“Father, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
As a father of three boys, this verse has always struck me with a particularly strong force. The first part of this little section important, to be sure. My children should obey me because that is right and life will go better for them if they do. But, am I being the kind of father who invites obedience? Read the rest…
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (ESV – Read the chapter)
We are not God. That should be basic, but it’s not. A reversal of that fact is the fundamental deceit of the fall. We forget it all the time, in fact. We regularly are guilty of thinking we know better than God how to run His world. Things happen a certain way and we almost immediately start Monday-morning-quarterbacking the creator and sustainer of the whole cosmos. When was the last time you consciously processed a thought which began with, “Well, if I were God…”? Read the rest…
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is a verse that is often misunderstood and misapplied. For starters, Paul is not somehow outlawing anger here. Sometimes believers let themselves be convinced that negative emotions of any kind are not appropriate for believers to experience. This is far from the truth. A quick look at the Scriptures reveals this to be the case rather conclusively. Our God is a passionate God who experiences a full range of emotions. Jesus in particular experienced loss, hurt, anger, rejection, and so on. Read the rest…
In this final part of our series, Marriage Myths, we look at one last myth our culture tells us about marriage. This is the myth that marriage is primarily about our happiness. It sounds nice, to be sure, but just like every other myth, it does not compare with the truth. Keep reading to find out what the truth here is and how we can live in it, and stay tuned for next week when we start a brand new teaching series called The Big Story. If you’ve ever wondered what the Bible is all about, over the next four weeks we’ll talk about it together. Read the rest…
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. (ESV – Read the chapter)
For the previous three chapters Paul has been unpacking the incredibly high nature of the calling those who are in Christ have received from Him. It is not just a high calling, but a holy one. Read the rest…
The Nexus 