Jesus' sacrifice of himself on the cross is one of the richest moments of history. We could never exhaust everything that God accomplished through Christ on the cross. Herman Bavinck helps us out a bit. Bavinck gave offered a helpful list of what Christ has accomplished for his own glory: What Christ acquired by this … Continue reading What Happened When Jesus Died?
anxiety
Let it Go!: The freedom of forgiveness
What is your favorite attribute of God? For sinners like you and me, perhaps forgiveness is the most valued of God’s attributes. Forgiveness will unify a congregation, a family, and your view of yourself. A lack of forgiveness will destroy a congregation, a family, and your view of yourself. The only way we can … Continue reading Let it Go!: The freedom of forgiveness
Priorities
What to do? What to do first? What is most important? What are our priorities? A priority is defined by Webster as "a thing that is regarded as more important than another." Jesus identified his proper priorities when he said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added … Continue reading Priorities
REAL GOOD PARENTING
In September 2016, The Atlantic ran an article titled, “How Helicopter Parenting Causes Binge Drinking” by Caitlan Flanagan. The article contrasts “good” parents with “get real” parents. Flanagan wrote: Good Parents think that alcohol is dangerous for young people and that riotous drunkenness and its various consequences have nothing to recommend them. These parents enforce … Continue reading REAL GOOD PARENTING
Need Some Rest?
Taking a little time away from work has been demonstrated to make individuals far more productive at their work. The Bible tells us a lot about rest. In fact, we have rest at the very beginning of creation. God worked for 6 days and "rested" on the seventh (Genesis 2:3). This "day of rest" God … Continue reading Need Some Rest?
My Anxiety
"Casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). What an opportunity! Most likely, you know what it is like to suffer from anxiety. We have all worried about circumstances out of our control and circumstances we created ourselves. We may be one of those who struggle with an anxiety … Continue reading My Anxiety
On Being a Gentleman…
Philippians 4:5 says, "let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand" (NKJV). The word is translated as "gentle spirit" in the NASBU, "gentleness" in the NKJV and "reasonableness" in the ESV is from ἐπιεικές. Lenski comments on the word, "sweet gentleness, considerateness, Lindigkeit (Luther’s beautiful rendering) must ever emanate from … Continue reading On Being a Gentleman…
How to Survive a Mediterranean Cruise and Hard Times
St. Paul's Bay is beautiful. Wouldn't it have been something to walk with Paul on the shoreline? But that's not exactly how the story goes. The final segment of the book of Acts records quite a struggle. Paul is arrested for preaching Christ in chapter 21. He then is tried before the Roman tribune, the … Continue reading How to Survive a Mediterranean Cruise and Hard Times
Freedom in Grace
Grace has been defined as God’s riches at Christ’s expense. We should try to preach grace as often as you can, as much as you can, for as much of the glory of God as you can. One of the beautiful pictures of grace in the Bible is the story of Mephibosheth the son of … Continue reading Freedom in Grace
“WE” faith
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer … Continue reading “WE” faith