Morning Musings: 1 John 3:13

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“Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Make no mistake: If you are a follower of Jesus, the world hates you just like it hated Him.  Now, this doesn’t mean that everyone who isn’t one of His followers as well hates you.  You may (and should) have friends who are non-believers, some of whom may be very good friends.  But, for anyone who is committed to the ends of the world (the elevation of self and the desires of the flesh above all else), they will hate the ends of the kingdom toward which you are working (the elevation of God and the humiliation of self), a hatred which will eventually be worked out through you.

Persecution should never surprise us as followers of Jesus.  If we behave as He did, we will be treated as He was as well.  This should be a mark of pride, knowing that we are on the right track.

Digging in Deeper: Malachi 1:8

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“When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil?  And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Malachi was the last prophet of the people of Israel until John the Baptist arrived on the scene to introduce people to Jesus some 400 years later.  In other words, he was the last word the people had from God for 400 years.  Ancient though he may be, his words could have been written yesterday they are so relevant to issues we are still facing today. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: 1 John 2:22

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“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Although it is not so much a topic of conversation as it was a few years ago, there is a fair bit of interest in the idea and the person of the Antichrist.  In popular literature of varying sorts, the Antichrist is going to be the figure at the end of the world who unites the forces of evil against the forces of good, and who must be defeated to avoid the end of the world. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Revelation 9:20-21

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“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is the real key of this chapter and, really, one of the main themes of the entire record.  There appear to be two goals of the various acts of cataclysmic judgments described in Revelation.  One goal is the punishment of sin.  God has been patient long enough and now it is time for judgment.  It is time to let people see and experience the full weight of their sin.  Just like with the nation of Israel in the days leading up to and during the conquest of Jerusalem and the exile, the time for the whole world has come up and sin is finally being judged on a large scale. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Daniel 6:4

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“Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Daniel was now in the service of the third king and of two different nations, all in the same place.  You don’t achieve such a thing unless you have a reputation that precedes you by a long, long way.  Indeed, Daniel had a reputation for wisdom, character, and integrity that was far above anyone else in the whole of the kingdom.  In fact, when his enemies determined to take him down because of their jealousy of his power and position, the only possible basis they could find for accusing and condemning him was his faithfulness to God. Read the rest…