Morning Musings – Page 153

Morning Musing: James 2:10

July 11, 2019July 10, 2019Leave a comment

“For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

We like for things to be incremental. We want to be able to advance toward pretty much everything in life in a step by step fashion. Every big store offers payment plans for their big ticket items. Cars get paid off over three or four years (and increasingly more). Houses take 30 years even though few people live in one place that long anymore. Why can’t the same be true with getting into Heaven?

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: James 1:26-27

July 9, 2019July 8, 2019Leave a comment

“If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the trends over the last few years when it comes to self-identifying religious preference is for folks to say they are spiritual, but not religious. This has in some ways been a partner to the rise of the “nones.” Many folks from this media darling social group don’t want to identify themselves as associated with any particular religious group, but at the same time, they don’t want to give the impression that they are claiming to be atheists. So they’ll say, “I’m spiritual, not religious.” How should Jesus followers respond to this?

Read the rest…

A Special Reflection on Freedom

July 4, 2019July 2, 2019Leave a comment

A few years ago, Christian author, speaker, and apologist Os Guinness wrote a book called, A Free People’s Suicide. In it, this British gentleman offered some advice to Americans and free people everywhere on the price of their freedom; not the cost, but the price. He talked in particular about what he called the golden triangle of freedom.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 2 Peter 1:8

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019Leave a comment

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

I want to matter. I want for my life to count for something. That desire pulses deep with every beat of my heart. If I were a betting kind of man, I’d bet that you feel this too. While it may manifest itself in different ways, this desire burns at the heart of every single one of us. We want to be able to look back on our lives at some point and be able to say: I accomplished something of value to this world. One of our deepest fears is meaninglessness. Anything that helps at least sort of scratch this itch gets our attention. Given that, what Peter says here should have us rapt with it.

Read the rest…

Morning Musing: James 1:5-6a

June 28, 2019June 27, 2019Leave a comment

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

In the first couple of verses of James’ letter, he tells his audience to consider it great joy when they experience trials of various kinds. We talked about some of the whys and hows of this on Wednesday. Such considerations strengthen our faith and produce endurance in us for when even harder times comes. The question this raises is how do we know how to proceed in this journey?

Read the rest…