Exploring Eros, Storge, Phileo, and Agape Love is a complicated word, meaning array of things from a slight preference to a complete devotion. As such, we overuse and misuse the word love. To show how confusing love is, dictionaries give up to eighteen various definitions. I t’s no wonder we’re confused when we read about […]
Prosperity Is Not a Bad Word, and We Must Start Embracing It as Good A popular pastime today is to decry prosperity as an evil that plagues the world. These folks think that all people who prosper are greedy and selfish—though some are. They advocate taking from those who have and give to those who […]
Disagreeing with Scripture Doesn’t Mean We Can Disregard It The Bible talks about how husbands and wives should treat each other. What bothers some people is that wives receive one instruction, while husbands receive a different one. This doesn’t seem fair. It’s not balanced. Yet it is wise—and biblical. Submit to One Another What seems […]
God Calls Us to Move Beyond Tolerance and to Love Others Our culture today talks a lot about being tolerant. Our politically correct society upholds tolerance as a virtue. It’s a position held by so-called enlightened people that we are to tolerate others regardless of their belief, behaviors, or ethnicity. It all seems so right, […]
Selfless versus Selfish When asked, “What is the opposite of love,” most people immediately say “hate.” Indeed the two words are antonyms for the other. The dictionary confirms this, and the Bible supports it. Yet there’s another answer worthy of consideration: selfishness. Selfishness is also the opposite of love. From a worldly perspective, the opposite […]
Many People Like an Easy Jesus, But Not Everyone Accepts What He Says Jesus normally teaches the masses in parables. Though most don’t really understand what he means, they like his stories because they’re so countercultural. In addition, he sometimes gives them food and heals them. He’s a cool speaker who does nice things for […]
False Teachers Slander and Will Be Destroyed Over the years I’ve heard many ministers talk about things they didn’t understand. Not biblical or spiritual things, but worldly things. Out of ignorance they condemn certain people for their actions, slandering them in the process. This is why the world doesn’t understand Jesus and his church. This […]
Though the Bible Tells Us to Judge, Who We’re Supposed to Judge May Shock You When Paul writes to his friends in Corinth, he has much to say because they struggle with many things, including judging others. He spends a whole chapter in his first letter addressing sin within their assembly: sexual sin, specifically incest. […]
Give Thanks to the Lord Today’s passage: Psalm 136 Focus verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:29) As we covered in yesterday’s reading, we should offer God our thanksgiving for our salvation, spiritual blessings, and physical provisions. Not only that, but we can also praise him […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 21 Today’s passage: Luke 10:1–37 Focus verse:“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27) We call one of Jesus’s more beloved teachings the parable of the good […]