The United States is becoming increasingly hostile to those who hold orthodox and historic Christian beliefs, at least that’s my impression. Christians in 2021, if they seek to follow Jesus honestly, sincerely, consistently, coherently, and faithfully, will be very different from the world around them. Very. If they blend in too much, they are not Christians, they are the world. It is easy for believers today to forget that Christians should be very different from the world. Perhaps one...
In the first century, the Pharisees took God’s good gift of the Sabbath and added to it so many ridiculous rules and regulations that it was no longer a blessing for God’s people; it became a burden (Matt. 12:1-14). What God meant to refresh His people had become a troublesome chore of remembering countless dos and don’ts which emptied the Sabbath of its delight. I think today the Church is more in danger of profaning the Sabbath than demanding too much on the Sabbath (demanding too...
We wake up in the morning. Perhaps we lay in bed awhile. We get out of bed, and we start our day. It is likely that most of us seldom contemplate our existence. You are likely settled on your own existence and the routine of life has likely lulled you into a certain unawareness of your existence. Of course you are aware that you exist and are alive. That’s not what I mean by “unawareness.” What I mean is that it is easy for us to forget, to simply not think about, the fact that we exist...
Election Day can bring a wide variety of emotions ranging from worry to anger to fear to apathy, especially when you need to wait for election results! The United States of America is arguably the greatest nation in the history of the world. It is not perfect by any stretch, but it provides freedoms and has achieved temporal good unlike any other. We can actually cast our vote to make our voice heard and to contribute to the electing of our political leaders. Then we wait for the results. As...
I assume you want to live a happy life. I also assume that when you are taking your last breaths, you would like to have a deep sense of joy, peace, and comfort in your heart. Who wants to live their life in a constant state of fear and insecurity? Who wants to feel overwhelmed by panic and dread as they lie dying in their bed? You want your life to be filled with true and sustainable happiness and your last days with contentment, calm, and consolation. But in order for you to have this true...
How can a dead bird be comforting? You’re walking along a trail on a cool and crisp fall day and notice a little dead bird in the leaves by the trail. Does that comfort you? I don’t think we should take some peculiar pleasure in the death of animals. Native Americans killed many animals, but had great esteem and appreciation for them and industriously made use of the meat, hides, bones, and more. Hunters today may not be as industrious, but they also esteem and appreciate the animals...
If life all of sudden became like Alfred Hitchcock’s horror film The Birds, then maybe the thought of a dead bird would provide some comfort. But in real life seeing a beautiful little dead bird along the path is slightly sad. It reminds us of death. But, according to Jesus, it should remind us of something else, something comforting: God’s providence. In Matthew 10, Jesus instructs his disciples and readies them for a difficult and painful future of gospel ministry. His words are...
I was ordained for the pastoral ministry on May 1, 2010. Ever since that day, I continue to struggle deeply with sinful desires, thoughts, words, and actions. Being ordained doesn’t kill sin in the heart of any pastor. Your pastor takes his sinfulness into the ministry. To go further, being ordained didn’t save your pastor, because the saving grace of God in Christ does not flow through ordination, it flows through true faith. Your pastor needs the grace of true faith. John Charles Ryle...
When some professing Christians liken the Holy Spirit to a “funny and sneaky and silly blue genie” like the one in Aladdin, it becomes painfully obvious that many professing Christians don’t know the Holy Spirit, at least as they should. There are many things attributed to the Holy Spirit today, things like speaking gibberish, laughing uncontrollably, falling like a dead person on the ground or flailing around on the ground, and even so called “miracles” which never seem to be...
You look at your schedule for the month and think, “How am I going to make it through this?” You hear the unwelcome words from your doctor, “It’s cancer.” You feel deep grief and regret over your child who is rebelling against God and the Christian upbringing you tried to give them. You notice the empty seat at the table – they’re gone – and tears well up in your eyes. Hard times are indiscriminate. No one desires them to come, but they come to everyone. And when they come, hard...
