Month: May 2023
-
Foolish Disputes
We know that there are many things that people like to argue about. Sports teams, politics, weather. It seems to be a part of wo we are. Most times, those arguments are civil and can be stimulating to the mind. However, there are other arguments that people engage in that as Paul told Titus, are…
-
Personal Responsibility
One of the most important themes of the book of Ezekiel is that of personal responsibility. The Babylonian exile that Israel is in is due to their actions and rebellion toward God. God had forewarned Israel of this, “’But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise…
-
General Instructions For Umpires
The Christian life is sometimes referred to as a sporting event (2 Corinthians 9:24-27). The rulebook for Major League Baseball has some general instructions for umpires that I couldn’t help but draw some spiritual applications from. The following are a few with some verses that we can all learn from to help us in our…
-
Bless Your Heart
Growing up, the phrase “bless your heart” was commonly used by my grandmother. It means that you love someone and more generally, that you feel sympathy for someone. It was used when I broke bones or failed a test, both of which I seemed to do regularly. But she was always there with that statement,…
-
The Long Term
Over the last couple weeks, Kristina and I have been putting in plants around our house. When we bought the house, the previous owners had cut out all the landscaping. Last summer some of the plants started growing back and we gave them time to see what we had, but we knew there would have…
-
One
Vacations are great. I’m so thankful that our kids gave us the opportunity to enjoy our first ever cruise. Justin and I had so much fun learning and planning for this ONE trip. It came up in our conversations daily for 10 months. We talked about many other things as well, wedding, graduation, jobs, family…
-
Hear Me When I Call
There is a popular hymn we sing called Hear Me When I Call and it was written by a man, who sat in the corner of a funeral home, during the visitation for his wife who had just passed away. In what is a dark moment for anyone, he remembered the words of our reading and penned…
-
Who Caused Israel To Sin?
The inspired record tells us in 1 Kings 14 that king Jeroboam, king of Israel, had a son that became sick. The king sends his wife, in disguise, to inquire of God’s prophet Ahijah to see what would become of this child. God tells Ahijah that Jeroboam’s wife was approaching in disguise and to give…
-
Redemption
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth.” Job 19:25 The idea of “redemption” in the Old Testament is often used in the general sense of deliverance. God is viewed as the redeemer of His people, and He would vindicate them. Throughout the discussion Job is having,…
-
Life is in the Blood
Recently in Wednesday night Bible study, the discussion went to Leviticus 17:11 where it says “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”. This verse was used to describe the scientific fact that we now know to be true. Most all living things need blood in order to live, with a few exceptions…
Grace & Salt 