Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
My God!, how happy we should be if we could love Thee as we ought; Thou, Who hast prepared for us such good things, such rich blessings. Hold fast to this amid all the various trials with which you are surrounded in this present world. How can we better manifest our faithfulness than by being faithful amid distractions.
James 2:14-26 Faith without works is dead This part of James' letter is familiar to most churchgoers. Faith without works is nothing. Times were hard for James' audience as both State and Religion tried desperately to squelch the new Church. Times are hard now for most people as COVIC-19 wreaks havoc on the health of… Continue reading Faith in action, part 1
James 2:1-13 No matter what is going on in the world or in our culture, our testimony for Jesus is borne out by the way we honor our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to ONE body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, serving ONE God (Ephesians 4). Showing any kind of partiality… Continue reading Mercy and love in action
James 1:19-27 There's a poem by Kipling that begins with "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs..." that could well apply to the current state of the world. Social media reflects the fear, anger, and impatience of the people who post and those who argue with them. James offers… Continue reading Acting in the middle
Matthew 14:14-33 At the church I attend here in Las Vegas we are working through a study of what it means to be a Jesus follower. This morning's reading included then section of Matthew where Jesus walked on water. I went back a few verses for context and I think someone who reads this may… Continue reading Take heart.
Jonah 4 So, one might think Jonah would get excited when the whole city of Nineveh repented of their violence and false religions. But no. Jonah was ticked off. Why? Because he decided the God was too gracious, too merciful, too patient, and too loving. He certainly didn't think so when he was surrounded by… Continue reading Jonah’s drama, God’s mercy
2 Thessalonians 2:13- 3:17 Times were hard for the Thessalonian believers. To their credit, they loved each other and continued to do good, in spite of their confusion about the Day of the Lord. Paul commended them for their commitment to the Truth, reminding them that the Holy Spirit was working in and through them… Continue reading The Lord is faithful
The Day of the Lord, Gospels and Epistles. The Day of the Lord is a sure thing. The prophets of both Old and New Testaments describe the utter destruction of evil and everything attached to it. The letters to the Church describe the precursors. Jesus Himself said that Sodom and Gomorrah got off easy by… Continue reading No one knows the time.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 The caption in my Bible for these 16 verses is "Final instructions and benediction." I don't think it is a good caption, considering the depth of what Paul wrote. Fortunately, the captions are not part of the Word, but were added by editors, supposedly to make reading easier. Sometimes they can be… Continue reading Love, Joy, Reason
1 Thessalonians 3. The culture of Thessalonica did not make it easy for new believers to grow in faith. It was hostile to Paul and anyone associated with him because what he taught challenged the way of tolerance for worshiping whatever god people wanted to worship. Paul got run out of town before he could… Continue reading How to make your pastor happy.
Defaulting to Grace 