John has a message from Jesus to the church of Laodicea that they are "lukewarm" - neither hot nor cold. The temptation is to think that Jesus was telling the church not to be "lukewarm Christians", but the problem is that the context doesn't support that idea. The really understand what Jesus meant you have to understand the culture ... [Continue Reading]
A commandment to trump them all (2 John, 3 John)
There is one commandment that trumps them all: love one another. John reminds the recipient of his second letter of this important command. It's amazing that one command can be all inclusive of every other, isn't it? The other commandments include not lying, not committing adultery, not coveting, honoring parents, etc. Don't all of ... [Continue Reading]
Darkness and Light (1 John)
When I was a kid we had a very scary basement. It was unfinished except that the stairway was dry-walled. When you got to the bottom of the stairway the light didn't shine beyond the last step, and the closest light was just beyond the stairway with a pull string. With one flying leap I was able to jump from the stairs and grab the string so as to ... [Continue Reading]
I have decided to follow Jesus… no turning back (Jude)
I love the words to that old song: I have decided to follow Jesus,I have decided to follow Jesus,I have decided to follow Jesus.No turning back, no turning back. In another verse, the song goes on to say, "Though none go with me, I still will follow." I think that's the sentiment Jude was getting at in his letter: that we need to keep pressing on in ... [Continue Reading]
Until the last minute (2 Peter)
One of Peter's comments in chapter 3 is that God is waiting until the very last minute possible to fulfill His promise of Christ's return so that the most number of people can come into a relationship with Him before the opportunity for redemption is past. That statement tells us something about the character of God and His desire for His ... [Continue Reading]
The heritage of our faith (Hebrews 11-13)
One of the most amazing things about being a follower of Christ is the tradition of which I get to be a part. Have you ever stopped to think about just how long people have been following God? Hebrews 11 gives us a great picture of those who have gone before us and marked out a path of what it means to live the way that God desires His people to live. ... [Continue Reading]
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 8-10)
The header for this post is a quotation of Hebrews 10:31 in the English Standard Verson. When I read that verse I was reminded of the words exchanged by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the Pevensie children in CS Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: "Is -- is [Aslan] a man?" asked Lucy. "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver ... [Continue Reading]
What kind of milk do you drink? (Hebrews 5-7)
Do you remember your days in pre-school or kindergarten? I vaguely remember my time in "Thursday School" - a pre-school that met for a few hours every Thursday. I was pretty little at that point in time - only 5 years old. Can you imagine what it would have been like for me to have someone in his 20's in my class? It would have ... [Continue Reading]
What exactly did Jesus do? (Hebrews 2-4)
A lot of people (I would venture to say almost all people) know that Jesus died on a cross. Those same people most likely know that there is at least a claim that He rose back to life after His death on the cross - a claim that they may or may not believe. But I wonder if people know what Jesus did whenHe died. What it just a miraculous death and ... [Continue Reading]
Cast your cares on Him (1 Peter 4-5; Hebrews 1)
I have a tendency to try to handle life on my own. I guess I've always just reasoned that I'm capable of handling whatever situations come my way, and I'd like to think that I do it pretty well at times. The key words of the last statement are "at times." Unfortunately, there are a lot of times when I fail. I might think I ... [Continue Reading]
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