Imagine you owe a mountain of money—much more than you can repay. It’s all your fault—you spent a little too much here, a little more there. You went through credit cards like they were candy. You didn’t plan for certain expenses you knew were coming. Before you knew it, you were in a hole youContinue reading “No Reason To Go Back”
Category Archives: Coming to God
Shaking Things Up
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30) I’ve often marveled at this prayer spoken by the church in response to the release of Peter and JohnContinue reading “Shaking Things Up”
Putting Our Weight Down On Jesus
Faith is how we overcome the world (1 John 5:4-5)—but what did John mean when he wrote these words? He didn’t mean we overcome by virtue of anything that we have done—even if we have done some good things and been used by God in some important and significant ways. God has no problem praisingContinue reading “Putting Our Weight Down On Jesus”
Merging Our Letter With God’s (1)
Hezekiah’s prayer in the temple is a powerful example of reliance upon God. Hezekiah was a righteous king who nonetheless had a penchant for trusting in foreign alliances rather than Yahweh. In order to protect Judah from the Assyrians, he made alliances with Egypt (2 Kings 18:21) and Babylon (Isaiah 39 along with 2 ChroniclesContinue reading “Merging Our Letter With God’s (1)”
Animals, Accountants, Athletes, and Thank-You
Charlie Kleinman had a heart transplant years ago. The donor was a seventeen year old boy who had drowned. Kleinman was struggling as to how he could express his gratitude to the young man’s parents. He finally settled on writing them a note, but when it reached eighty-eight pages it dawned on him how dauntingContinue reading “Animals, Accountants, Athletes, and Thank-You”
Baptism and Coming to God (1)
Lots of people have lots of questions about baptism. Questions like what is it? Who is it for? What is it for? These are all good questions that deserve a biblical answer, so let’s get started. 1. Baptism is the immersion in water of a penitent believer. Acts 8:36-39 says: As they traveled along the road,Continue reading “Baptism and Coming to God (1)”
The Ever Given and the Forgiven
The Straight of Ormuz (between Iran and Oman), has been in the news quite a bit and for good reason—about 20% of the world’s oil and gas is transported through it. So when it is closed or shipping is substantially slowed, it affects a lot of people and we hear about it. Over a thousandContinue reading “The Ever Given and the Forgiven”
Divorced from his Father
It was the first week of school. The teacher mentioned something about the students taking some class work home to show their parents. A little boy spoke up and said he couldn’t do that because he was divorced from his father. The teacher knew his situation and did her best to explain to the young boy thatContinue reading “Divorced from his Father”
God’s New Creation
Most people can relate to the experience of getting a new car—whether it is one with no miles on the odometer or a gently-used vehicle. It is new to us, a big investment, and usually something that we have been anticipating for a while. When we find the right car, everything comes together: it looksContinue reading “God’s New Creation”
Grace and Coming to God
Our situation is this—we’re drowning in an ocean of our sins and misdeeds. None of us are “one sin” sinners, we’re all repeat offenders. If we’re to be saved, it won’t be because we do it ourselves. We’re too far from land, too weak to swim long, and too much in touch with reality to think otherwise. If weContinue reading “Grace and Coming to God”
