“Everyone Will Be Salted with Fire”: Making Sense of Mark 9:49
Be aware that we must be refined continually.
When Jesus speaks of salt losing its salty quality, He’s referring to the method of mining salt unique to that period and region. People would harvest salt from either the Dead Sea or from the salt pans, and in those salt pans the water evaporated. In that process, the pure salt would leech out, leaving... Continue Reading
You Have More Fight to Give
In his strength, you have more fight to give in your struggle against sin, even if it means shedding your blood.
The next time you think sin is getting the best of you and you want to turn back, remember you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Through the Holy Spirit, never forget the saints gone by, and remember Jesus himself, who went willingly to the cross and shed his blood... Continue Reading
3 Questions to Ask When Trying to Find a Good Church
Finding and committing yourself to a local congregation is incredibly important.
Even though we should ask whether this particular church can help us grow, we must be careful not to take a consumerist mentality to the church. We must remember that we aren’t only meant to receive from the church; we are meant to give. This is why we have each been given spiritual gifts –... Continue Reading
Do You Love God? I Mean Really Love Him?
If we confess that Jesus is our Savior we cannot do that unless we hope and desire that He be our King as well.
When we begin to go through the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments are we going to find ourselves devoted to what they teach or are we going to make excuses and find loopholes for our feigned obedience to this portion of God’s law? It’s a question every person who names the name... Continue Reading
Good Works According to Titus 3
Importance of Good Works
Good works call for our devotion. After all, they’re what we were “created in Christ Jesus for” (Eph. 2:10). We must actively “learn” to do them. The ability to do good works is infused into us when we’re born again—so the potential is there. But the actual doing of them is a learned skill (like... Continue Reading
Of Gathering for Worship When you Do not Want To
God intends togetherness for us whether we are suffering or rejoicing.
Why go to worship on Sunday? Obedience is a good reason. The fact that going might just encourage your soul is a solid reason. But when you are struggling, and when those reasons are not moving you forward, perhaps remembering that you are needed will help. When a believer is absent, the local church is... Continue Reading
Seeking the Lord in a Desolate Place
Why Seek a Desolate Place?
God’s attributes are on display in the natural world: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Creation is a testament to His attributes, and understanding the world He’s made can help us understand Him. When we are surrounded only by the things that man has made, it is... Continue Reading
What Is Humility?
Simply put, humility is the downward disposition of a Godward self-perception.
A popular notion of humility is that it entails forgetting about ourselves. Instead, humility is the internal frame of heart that results from seeing ourselves as we really are. The problem of pride is not that it sees the self, but that it sees the self wrongly. Humility is a putting of the self in its... Continue Reading
When in Weakness… Here’s How to Respond
Sufficient grace that is made perfect in weakness.
Paul boasted in his infirmities so that the power of Christ would rest upon him. In other words, he had perspective on life’s greatest hardships. He was strong with Christ’s help and for Christ’s sake. Paul accepted, eventually even welcomed, his weaknesses because he knew that God used his weaknesses to make him strong for... Continue Reading
God is Light
What does it mean for God to be light?
We are called to goodness, righteousness, and truth but that call begins with our relationship with God who is light. We are light in the Lord and therefore we are to be light. John anchors his moral imperative in our fellowship with God. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 138
- 139
- 140
- 141
- 142
- …
- 1390
- Next Page »