Avoid False Gods In the second of God’s ten commandments, he says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3and Deuteronomy 5:7). From this we understand that God expects us to put him first above all else. We see that there is only one true God. Yet this command also acknowledges that other gods […]
God Created Us to Work, So Don’t Stop I’ve worked from home since 2000. That’s a long time, and I doubt I could ever return to a more typical workplace environment. Through most of this time, neighbors would ask if I had retired. (How old did they think I was, anyway?) I’d smile and tell […]
The Bible Overflows With Praise to the Almighty The word praise occurs in more than 360 verses in the Bible. Most of these refer to praising God. They tell of people who praise God and their need to do so. Consider the short, six-verse Psalm 150. It’s filled with praise. The word occurs thirteen times. […]
Don’t Seek a Return on Your Sunday Morning Service The prevailing attitude in developing countries is one of self-centered pursuits. Most people persist in fulfilling the self-serving perspective of WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). This often applies to going to a Sunday morning service, hence WIIFM church attendance. Most people go to church with […]
Consider What, When, and Where When many people think of worshiping God, they first think of the music part of a church service. Whether they participate or observe, they see song as a form of worship. It is. At least it should be. But is that all there is when it comes to worshiping God? […]
The King’s Daughter Loves David King Saul’s younger daughter is Michal. She loves David. David plays a critical role in the success of King Saul and the nation of Israel. The king should be grateful, yet Saul’s attitude toward David vacillates, with Saul often wanting to kill David out of jealousy. When Saul learns that […]
Examine Your Focus at Church This post isn’t about why you go to church or why you don’t attend church. It’s not looking at the purpose of church or the importance of church attendance. Instead it’s to ask the important question, what is your reason for church attendance? Yourself Most of us live in a […]
The prophet Amos had some condemning words for the people of Israel. Through Amos, God unleashed a lament against his chosen people. He says he despises their religious festivals, and their assemblies are a stench to him. Yeah, I get that. Those people sure rebelled against God. They deserved his stern rebuke. They went through […]
Worship and Revere The Bible says we are to fear God. But what does that really mean? I don’t think it implies God is malevolent or waiting for us to mess up so he can zap us, which would be legitimate reasons to fear him. Instead, God is benevolent and wants good things for us; […]
Look Up to the Mountains Psalm 121 is listed as “A song of ascents.” We may think of this as a subheading later added by translators, but it is not. It’s part of the original text. From nonbiblical sources, we learn that these songs were sung by the people as they climbed the hill to […]