When I was first saved, I was confused after reading the book of Job. It seemed like Job’s friends had some distorted views of God. Yet, knowing that the Scriptures were inspired, I wasn’t sure if I was to believe everything they said. Now, my understanding of “inspired” convinces me that the conversations in Job […]
We expect our friends to be loyal. How would you feel if your closest friend cowardly denied knowing you? Friends who forsake you create some of the deepest scars. For 3 ½ years Peter had been groomed by the Lord to be the leader of the disciples after His death, resurrection, and return to Heaven. […]
At times, all of us hear the voices of discouragement. Sometimes they confront us even when we are confident that we are doing what God wants us to do. This blog will unmask three of the common methods Satan uses to discourage us, as well as the two ways in which we can rise above […]
When I was in high school (a long time ago), our sports rival was a town twenty miles to the north, just over the border between California and Oregon. The Bible also speaks of rivals, but not of towns and sports teams. These two rivals are each vying for your heart, kind of like politicians […]
Before getting into Romans, a few observations are in order about the epistles written by the Apostle Paul. He wrote the 13 from Romans through Philemon for sure but I see a number of indications he probably also wrote Hebrews. If so, there are fourteen epistles wherein Paul reveals the Gospel of the Grace of […]
Can a person who doesn’t know Christ capture God’s interest? Does God consider anything they do to be good, or are all their actions sinful in His sight? An interesting event takes place in Acts 10 that answers those questions. Before a supernatural encounter with God, the Apostle Peter considered non-Jews (Gentiles) to be so […]
Suddenly a bright light flashed across the bow, nearly blinding the captain. The other ship was on a collision course with his. Straightaway, he signaled to it, “Change your direction.” He quickly received a signal back, “You change your direction!” Put off, the captain sent another message, “This is Captain Palmer. I order you to […]
I hate roller coasters. I almost get seasick just watching television coverage of some theme park’s new “biggest roller coaster ever.” If they think that is going to inspire me to vacation at their park, they have another thing coming. I see absolutely no excitement to being pulled straight up several stories, only to freefall […]
Ever put a cranberry in your mouth, mistaking it for a cherry? As soon as you bit down, you became acutely aware of your mistake. Or you’ve taken a big bite out of an apple that was bad, and immediately spit it out. Far more serious than bitter foods is a bitter heart. The Bible […]
Our pastor has been speaking for the last few weeks about ways in which Jesus described God, His Father. This past weekend he spoke of God’s GENEROUS nature. I like it when God is generous to me. But I find that when God seems MORE generous to someone else, I hear the voice of ENVY […]