Jul 15, 2013 | Christian Living, Psalms, Theology
Psalm 73 has elements of thanksgiving, lament, and even complaint. At one point, the Psalmist is frustrated and angry, and unable to understand why the Lord allows the world to go the way it goes. He is envious of evildoers—the powerful, the rich, and the mighty—those...
Jul 10, 2013 | Christian Living, Culture
Your choices have a lot to do with the shape of your own heart and mind. Will you choose to live this moment, or will you merely endure it? Will you seek to maximize the opportunity in every second that is yours, or will you let life simply pass you by? At this very...
Jul 8, 2013 | Christian Living, Psalms
I hope our ongoing study of the Psalms has been beneficial for you. The Psalms are, of course, the hymn book of Israel. They represent collections of prayers and thanksgivings that cover many topics. Psalm 32 is remarkable in a number of ways. It’s not,...
Jul 3, 2013 | Christian Living, The Bible
In scripture, the love of God is understood primarily in two ways. Neither of them has much to do with what we commonly think of as emotionally based love. He is a God of relationship and covenants. First, scriptural love is associated with the idea of covenant...
Jun 24, 2013 | Christian Living, Psalms, Theology
The writers of the Bible often compared and contrasted the righteous man and the wicked man. Indeed, we must choose daily which of these images we want to emulate. But what about our children? How does one begin to teach a child to choose right from wrong? How...
Jun 19, 2013 | Christian Living, Psalms, Theology
Sometimes it can be hard for us to be fully honest in worship. When we come to the house of the Lord, we want to be encouraged, and we want to feel lifted up. That’s good, and there are Psalms that help us express that appropriately. But most of the Psalms have...
Jun 17, 2013 | Christian Living, The Bible
There’s really no substitute for being with someone and speaking with them one on one. Other forms of communication are good, but they’re not the same. This blog lets me share just a few of my thoughts with you and lets us study the scriptures together in a limited...
Jun 12, 2013 | Christian Living, Psalms, The Bible
God has a mysterious way of absorbing our rebellion and the curse upon the created order, and making good come out of it all. This doesn’t make our evil actions good, but it does make good come from them. God is at work, and his work is not yet finished. We’re...
Jun 10, 2013 | Christian Living, Romans, Theology
In Romans 5, Paul explains that, while we have an established peace with God, tribulations will come. What’s more, we are to rejoice in these tribulations. How can this be? Read my previous blog about this topic. We have the Holy Spirit. Paul taught that our hope is...
Jun 5, 2013 | Christian Living, Romans, Theology
Christians face trouble and conflict. Christianity can’t solve all your problems in this life. In fact, some conflicts may even be intensified if you are a believer. There are certain circles and places in life where faithfulness and integrity are not appreciated. You...
