Scripture 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 CEB Brothers and sisters, I want you to be sure of the fact that our ancestors were all under the cloud and they all went through the sea. 2 All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 All ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: Jesus’ Love or Cupid’s
1 Corinthians 10:23-33 “All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for “the earth and... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: Love does not Dishonor
1 Corinthians 7:32-38 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord, but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: on Being Puffed Up
1 Corinthians 4:6-9 I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us what “Not beyond what is written” means, so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What... Continue Reading →
Focusing on the World
One thing I have been concerned about recently is the number of people who are talking about being unlike the world. I understand that scripture tells us to be separate from the world and to live lives that are different from those around us. There is a frequent refrain within the New Testament of being... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: Kindness Leads to Repentance
Romans 2:1-11 Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth. Do you imagine, whoever you are, that... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: We are Love
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but... Continue Reading →
Truth in Love
The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still. A. W. Tozer I find Tozer's words to be deeply troubling precisely because of their accuracy; throughout scripture we see those who resist God described as knowing God, God's word, and Scripture. I speak, of course, of stories like the... Continue Reading →
While We were Outside God Loved Us
This week I saw a ridiculous debate on Twitter, is it appropriate to say, "God loves you" to those outside the Church. How is this even a debate? Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This means precisely that even when... Continue Reading →
Naughty or Nice?
I have little kids, which means this time of year I watch Christmas programs with them and being the relatively strange person I am I cannot help thinking about what these shows are teaching my kids. To many analyzing the philosophy behind kids shows is a laughable, but there are times, and Christmas is often... Continue Reading →
