The Life that God Blesses
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! -Psalm 119:32 The imagery here is striking. We would expect the Psalmist to say, “I walk in the path of your commands,” for that’s the usual Hebrew expression for going in God’s way. But to run along a path is to have that way so straight and so removed of obstacles, ambiguities, and sudden turns that it’s safe to move at a rapid pace. So it is in the
God Is Love
By Will Powell, Guest Author God is love. We say it so easily. God is love. But what does that mean, and why is that so important—particularly right now? First, God defines what love is. It is not the other way around: “Love is God.” Our concept of what love might be is not supposed to define who we think God is. Instead, if we want to find out what love is, we first need to discover and explore who God is.
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 74 – Real Love
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." -Jeremiah 31:3 How blessed we are to have God's everlasting love, a love that Dr. Snyder defines as follows: "It's hard for us to imagine this kind of love. Parents can gain a little glimpse of it when love for their children remains strong in spite of their children's rebellion. But God goes even beyond that. He sustains his
The Gift of Family and Friends
So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. -Genesis 1:21 For most of us, we are very aware of the joy of family and friends at Christmastime. I particularly enjoy attending worship services in places where winter days bring snow and freezing temperatures. The bleak weather outside makes for a startling contrast to
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 43 – Live Forever
by TJ Bates Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. -Romans 10:13 Have you ever had to call a friend or 911 or yell to a lifeguard and ask them to save you? Isn't it mind-boggling to think that all we have to do to be saved for eternity is just to call upon the name of the Lord? "This and other simple straightforward statements end the debate on who will and can be saved for eternal life. Each
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 31 – Love
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. -John 13:34 I just love LOVE! Don't you? Don't you LOVE that dress or LOVE that movie or LOVE what I'm saying? In the present day, "love" is a word that is overused and often has no meaning. However, Jesus is not using the word love carelessly as we do. He wants us to truly love one another—to be a conduit of
Dust in the Wind—Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Perhaps you remember the old song, “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas. The point of it was that human beings are merely dust in the wind, nothing more—here today, gone tomorrow. And, when it’s all over, that’s about all there is to say: Same old song Just a drop of water in an endless sea All we do Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see Dust in the wind All we are is dust in the wind It’s pretty depressing, but there is some stark
Love One Another: A Human Impossibility Today?
The Bible is full of references to the subject of love in its connection with faith, so that we receive the correct impression that true love is in direct relation to its Author, God himself. Without God’s nearness true love is not possible, and the greater the distance from him the greater the level of distortion of that love. In the Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John, as well as in Chapter 13 of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church,
How to Love One Another…Even Other Christians
By Gerald L. Sittser His extroverted personality annoys you. She seems too quiet. He favors a liturgical worship style, while you like a contemporary one. Her political views are too liberal for your conservative taste. Sound like any of the people at your church? You may dislike them or disagree with them, but their commitment to Christ makes them your spiritual brothers and sisters. If you fail to reach out to them in love as Christ calls you to, then your fractured
From the Pastor: How Do We Discern God’s Guidance in Adversity?
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. -Psalm 48:14 In talking to friends here and back in the USA, through this time of lockdown, stressful situations, and restrictions, it appears many are seeking God’s guidance and help. So how do we discern God's guidance? What we learn from others is that God’s leading “was done in such a way that I couldn’t possibly have missed the point. The whole experience
