Morning Musing: 2 Peter 3:15-16

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“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.  There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Just a little note here on the defense of the Bible.  Some critics have argued that the writings of the New Testament “became” Scripture gradually.  It was the result of a power play by men seeking power for themselves and these writings were a convenient way to get it through the levers of religion.  But, when they were written no one considered them Scripture.  Except for this… Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Daniel 3:16-18

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“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

“But if not.”  These are three of the most powerful words in all of the Old Testament.  They carry the power of unshakeable faithfulness.  They herald the potency of eternal life.  These three men had perfect confidence in their Lord to save them from the destruction that sat before them in some kind of miraculous way.  But if not; but if He didn’t; but if He decided that their deaths in this moment would ring a louder note for the kingdom than their lives, they were still going to stick with Him. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Psalm 135:15-18

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“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.  They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.  Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

In the ancient world, idols were obvious.  Someone who worshipped an idol would often literally bow down before a statue.  He would make sacrifices before a big hunk of carved rock or wood or shaped metal.  They were things made by human hands.  Today…not so much.  But, just because idolatry is more difficult to spot doesn’t meant the reality of it is any different. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Revelation 6:1-2

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“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’  And I looked, and behold, a white horse!  And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Now we get into the meat of John’s revelation of the end of the world.  This is the part of the story that tends to start drawing the most varied and often creative interpretations.  This is also the part that tends to serve as the most inspirational for various occult and apocalyptic stories today. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 2 Peter 1:5-8

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“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Do you want to be effective?  We all do, don’t we?  We want to be able to have an impact on the people and environment around us.  Not only that, but we want to do so in a way that will last and have meaning.  The question, then, becomes: How do we do this?  How can we have an effective impact on our situations? Read the rest…