Scripture repeatedly and emphatically commands us to live in love and to put love above and before all things. “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2, ESV “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14, ESV It tells us…
The following is based on a quote from Marcus Tullius Cicero. Each statement from this quote is compared to the biblical equivalents. “Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century.” “Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.” Proverbs 22:16, ESV “Do not rob the…
“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?” Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, ESV “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with…
The following is an excerpt from the epilogue of the book, A Time to Kill, a Time to Heal by Roger Helle. The title reflects the words from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. * * * I was in the operating room. Internal bleeding had caused the doctor to rush me to surgery at the Ninety-fifth Evacuation Hospital…
“So, you’re a prophet now?” I paused momentarily, trying to determine how I was going to answer the question. We were discussing prophecy, and I was sharing with a friend my understanding of the “last days” invasion of Israel in the book of Ezekiel (Chapters 38-39). With the term “prophesy,” most Christians think of “foretelling”…
“God put me right next to a fellow warrior to let him know God cared for him.” We flew out of Saigon, Vietnam, to Bangkok, Thailand. Nothing unusual was going on in Saigon, but when we arrived in Bangkok, the airport was full of armed Thai soldiers. That’s when we learned the much-anticipated war on…
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship Here is how the Apostle Paul explained this. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue…
In 2 Samuel 12 God sends the prophet Nathan to King David to rebuke him for the sins with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. King David repented of his sins and wrote about it in Psalm 51. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be…
We are told to ask for forgiveness in the same way we forgive others. “Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.” Matthew 6:12, Living Bible Are we really ready to ask for forgiveness when we consider how we have or have not forgiven others? If we want…