One of the unfortunate consequences of a splintered and divided Christendom is the general disagreement about the purpose of the church. Some want church to be a Spirit-fueled rock concert. Others want church to be a group therapy session where hurts and sorrows are shared and feelings affirmed. Still others see the church as a…
From the moment God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7), two abiding truths have been abundantly clear. 1) Life is sacred and precious to God. 2) Mankind, sadly, often fails to concur. When God confronts Cain for murdering Abel in Genesis 4, Cain appears to immediately grasp the serious implications of…
Recently, I was reading an article about giving advice to one’s younger self. If I could go back and give advice to my younger self, one of the most valuable nuggets of advice I would give is, “Dan, turn off the tv, put down the video games, and stop focusing on your car; it will…
When I was going to college (some years ago), I was a rather introverted, socially-awkward, young and callow fellow. So to push my boundaries, I joined a bowling league. This experience helped me to become the introverted, socially awkward, old and callous fellow I am today. In the league, I learned that it was absolutely…
Remember the children’s song about the boy who gave Jesus his “two little fish and five loaves of bread”? It closes with these words: “All that I have, All that I have, I will give Jesus all that I have.” That is a powerful promise and not one to be made lightly. And it is entirely in…
Just about every false teaching can be supported by some misconstrued quote from the Bible. The Bible has been used to support homosexual marriages and abortion. It has been used to support slavery, murder, and war. It has even been used to support other religions. Of course, the Bible doesn’t support these destructive teachings. But…
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (Psalm 119:9). This scripture beckons us to think of prospects and possibilities beyond imagination. Youth is filled with promise. Energy and talent are ready to emerge. When youth has faded, there is an assurance of something more. Cleansing the way is…
The sovereignty of God is one of the basic tenets of our faith. To be sovereign means that God has the power and authority to do anything He wants that does not violate His nature ( lying, sin, etc.) and that He is in complete control of his creation. His sovereignty stems from the fact…
The King James translates Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Other translations render the word “cleave” as “be joined to” (NKJV), “hold fast” (ESV), “cling” (NRSV), “bond with” (HCSB), and “unites” (NET). Cleave carries with it the idea…
Paul recounted in 2 Corinthians 11:24 that among his labors and sufferings for the sake of Christ, he’d been beaten five times by fellow Jews with “forty lashes minus one.” That description was uniquely Jewish. Neither the Romans nor any other ancient nation had a similar limitation. God’s word in Deuteronomy 25:3 stated that a…