Man or Machine?

“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27 (NLT) You and I are created by God to “fill the earth and govern it.” (Genesis 1:28), yet, there are those today who believe humanity is basically idiotic and shouldContinue reading “Man or Machine?”

Working Fruitfully

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for theContinue reading “Working Fruitfully”

Obedience

“If you love Me, obey My commandments.” (John 14:15 NLT) Obedience is rarely easy. I loved my mom’s chocolate cake. She used to bring one to me when she and my dad would visit when I was in college. But when I was a kid, after she baked one, she never told me: “Eat allContinue reading “Obedience”

Do You Treat People Better Than They Deserve?

“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT) Just to be clear, even after we’re born again, we still have the capacity to sin, thus, in that sense, we’re still sinners. What Paul addresses in the verse above is thatContinue reading “Do You Treat People Better Than They Deserve?”

Love and Respect

“So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33 NLT) “Respect,” as it’s used in the verse above, is the word from which comes our English word “phobia.” It can mean to be terrified, startled, to be afraid/frightened, and can alsoContinue reading “Love and Respect”

Reflecting Christ in Marriage

“As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” (Ephesians 5:24-26 NLT) How does theContinue reading “Reflecting Christ in Marriage”

Who Decides?

“At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death.” (Luke 7:2 NLT) Great problems can lead to great outcomes, it just depends on who’s deciding the outcome. In the story above a Roman officer has a slave who is very ill and, upon hearing Jesus has healed others,Continue reading “Who Decides?”

No Ordinary Things

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4Continue reading “No Ordinary Things”

The Wisdom of Worship

“You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you.” (Exodus 34:14 NLT) Moses was a man of God who had a unique relationship with the Lord. Moses understood the indispensable value of worship, and he was driven to hisContinue reading “The Wisdom of Worship”

Knowledge Without Love

“But it wasn’t long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the Word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, and created a mob scene there too.” (Acts 17:13 The Message) Perhaps you’ve heard the expression: “A little knowledge is a dangerousContinue reading “Knowledge Without Love”