“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my reassured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine…” (ESV – Read the chapter)
One of the things we are called to (and by “we,” I mean “everybody”) over and over again in the Scriptures is obedience. We live in a day, though, when obedience is not a popular idea. We want to be free to do as we please. We want to loosen the restrictions on ourselves so we can pursue our hearts’ desires without any limitations. Nobody likes the idea of obedience…except for when they do. Read the rest…
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (ESV)
As much as many would like and have even tried to argue this is the case, one of the things the Bible does not teach is a kind of tit-for-tat giving arrangement whereby every time we give something, God gives back to us in equal amounts. Any preacher or teacher who has said otherwise is a snake oil salesman in disguise. But… Read the rest…
In part two of our new teaching series, Stand Up: How to Fight Injustice, we looked together at the next part of the story of Esther. Mordecai stands up to do the right thing…and everything goes wrong. Through this hard turn of events we are reminded that if we are going to stand against injustice, we are going to have to make a commitment to do the right thing regardless of the outcome. Keep reading to see how this unfolds.
Stand with Conviction
We live in a day when businesses are finding themselves needing to take social and moral stands in order to attract new customers. Have you noticed that? Used to be, companies and businesses focused on business. If they wanted to convince people to spend their money with them instead of with a competitor, they worked really hard to plant the idea in our minds that they were the very best at what they did. Their product was better than anybody else’s. They were going to take care of their customers better than anybody else would. They were the best…at their business. Today, though, as being socially conscious has gotten more and more popular, many businesses are worrying less about talking about how great their products are, and are instead spending more time telling us how socially conscious, or progressive, they are. Commercials often double as political statements. Some don’t talk about their products at all, they just take a stand on some social issue and assume that customers will be drawn to use their products on the basis of that social stance alone. Read the rest…
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Living the life of Christ day-in-and day-out is a tall order. It’s a huge task. If we let it, the thought that we are to live each day following after the pattern of Christ and doing what He said can be an overwhelming thought. If we think about it in the wrong way, it can leave us wondering whether it’s really all worth it. How are we supposed to do this on our own? Read the rest…
“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
There are two ways to understand what’s going on here (assuming on the credibility of the text). The first is that Elisha was delusional and somehow brought this poor servant into his delusions. That would not only be a pretty disappointing interpretation, it doesn’t fit the context of the story itself or the broader context of Elisha’s life and ministry very well. The second understanding is that every word here is true and happened just exactly like the text says. Read the rest…
The Nexus 