Category: Love

Posted on

Central Message of Christ, Crucified and Resurrected

When God called me to preach, he called me to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not call me to be a motivational speaker, telling folks to be a “Better You.” Yet, in the process of discipleship, we often guide our disciples in necessary life skills. But our overwhelming call is to tell the story of God’s love in the gift of HIs Son. This love is demonstrated in the sending and dying of His Son Jesus on the cross for our redemption. The resurrection of Jesus is a confirmation of His deity.

The main theme of our preaching needs to be Christ, crucified and resurrected.

Continue reading “Central Message of Christ, Crucified and Resurrected”
Posted on

How Much Does It Cost?

NOTE: This blog post was originally written and shared by me in 2018. I thought I would give it a quick edit and run it through the rinse cycle one more time!

How Much Does It Cost?

“How much does it cost?”, it is a question we ask when we shop.  But life is a series of questions of, “How much does it cost?”  It all comes down to value.  Everything has a value fixed at a different level by different people.  What do we really value?

Continue reading “How Much Does It Cost?”
Posted on

How to Live; How to Die

There are thousands of self-help books promising how to be successful or how to be effective. The Bible, by far, is the most powerful book and instructive book ever written. It tells us how to live. It also shows us how to die.

I have made the Word of God a part of my daily life for many decades. It is one of the most important things I have ever done. The Word of God was delivered into our hands by His servants who penned them thousands of years ago. It is an ancient book that speaks strongly to us today. There are none like it nor shall there ever be.

Learn with me from a few verses from the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy.

Continue reading “How to Live; How to Die”
Posted on

How Grace and Mercy Lead to Peace with God

In the church world we throw around words and catch phases until they become threadbare of their meaning. Paul used the three terms of grace, mercy, and peace in his salutations to his spiritual sons. Here is one, “To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Tim. 1:2 NKJV).

Peace always follows grace and mercy. It is impossible to have true peace with God without the blessings of grace and mercy. Since we were born with a sin nature, it is impossible to have peace with God without them. We can’t outside of these two make ourselves compatible with God’s peace.

We can measure twice and cut once. We can fill the cracks with putty and sand until smooth. We can put three coats of paint on a stairway to Heaven. Still, it will not reach!

Continue reading “How Grace and Mercy Lead to Peace with God”
Posted on

True Disciple: A Follower of Jesus

A disciple of Jesus is a follower of Jesus. Someone who merely acknowledges Jesus as a great religious leader is not a disciple. Many people have only a mental nod to who Jesus is.

The first step of becoming a true disciple is when an individual receives a spiritual revelation of the reality of who Jesus is and their own need for a Savior. The seed for this revelation is the Word of God when one hears the Gospel. This revelation creates a strong desire to follow the One, who has the words of eternal life.

Continue reading “True Disciple: A Follower of Jesus”
Posted on

Be the Fragrance of Christ

Let us be the fragrance of Jesus, by being Jesus to others on our journey of life. “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14 NKJV). 

As this scripture states, the fragrance of Jesus is diffused through us in every place. We journey through life in the power of the Holy Spirit. The lives of others are touched by Jesus through us. We need to understand that we can be Jesus to someone, somewhere, somehow. 

Continue reading “Be the Fragrance of Christ”
Posted on

Be Merciful: Drop the Rock

We live in a world that celebrates bravado and even ruthless behavior. Even the word meekness is thought to be weakness by many. Biblical meekness is actually restrained power; having the power over someone but exercising mercy instead.

To be sure, Jesus spoke truth and at times He was very straightforward especially to the religious elites. But we see the tenderhearted Jesus dealing with the woman about to be stoned for adultery. He challenged the religious leaders, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7 NKJV). He forgave the woman’s sin without excusing the sin by telling her to go and sin no more.

Continue reading “Be Merciful: Drop the Rock”
Posted on

Finding Joy in Surrender: Embracing God’s Plan for Fulfillment

We exist for God’s purpose not our own. Sure, we existed in the mind of God before He said, “Let there be light.” What a crazy thought but true. Yet, God does not exist so we can live happy, contented, and fulfilled lives. We exist for His pleasure and the fulfillment of His plan in and through us.

Continue reading “Finding Joy in Surrender: Embracing God’s Plan for Fulfillment”
Posted on

History-Long Hatred of Children: A Ploy of Satan

Children are the most vulnerable humans on the planet. They are very dependent upon adults for provision, shelter, protection, and education. Through the course of world history, children have been neglected and worse of all targeted for exploitation or even destruction. Why?

In our present age, we see children used as slave labor, sex slaves, so-called collateral damage in endless wars, starved by abject poverty, and easy fields for organ harvesting in less humane societies.

Then in our more so-called civilized cultures, we see children harmed in sex abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, objects of child pornography, sexual mutilation, destructive drug therapy, warped by dysfunctional families, and killed by abortion.

Continue reading “History-Long Hatred of Children: A Ploy of Satan”