“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 Recently, as I painted several rooms in my house, including the kitchen cabinets, this verse carried new meaning. I kept comparing the sins I was covering with my paint to my sins that Jesus covers with His blood. What fascinates me is that the scars of the sins are still there, especially with the cabinets. Some are prominent enough…..
It is amazing how pain can create in us a desire to know God more deeply. It can also do the opposite, unfortunately. For me, sorrow recently added depth to my study of the Word of God. I usually tried to answer four questions when studying a Bible passage. They were: What is it teaching about God? What is it teaching about me? What is it teaching about relationships? What do I want to study more deeply? Well, during a…..
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea…” Matthew 2:1 Last night, during a church concert, the instrumentalists performed the song; “What Child Is This.” This song just may be my favorite Christmas season song. I closed my eyes and listened to the beautiful music. As I listened, I saw the baby Jesus in my arms and wondered. I wondered what it would have been like to be his mother. We think of Christ as the man who…..
“as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12, NASB). These verses begin with “there is none righteous” and end with “there is none who does good.” Sandwiched in between those two statements, we are told that none of us understand, none of…..
“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NASB). My dog was acting funny one evening. He was actually shaking which worried me. I thought if he is not better tomorrow, we are off to the vet. The next morning, I noticed that he would not go outside. My…..
“If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust” (Job 34:14, 15, NASB). Have you ever had a verse take your breath away (every pun intended)? This verse took my breath away when I read it recently. Yes, I understand that God has numbered our days. Yes, I know that God gives us life. However, I never considered that my…..
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24, NASB). This verse is in a passage of scripture that deals with the devotion of our hearts. Prior to the verse, Jesus is warning against us seeking the wrong treasure. He wants us to seek Heavenly treasure rather than an earthly one, which…..
“And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Mark 2:17) When Christ spoke these words, He was responding to the Pharisees judgement of Him for eating with sinners. There is no surprise in the Pharisees judging Him. What is surprising is that they were unhappy with Him for eating with sinners. Are we not all…..
Sharing Our Faith is a brief presentation of the gospel message using God’s words as presented in the book, Jesus Christ, Why. It is designed to help others share with someone the gospel message. You may give the book to the person to read as well. There are many formats for sharing one’s faith. God has placed this format on my heart. Sharing Christ becomes a part of our relationship with Him. When you meet someone in love, he/she wants to talk about the…..
I am working on my latest book, which is about intimacy. As I watch the news, I ponder the loss of intimacy in our relationships with one another. I am saddened with how the actions of a few cause such turbulence for the many. What is encouraging is that when I am on Facebook I see people coming together. I see the intimacy of relationships. Of course, the media does not show us that. The media shows what sells. Unfortunately,…..