Humility, an essential Christian characteristic, is being set aside in our world of shameless self-aggrandizement and self-promotion. James clearly tells us that we cannot be children of God if we are not humble. “…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and…
As some of you are aware, I have been on a long journey in search of that mystery called Faith. For me, it was an elusive prey, confounding my attempts to quantify and understand it, much less incorporate it into my very being. How is it, I wondered, that Faith was so simple…
I have often sung a song with the line, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through,” or another one, “here we are but straying pilgrims.” Both of these songs embody an ideal that it is sometimes hard for us to remember and grasp. Scripturally we can look at verses such as…
Our society has a specific use for the term sober. Upon hearing the word sober I would guess that for most of you your first thought would go to substance abuse. Sober is used to describe a person who is free from alcohol or drugs. This is certainly an appropriate use of the term. A…
A Pharisee who was a teacher of the Law asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love…
What happens if a person dies before being baptized? Specifically, what if that person made it known that he wants to be baptized and was preparing, then died before his baptism? Such questions are usually asked during a discussion or debate about faith and works. Where do faith and works meet? Can faith justify purely…
A congregation is never stronger than when it’s united and never weaker than when it’s divided. Jesus talks about this principle in Matthew 12:25, not in the context of an individual congregation, but it’s certainly true of congregations. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself…
The third question we encounter in the Bible comes from the lips of God: “Why are you angry?” (Genesis 4:6). It was addressed to Cain, and it concerned his response to God’s rejection of his offering. God had rejected it, and Cain should have repented of it. But he didn’t. Instead he got angry. Anger…