I hear variations of a certain statement on a regular basis, sometimes even from Christian leaders, and it always makes me cringe. The statement: “A loving God won’t send anyone to hell.” I cringe because it’s true, but it’s also misleading. God doesn’t “send” anyone to hell. He has made…
Every child who attends Sunday school memorizes John 3:16 (I memorized the King James version, and to this day none of the other versions sound “right” to me *grin*, but I do like the readability of the New Living Translation). Oh, the height and the breadth and the depth of…
Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus here, who recognized that Jesus was more than just a man—He was someone special who had been sent by God. He doesn’t quite realize yet that Jesus is both God and man, that He is the long-awaited Messiah, but Jesus is going to help him…
HYMN DAY! Sing with gusto and appreciation! We think of hymns as “old,” but “Victory in Jesus” by Eugene Bartlett was written in 1939, which isn’t all that long ago. Wonderful words! Enjoy. I heard an old, old story, How a Savior came from glory, How He gave His life…
Have you ever had a small child run up to you, tug your shirttail, and say, “Watch me!” Little ones (and sometimes “not so little” ones) like to be noticed for what they do. Jesus was different. Oh, the wonders He performed! But none of it was meant to call…
These words were spoken by John the Baptist, referring to Jesus. John wanted those around him to realize who Jesus was and why He’d come. The people would have understood a reference to a lamb; they sought forgiveness by shedding the blood of an unblemished lamb. Jesus, the Lamb of…
Have you ever stopped to consider that there is more than one way to see? We see things with our physical eyes, but we also “see” intellectually and morally. Because people haven’t seen God Himself with their physical eyes, they have a hard time “seeing” Him with their knowledge or…
The first book of the Bible starts, “In the beginning…”, and it shares God’s creation of the world and mankind. One of the first books of the New Testament begins in similar fashion, giving reference to One who was there before time began. In other words, One who was not…
Look what happens when we ask for His wisdom and discernment and then exercise it: We become filled with the fruit of righteousness! We grow more Christ-like every day! And our lives become an orchestra of praise that brings glory to the One who designed us to do good works…
Verses 9-11 are all one long sentence, but I’ve divided it up. This follows our instruction to rely on God’s wisdom and discernment for our love to abound. When we rely on His wisdom rather than the world’s (which is foolishness in His eyes!), we can determine the excellent things…
