Chick-fil-A was in the news not long ago in connection with the new Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta that will be home to the football Falcons, Atlanta’s professional soccer team as well as other venues throughout the year. The story was about the fact that Chick-fil-A is a vendor there but would nonetheless be closedContinue reading “A God Honoring Choice”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Approaching Romans
The Louvre in Paris is home to the Mona Lisa—one of the most famous paintings of all time. It was done by Leonardo Da Vinci in the early sixteenth century. If you want to understand what went into the painting and why it is the way it is, the place to start would be with understandingContinue reading “Approaching Romans”
Exhausted Yet Keeping Up The Pursuit
After Gideon and his three hundred men have thrown the Midianite army into panic with their trumpets, jars, and torches (and the help of the Lord—Judges 7:22), they set out in pursuit of those who have survived and fled. In 8:4, we’re told that they are “exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit”. If there had been social mediaContinue reading “Exhausted Yet Keeping Up The Pursuit”
Perplexed By God
Anyone reading through the book of Judges will immediately notice a cycle that is repeated throughout in regard to Israel. It goes like this: God delivers Israel from their enemy, After a period of time, Israel falls into disobedience, God disciplines them by allowing their enemy to oppress them, Israel turns from their sin to GodContinue reading “Perplexed By God”
Godliness And Baseball Gloves
The words godliness and godly are found 25 times in the New Testament with 11 of those occurrences being in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. That’s a high concentration and out of proportion with the words’ infrequent usage in the rest of the NT. In fact, when the words are used, they tend toContinue reading “Godliness And Baseball Gloves”
Work And The Image Of God
Of all the things that were created, Moses tells us there is nothing like man. Only man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). I understand this phrase to be speaking about not what man is made of, but what he is made for. Notice the language of verse 26, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,Continue reading “Work And The Image Of God”
When God Weeps
Judgment is something most people (believers and unbelievers), would rather not hear or think about. I understand that. It’s kind of like hearing about income taxes or estate planning— even though we might understand the inevitability and importance of such matters, they’re never going to be something we are eager about. And while judgment shouldn’t be something disciples major in, we’re doing no one any favorsContinue reading “When God Weeps”
This Is Where Kings Come From
As you read through the early part of the book of Ruth, you get the impression that Naomi wants nothing to do with anything or anyone connected with her life in Moab. She has lost her husband and two sons during her decade there and her thinking seems to be that going to Moab was a tragicContinue reading “This Is Where Kings Come From”
The Hope Powered Life
He was from a family of 12 other siblings along with a father and four mothers—and all of them living together under the same roof! At 17 he became the victim of human trafficking (sold into such a situation by no less than his brothers). By the grace of God he landed on his feet in aContinue reading “The Hope Powered Life”
There Is One God!
Knowing the idolatrous environment that existed in where they had been (Egypt), and in where they were going (Canaan), it’s hard to read Genesis 1 and not see it (at least at one level), as an emphatic rebuke of polytheism and its “god for everything” approach. Israel is told in no uncertain terms that the God who madeContinue reading “There Is One God!”