VERSE:I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another – and this in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 1 Corinthians 6:5-7 THOUGHT:So many …
The Secret Things Belong To God… So Follow What’s Revealed!
VERSE:The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. —Deuteronomy 29:29 THOUGHT:Intense study and seeking out the answers to deep philosophical and theological questions are great ways for us to grow in our knowledge of who God is. However, we have the temptation of getting so cerebral that …
The Fear of God Makes Clear the Grace of God
VERSE:If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name – the Lord your God – the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling …
The Significance of Confessing Sin
VERSE:This is the verdict: Light has come into the world but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through …
Hell – Our Default Destination
VERSE:Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all me, because all sinned… — Romans 5:12 THOUGHT:We like to think of the human race as being relatively good. We meet nice people and have nice friends; a lot of whom may not profess faith in Christ. Because of this, many people tend to think of heaven as …
Living in the Light of Eternity
VERSE:Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not …
Why Does God Incentivize Obedience
VERSE: Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. —Deuteronomy 4:1 THOUGHT:Notice how it doesn’t say “obey God because that’s the way He wants it, and He commands it, so do it”. Rather, God has intentionally …
Christian Hedonism
VERSE:The Lord said to Aaron, “you will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.” — Numbers 18:20 THOUGHT:A man went to his pastor and said with an upset tone “pastor, I tried tithing and it didn’t work”. The pastor asked “well, did the Lord get 10% of your income?” “YES!” the man exclaimed. …
Going Reveals You Never Came
VERSE: They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. — 1 John 3:19 THOUGHT: As Christians, we are not called to be the spiritual policemen judging the validity of other Christians’ professions of faith. However, words like “rebuke”, “confront” and “expose” …
Your Heart Follows Your Treasure
VERSE:For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. — Matthew 6:21 THOUGHT:I had always thought of this verse as if it were written backwards. I believed that it was basically saying “if your heart is really set in heaven, it will show by how you spend your money”. But that’s not what this verse is saying. It is not saying that your treasure will follow your heart, …