God's Book. God worked with human authors to provide us all with His Word (2 Timothy 3:16).
Labor of Love
The Thessalonians work of faith was accompanied by their “labor of love.” Some things can only be described as a labor of love. The phrase “labor of love” is generally used to describe some hard and tedious work that is largely unrewarded. The Thessalonians work was hard, but it comes with a great reward. The … Continue reading Labor of Love
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of God
The nation lay afflicted in tyranny. The harsh king cared little for his foreign subjects. Financial gain and personal control were the king’s primary motivations. Then God began to act. The LORD said to Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because … Continue reading Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of God
Work of Faith Working
It was common for the ancient Greeks, and some of us today, to love idleness. To be involved with physical labor was a sign of the lower classes—to be a servant. But it is for this “work” that Paul praised the Thessalonians before God. But what does “work of faith” mean? The relationship of faith … Continue reading Work of Faith Working
Donnie's Dogmatics 