Eternally Minded

We have heard of the pride of Moab —  he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,  and the haughtiness of his heart.  I know his insolence, declares the Lord ;  his boasts are false,  his deeds are false. Jeremiah 48:29 & 30 In the rest of the chapter, we see the L ORD  dishing out destruction for Moab. He is angry with them - they sinned and would be thoroughly punished for it.  On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the L ORD . How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.  (Jeremiah 48:39 & 39) But what was their sin?  PRIDE.  Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the L ORD .   (Jeremiah 48:42) ...

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.   Acts 5:41 & 42 North American, first-world Christians, have a hard time wrapping their minds around persecution. We don't pray for foreign believers as we should. We oftentimes forget that in other parts of the world (and maybe subtly in our very own country) children of Christ are being persecuted for their faith.  Martyrdom always fascinated me. I used to lay awake in bed and wonder what it would be like to die for Christ... To be worthy  to die for Him.  Millions of believers have been - and are being - killed for their faith in God. Sad, yes, but oh! Think of the joy that awaits them! Leave this sinful world 'early' and be face to face with Christ the Saviour forever?? Sounds like a sweet deal to me....

Proverbs 10:29: The way of the L ORD is a strong hold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. It struck me when I was reading this verse in my devotions, that, indeed, this verse is so true. As Christians, the Christ who saved us is the same Christ who will punish the wicked and doom them to an eternity in Hell. But why? The truth is, God is holy [perfect/separate: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! Isaiah 6:3 ].  Omnipotent [all powerful: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... Romans 1:16 ]. Omniscient [all knowing: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God ! Romans 11:33 ] Just [judge: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? Genesis 18:25 ] He truly is all those things; He hates sin. He can't be near sin, He is separate from it. Because we are sinners, He can't be near us. And sin must be punished. Something has becom...

The Holy Bible isn't just a rule book. Many read the Bible to know how God wants us to live our lives. Which is true; it contains God's detailed will for every aspect of our life, but if were just a rule book we would be hopeless: because we cannot keep God's law. The Holy Bible isn't just a story. It is a story of God's redemption for sinful people, but we don't read it just for information or to study history and good literature. The Holy Bible does not save you by reading it. We must hear the gospel in order to believe it, but reading it does not satisfy the wrath of God or undo the punishment for our sin. The Holy Bible isn't just to learn about God. We don't read it to know about, we read it to know God and draw near to him in gratefulness,worship,fear and love. The Holy Bible isn't read to gain more favor with God. As Christians we cannot be any better in the sight of God, because His Son's righteousness is laid on our account. So we s...

Moses said to the L ORD , "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither in the past or since you have spoken to Your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Then the L ORD said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Who made him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the L ORD ? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else..." (Exodus 4:10-13) Moses, a courageous hero of the faith, doubted the L ORD . He doubted His supreme control - that He actually knew what He was doing. When the L ORD planned to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, He chose Moses. For His own glory, He chose to use a man who had a speech hindrance to speak to Pharaoh and be the means of God's deliverance to His people. The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph... And the virgin...

We have a tendency to try to fit God into a box. The problem is that an infinite God cannot fit into the finite boxes we create. One way we try to limit God is by limiting His sovereignty in our lives. What I mean by that is that we try to make God do what we want Him to or expect him to act in the way we think He should act. We expect God to bless those who do good and curse those who do wrong; which isn’t against God’s nature except that we look for these blessings and curses in our physical day to day. The result of this type of thinking is disastrous, because God rarely gives us what we think we deserve. When we see a good person lose a loved one, struggle financially, or suffer an illness, we think God is either cruel; that the person had some secret sin, or they didn’t have enough faith. When we see a wicked person thrive in his evil doings, we think that God isn’t fair, God delights in evil, or God doesn’t see or chooses to ignore their sin (Psalm 73). We can easily think t...

Without a doubt, everyone has needed forgiveness at one (or more) points in their lives. Whether you grabbed a toy from a friend as a child, gossiped behind someone’s back as a teenager, or was dishonest to an employer as an adult, you’ve had to humble yourself and ask for forgiveness. Then there’s the other end of the balance, where maybe you were the one wronged and you had to find it in your heart to forgive someone. Sadly, that stinging hurt is all too common. Today, when the respect for people’s feelings and emotions is more sensitive than ever, it's still in our nature to stick up for ourselves, even at the expense of someone else’s pain. We’ve all been here, right? Definitely. This happened to me. Only, I didn’t know about it until a little while ago. All I can say is, the Lord is gracious to open my eyes to it when He did. If it had been any other time in my life, I would’ve been full of hate, bitterness, and anger. But now, when I am closer to my Saviour...

      The religion of the "non-religious" and how Christians can share the gospel with them. I was talking to a classmate one day about what she thought happened after a person dies. She said that nothing happens, that she wasn't religious. "You go into the ground and that's it." Our culture is slipping more and more into this belief. I see it everyday. People live for themselves; for the here and now. The physical day to day is all that matters. Religion is viewed like a hobby, a subject to study, or an activity on a to do list. How do we witness to people who believe this? Below are some common statements and questions that come up and how as Christians we can understand and respond to them in the light of Scriptures. Do What Ever You Feel is Right for You. Do what ever you want regardless of the truth and as long as you believe in it, it's right. The heart of the issue is that they are claiming that truth doesn't matter. Bu...

Three days after Jesus died, God’s plan was fulfilled. His Son rose from the dead. Supernaturally and inexplicably, He once was dead, but became alive again. Death was defeated, its power completely abolished. Death was Satan’s biggest power, the tool that could once stop anything, except the Son of God. “Oh, Death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 Just as one man's sin brought death, one Man's righteousness brought life. Because Christ arose from the grave, we now have the hope of eternal life! "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22 The consequence of sin is death. So because death was defeated, sin can be overcome. "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:56 "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life...

His name is Jesus Christ. About 2000 years ago, God the Son (the second person of the trinity) clothed Himself in human flesh-- 100% God and 100% Man. He humbled Himself to our human state and was born of a virgin in a borrowed stable. Jesus grew and lived the perfect life we couldn’t. He suffered the temptations we have, but never gave in. His thoughts, motives, emotions, and actions were all kept perfectly holy. He mission on earth was to heal the sick, seek the lost, and rescue the perishing. His mission was to serve, not to be served - to set up a heavenly kingdom, not an earthly kingdom. His whole life led to one event, the event that would provide a way to be made right with God. Jesus Christ willingly was crucified on a cross for accusations that were false. He was beaten and stripped. He wore a crown of thorns and was hung on a wooden cross by nails in His hands and feet. But greater than this was the wrath of God poured out on Him for our sins. The judgement we ...