Baptism is beautiful—not as something to be exalted in and of itself (it’s meaningless in that sense), but as it is used by God to unite us with Christ. 1. Baptism is where a dead person comes alive. (Colossians 2:12-13). . . . having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised withContinue reading “The Beauty of Baptism”
Category Archives: Coming to God
Why Did God Create Man?
God created man to bless him—richly, fully and deeply! In the creation account we hear words like blessed, fruitful, fill, subdue, rule over and I give all made in reference to him (Genesis 1:28-29). The highest expression of his favor lies in the fact that he is made to be an image-bearer of the Trinity (v. 27). He may choose something less forContinue reading “Why Did God Create Man?”
Blessing or Burden?
When we think about obedience, it’s helpful to recognized that there’s the common definition of it and the biblical definition—and the two are not the same. Dictionary Online tells us obedience is “the act or quality of being obedient.“ And obedient is “complying with or submissive to authority.” We might be obeying a traffic law,Continue reading “Blessing or Burden?”
Hiking through this World
A few years before her death, Queen Elizabeth and her protection officer, Richard Griffin, were hiking in Scotland not far from her castle in Balmoral. They came across two tourists from America on a “walking holiday.” The Queen always made it a point to stop and talk to fellow hikers, so she greeted the pairContinue reading “Hiking through this World”
Victory through Surrender
“You can be anything you want to be!” Have you ever heard this? Just kidding. Would you like to have a dollar for every time you have? Now we’re talking, right? These words are usually spoken in complete earnestness and with the absolute best of intentions. They can be found in books occupying the bestsellerContinue reading “Victory through Surrender”
Discipleship
Are Your Feet Touching the Bottom? Grace and Discipleship The Tree of Trust (1) The Tree of Trust (2) The Tree of Trust (3) Victory through Surrender
What is the most important thing?
“The best version of yourself” is a phrase that’s worked its way into just about every aspect of our culture. I think it’s fair to call it at least one of the mantras of today’s generation, if not the mantra. One of the things I appreciate about these words is how they express an unwillingnessContinue reading “What is the most important thing?”
Jesus And Living Authentically
There was an athlete who said some things that got them into trouble (I’m being purposely vague here because there’s no need to reveal their identity). To their credit, they reflected upon their words and the consequences of them and later admitted much of what they said was wrong. However, they didn’t regret it becauseContinue reading “Jesus And Living Authentically”
Help and Hope from our Father
They’re playing the Masters in Augusta this weekend and the rainy weather has made it challenging to say the least. They had a couple of trees topple over on the 17th hole Friday afternoon. Play was suspended and they had to finish Friday’s round on Saturday morning. Tiger Woods was one of those finishing his round andContinue reading “Help and Hope from our Father”
The Cry From The Cross
Jesus’ cry of dereliction, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Mark 15:34), has been the subject of much discussion. Some believe that these words are to be understood literally—that God separated Himself from Jesus as part of Him bearing our sins. I’m not aware of anything regarding Christ’s atoning work that necessitates GodContinue reading “The Cry From The Cross”