THE BLOG
Topic
- Anxiety 2
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- Bible 7
- Blessings 1
- Body of Christ 1
- Burden 1
- CEO 1
- Christian Living 191
- Christlikeness 6
- Christmas 14
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- DDM 1
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- Discipleship 5
- Emotions 6
- Eternity 2
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- Faith 2
- Forgive 4
- Freedom 1
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- God 2
- Gospel 3
- Gratitude 2
- Hebrews 11 1
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- Holy Spirit 1
- Homosexuality 1
- Humility 1
- Israel 2
- Jesus 9
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- King of Glory 1
- Lying 1
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- Pastor Jeff 1
- Perspective 2
- Prayer 8
- Psalm 119 3
- Reading 1
- Salvation 13
- Sanctification 1
- Satan 1
- Scripture 3
Work On Your Hate Life
I’m sure the title of this note sounds a bit odd, if not outrageous. But I would submit to you that God commands us to hate and we don’t often think about it. He said, “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
To state the obvious about how most human minds and emotions work, it is easy to hate the evil that others do, but it is much harder to hate the evil we do. In fact, we often play it down and call our evil a weak moment or just a mistake, or worst of all, “I’m only human.”
Pray for Your Country
n light of the growing animosity and frustration we see boiling over in our streets these days, I was reminded of how important it is for us to pray. As you know, God has instructed us in 1 Timothy 2:1–2 to do the following: “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Do Your Best
Mediocrity seems to be the norm these days. Let’s do enough just to get by at home, at work, in relationships, and even in our walk with God. But while mediocrity may suffice for those living only for the moment, it is totally incompatible with a life devoted to the eternal.
Why Read Your Bible This Year?
There are many reasons to make a commitment to read your Bible regularly and there’s no better time to start than at the beginning of a new year.
God is all-knowing, all-wise, all-truth, and all-good, so what He says is authoritative, accurate, supernatural, sufficient, and indispensable for our lives. Here are just a few of the many benefits of reading God’s Word:
A Christmas Quiz
How well do you know the Christmas story? The Answers are bolded.
Jesus was born December 25, 1 A.D. False (most likely born 5-4 B.C. in the spring or fall when shepherds were in the fields; December 25th emerged later in church tradition)
Joseph was from…
The Message of the Christmas Tree
Between 25–30 million real (cut) Christmas trees will be sold and displayed this year in the U.S., and another 83% of households will use an artificial tree. Christmas trees have become one of the dominant cultural symbols of the Christmas season.
The Greatest Gift Inspires our Generosity
Christmas is a time when even non-religious people tend to become more generous. Whether it’s for end-of-year tax write-offs, the warm feeling of helping someone, or simple human kindness, charity is on people’s minds.
What is Your GQ?
Your GQ is not referring to your greatest question or good qualities or even your general quirks (which your spouse or friends will know well). It is referring to your gratitude quotient.
You see, a quotient is a measure, a proportion, an amount of something. And one of the quotients that God wants a whole lot of is gratitude. Notice:
The Word Became Flesh and Attended a Wedding
On Sunday we looked at Jesus’ first sign to manifest His glory in John 2. One element that I wished I was able to spend more time on was Jesus’ humanity.
John starts his Gospel with some of the highest Christology in the Bible: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, ESV). But then, shockingly in v14 he says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”