A friend once asked me why as a Christian, I was against gambling. I told him that the Bible did not directly address gambling as, “Thou shalt not gamble.” My answer was one he did not expect. I referred to the words of Jesus as found in Matthew 22:39 (NKJV), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In gambling, my neighbor must lose for me to gain; am I being Christlike if I want my neighbor to lose money for me to gain money?
Continue reading “Is Equality a Myth?”What Color Is Jesus? Who Cares!!
I was watching a news show this past week, when the host and a guest briefly debated about the color of Jesus. WHO CARES! So what, does it really matter if Jesus is black, white, brown, red, or yellow?!
Continue reading “What Color Is Jesus? Who Cares!!”Spiritual Rebirth
Concerning our perceived effectiveness, the church has done a fair job of saving people from Hell, but a poor job of saving people from their brokenness. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, not just converts. I am afraid in our enthusiasm to make only converts we have left a heap of lost souls in the wake of false confessions and hurry-up-sinner-prayers.
Isaac and Jesus
There are some striking similarities in the spiritual implications of Isaac and Jesus. I am sure their personalities were very different. Jesus, the Son of God taking his brief journey on earth was confident of His mission given by His Heavenly Father. Isaac on the other hand does not come across as the spiritual man of faith like his father Abraham, yet he was a link in the eternal blessing culminating in the Messiah, Jesus.
So let’s look at the comparison between Isaac and Jesus:
It Must Be God!!
Many people have a wrong perspective of leaders. In the extreme, some tend to either place them on a pedestal or despise them. Hopefully, most of us view them with some normalcy, as people with a tough job who are trying to do their best despite their own weaknesses. But how do ordinary people do extraordinary things?
Anyone is Redeemable
I was somewhat amused by the various reactions to Kanye West’s conversion. There were skeptics from the religious world and the secular world. The woke are in the dark when someone else has seen the light. They are as confused concerning someone’s turn-around as they are to the meaning and purpose of life.
The Piercing Light of Christ
In the beginning God brought forth light upon the dark and chaotic waters of creation. The Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters when God the Father said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3 NKJV). The Word sent out by the Breath of God executed the will of the Father and rolled the darkness back by His Light that was called forth from nothing but birthed from His own eternal substance.
Getting to Know God
Moses had his first encounter with God at the burning bush in the desert while keeping his father-in-law’s sheep. He saw a fire in a bush, but the bush was not consumed so he went in for a closer look. The Angel of the Lord (Pre-incarnate Christ) called out to Moses and told him to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground.
The Lord commanded Moses to return to Egypt and lead His people out. Moses questioned God about His name and this was the reply, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14 NKJV).
Don’t Bargain with God
More than likely, we all have lied or committed “false witness” in the recent past. What am I talking about? You know all those “terms of agreement” boxes you have checked and signed-off-on; those thousand-word, small print, legal “gobbly goop” things that no one ever reads yet you confirmed as read and understood by initialing. I have done it too! I am not making a case for reading all of that but to get you think about letting your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’
Hate is Bloodless Murder
How you ever said with clenched teeth, “Awh, I could just kill him!” Yep, just about ninety-nine percent of us has said something like that. Thankfully, we probably didn’t mean it. There are millions of good, godly people who get angry in the immediate, but get over it in the long run.
Continue reading “Hate is Bloodless Murder”
