“… that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.” (II Corinthians 4:15)
This verse reveals something very important when it tells us what happens when God’s grace is spread to more people. It says that more thanks is given, “to the glory of God.” This phrase “to the glory of God” teaches us that it is praise to God that is our ultimate aim or goal. Continue reading
Many times over the years, people have come to my office, feeling very troubled over a sin or a habit in their life. And sometimes they will say something like: “I feel so bad about that sin; I am not even sure that I am a Christian.” But the truth is, oftentimes the OPPOSITE is true: if you are a real Christian, you will most likely feel worse about your sin than an unbeliever would.
— Jonathan Edwards, the great American pastor and theologian from the 1700’s, said that as a Christian, “I have had a vastly greater sense of my own wickedness and the badness of my heart than ever I had before my conversion.”
— Donald Whitney, in his book we studied in Discipleship here last fall, 10 Questions To Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, wrote “the fact that there is a struggle with sin, and a sense of grief because of sin, is good. Unbelievers have no such struggles or griefs.”
I’ve seen Christian guys who mourned and grieved over the fact that they had used pornography — but I’ve also seen that lost guys often just laugh and boast about it! So, far from feeling bad about your sin meaning that you are NOT a Christian; it may be the very sign that you really ARE a Christian — or that you are about to become one! Continue reading
God opens the majestic concluding chapter of the Book of Isaiah by proclaiming: “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me?” In other words, we human beings cannot build a “place” to hold God, in which we might locate and fellowship with him. He cannot be contained by our buildings — whether it be the Temple on the mount in Jerusalem, or any of our contemporary worship centers. Where then can we meet God? He tells us in the next verse: Continue reading
“Then He will speak to them in His anger, and terrify them in His fury.” (Psalm 2:5)
Many people today have a woefully inadequate view of God. Some consider Him to be soft and lenient, like a doting grandfather who won’t discipline his errant grand baby. Others see Him as a God with whom they have a relationship, and do not need to fear. And truly, there ARE some who have a personal relationship with God: those who have repented of their sins and put their trust in Jesus as their Savior. They do indeed have no reason to fear God’s wrath.
This does NOT mean, however, that just anyone can rightfully adopt this attitude towards the Lord. Continue reading
In verses 8-9 of II Corinthians 4, Paul lists a series of contrasts. He said that he and his ministry partners were: “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Some of these contrasts are more obvious in their meaning than others. For example, when verse 8 says they were “perplexed but not despairing”, just what does it mean that Paul and his companions were “perplexed”? This refers to something that each of us faces at least occasionally, and Paul’s response can help us when we come to such times: Continue reading
Well we are just about dug out of “Snow-mageddon 2016” here in our “Little Cottage In The Foothills.” I haven’t heard the official total on how many inches of snow we received, but the rain gauge at the “Little Cottage” flowed over the 8″ maximum with snow, so it was something more than that! I thought this might be a good time for an update on some stories from our neck of the woods: Continue reading
In II Corinthians 4:7, the Apostle Paul speaks of “the surpassing greatness of the power” that is in the life of a Christian, even though in and of themselves they are merely an “earthen vessel.” In other words, God manifests His power through our weaknesses so that only He will receive the glory. (For more on this, see yesterday’s devotion here.) But, one might counter, we do not see this in every Christian life. Perhaps you would even admit that people do not see it in YOU! Why is this?
We need to understand that this manifestation of God’s power in our lives does not just “happen.” It is the result of a couple of commitments in our lives: Continue reading
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (II Corinthians 4:7)
Why is it that God often allows those of us in His service to experience weaknesses and difficulties? This verse sheds light on at least one answer to that question: Continue reading
I have never watched “Mythbusters”, the iconoclastic Discovery Channel show which tests the veracity of popular urban legends — but I felt like I was in the midst of a Christian history version of the show as I read Rodney Stark’s The Triumph of Christianity. The book expands the scope of his earlier volume on the rise of the Christian church, to include the Crusades, the supposed “Dark Ages” and Christian history up the the modern era. Relying on numerous studies from learned historians and sociologists, Stark not only surveys the growth of the Christian church, but also manages to bust many popularly believed myths along the way.
A sample of the many eye-opening passages in the book is this one regarding Columbus and the “flat earth”: Continue reading
In Isaiah 62, God promises that one day He will restore His scattered people; that although they are now “desolate” and “forsaken” (:6) they will become “a praise on the earth” (:7). But it is notable what the last verse of the chapter says that these people will be called: Continue reading
I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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