Good deeds and right living don’t earn our salvation, but they do confirm it Paul writes to his friends in Thessalonica. He reminds them—and us—that salvation is a gift from God. We can’t earn it and can only receive it through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). But it seems that many people do try to earn their […]
The Bible Offers Little Support for a Minister to Preach a Sermon to Us at Church Many changes occurred in church practices because of the Protestant Reformation some 500 years ago. One of those changes adjusted the emphasis of the Sunday service. The reformers had concern over the focus of Sunday gatherings being on the […]
The Bible Isn’t the Point, It’s the God Revealed in the Bible Hebrews chapter 10 opens with a line worthy of contemplation. It says, that the Law—that is the Old Testament—merely hints at what we have to look forward to, of the good things God has in store for us. The law shouldn’t be our […]
I rarely think back to my time in high school, but recently I remembered a conversation I had with a classmate. Or at least I remember the end of our conversation. I don’t know what we were discussing or what I said, but my friend glared at me. “You forget. I’m not like you… I’m […]
Living for Jesus is simple, but we often make it harder than it needs to be Though some people try to turn their walk with Jesus into a complex set of criteria, in reality living the Christian life is simple. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it is simple. Here are the three essential aspects […]
Am I the only one scratching my head over carbon credits? The whole idea of having environmentally “good” activity negate environmentally “bad” activity seems strange. Why not just focus on reducing or stopping environmentally harmful action? What if there were “water credits?” If someone dumps 100 gallons of polluted water into a river, would it […]
One of the Reasons We Learn about God Is So We Can Teach Others In the letter written to the Hebrew people who follow Jesus, there’s a short phrase that’s easy to skip over. The author, who I suspect is Paul, criticizes the people he’s writing to. He says they should be at a point […]
Jesus fulfills the Old Testament Law and Prophets when he gives new meaning to the old ways Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17). One way he did this, the most significant way, was to satisfy the anticipation found throughout the Old Testament for a coming savior, a Messiah, who […]
It seems that most hotel rooms come with a “save water” card. They request that you conserve water (and avoid other environmentally unfriendly actions) by permitting them to skip changing the bed-sheets. Placing that card on the bed signifies your acceptance of their request. In similar manner, a notice in the bathroom suggests you indicate […]
There is a growing phenomenon of people who can’t seem to survive without their cell phones and/or Internet access. They have a compulsion to stay connected 24/7. When they go on vacation, they won’t leave without their technology. They actually develop anxiety when they’re electronically disconnected from the rest of the world. The thought of […]