The Church is often guilty of telling people to “come to Jesus” so that their lives will be easier. Historically, however, the lives of followers of Christ have been anything but easy. In the rather lengthy narrative of Paul’s life that makes up the reading for today, there is a strong realization that, if Paul wanted an easy life, he should have stuck with ... [Continue Reading]
A Goal of Growth (Romans 14-16)
Within the Christian life lies the goal of growth. And not only should we be concerned with personal growth, but we should be concerned with the growth of others, as well. Therefore, those who are more mature in their faith must be careful to keep from placing stumbling blocks in the lives of others – things that could potentially hinder their growth. ... [Continue Reading]
A Living Sacrifice (Romans 11-13)
When we were kids we used to look for living sacrifices to participate in the various experiments we were performing. Sometimes it was ants under a magnifying glass, and others times it was worms taped to bottle rockets. I’m not saying these were good things – I’m just using them as illustrations. These poor creatures unwillingly gave themselves up to ... [Continue Reading]
It’s Your Call (Romans 8-10)
Have you ever seen the movie, "The Butterfly Effect?" The basic premise goes along with the old "Back to the Future" movies where one small choice sets life on a totally different path. For instance, a teenager who drives drunk and kills someone in a car accident has forever impacted both his life and the lives of those who both knew and ... [Continue Reading]
I Need a Hero (Romans 4-7)
A number of years back Chris Rice wrote a song about his need for a hero. With the advent of so many super hero movies in the last decade or so, I find myself wishing that I was a hero more than realizing my need for a hero. But my need is there, whether I realize it or not. Just as I wrote a few days ago about throwing baseballs (see the post here), I'm not very good ... [Continue Reading]
How Good? (Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1-3)
I heard an analogy once about throwing a baseball. If a group of friends of mine and I were to line up and each try to throw a baseball to the North Pole, some would definitely throw the ball further than others. However, none of us would actually make it to the North Pole. Similarly, no matter how hard we try to be perfect and good, none of us makes ... [Continue Reading]
Bragging Rights (2 Corinthians 10-13)
It’s funny how much we like to have bragging rights. Life is a comparison, and we’re really good at looking at one another and trying to outdo each other. Whether in a sport, in academics, or in a board game, we like to let everyone know when we are the winners. When I was living in Brazil, there were two youth pastors with whom I spent a good deal of ... [Continue Reading]
Where Do You Excel? (2 Corinthians 5-9)
This summer we’re going to see the next installment of the Olympics. Isn’t it amazing to watch athletes who excel in their sports? We will see the best of the best competing against one another. Other people excel in academics. I’m in a master’s class right now, and I’m simply blown away by the intellect of the professor who is lecturing. ... [Continue Reading]
A Recurring Death (2 Corinthians 1-4)
Death is somewhat depressing. I think funerals are one of the things I like the least in life because they are so often a moment when one is forced to evaluate his or her own life. There is one funeral, however, that each one of us should attend on a daily basis: our own. That sounds kind of morbid, but it accurately reflects the words of Paul who said ... [Continue Reading]
What If? (1 Corinthians 15-16)
What if Jesus didn’t live, die, and come back to life? What if this whole Jesus thing is just a story that was made up? What if none of it is real? If that’s the case, then those who claim to be followers of Christ have a lot of problems. First, if there is a god, then those who follow Christ have been leading others away from the real god for a ... [Continue Reading]
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