Why It’s Important to Obey God When the people of Israel were in the desert, God provided manna for their daily sustenance. He gave them some basic instructions about collecting the manna, but some people didn’t listen—or at least they didn’t do...
What is The Acts 15 Experience? While at a meeting recently, someone mentioned “the Acts 15 experience.” Everyone else seemed to comprehend the reference, so I chose to not interrupt by asking for an explanation. Since then I’ve read Acts 15 and...
What Can Ten Righteous People Do? The Bible includes the account of Abraham discussing the future of Sodom with God. Abraham is torn, he knows the city is corrupt and warrants punishment, but he also carries concern for his nephew Lot who lives...
Who Do We Compare Ourselves To? Yesterday I posted in my Byline blog, “The Risk of Comparing Ourselves to Others.” Although my words focused on writers, the unwise practice of comparison is universal, applying to all people in all professions or...
How Many Times Should We Forgive Someone? Jesus shared a story (parable) about forgiving others. Jesus’ illustration was prompted by Peter, who asked if forgiving someone seven times was enough; Peter thought seven times was generous. Jesus upped...
The Value of Spiritual Training I had friends in high school who dreamed of excelling in sports, of being the star and even receiving a college scholarship. The problem with their aspirations was that they seldom practiced; a few never even...
Book Review: From Eternity to Here From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God By Frank Viola (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) The dedication page in Frank Viola’s book, From Eternity to Here provides a gripping preview of what to...
How Far Do We Go To Protect Tradition? Whether or not we realize it, all aspects of our lives include traditions: unexamined habits and mindless rituals. But perhaps traditions most often exist in our approach to God and our worship of him. While...
Welcome to a New Year! The new year is a time when many people make New Year’s resolutions. Common ones include losing weight, saving money, going back to school, finding a better job, improving a relationship—or getting out of one, being kinder...
What To Do When We Don’t Feel Like Praising God I like to praise God for who he is and thank him for what he does—most of the time. Sometimes, though, I just don’t feel like it. Intellectually, nothing’s changed; spiritually, he’s the same, but...
