Are you salt? Jesus used this metaphor to help us understand the effect that we are to have on the surrounding culture. We are not to be unnoticed, blended consistency. We are supposed to make a difference – a difference that is immediately detected. Christians flavor life with a God-perspective. You probably agree. What’s the…
and they shall become one flesh Genesis 2:24 Flesh – Sex is a meaningful deed. So says Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. What he means is that sex is not like other deeds. Sex is “one of those things that make a complete world.” It is a drive that has meaning in itself, not derived from its…
The war is coming. It is not a war that will be fought with tanks and smart bombs. It is a war that will be fought in the shops and the boardrooms, in the PTA and the city council. It is the values war. We have seen only the first skirmishes of this worldwide battle. …
Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18 Exult – Better read the context before you start the celebration. Habakkuk has just recounted the circumstances of disaster. The trees do not bear fruit. The vines fail. The fields have no crops. The flocks are scattered. …
Sometimes I think we get the idea that God leaves us in the dark on purpose. We have the bump-into-things view of faith, like walking through a room with the lights off. This morning my wife and I read our devotional page from Oswald Chambers’ book. We talked about our current situation. Nothing seems to…
O LORD, why do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You? Isaiah 63:17 Cause – How difficult it is to think that God causes us to stray! How can it be possible? How can Isaiah, the inspired prophet, tell us that God stands behind our disobedient wanderings? …
“O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your goodness is like the morning cloud, and it goes away like the early dew.” Hosea 6:4 What Shall I Do? – “The question of man’s position before God is the question of existence. Everything else depends on…
and when you seek for me you will find me, when you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 Seek/Search – How many times have you heard this verse given as motivation for seeking God? It seems to be a favorite when we need exhortation and encouragement. But how many of us know…
Newsweek: Law-Enforcement Officials Note Marked Nationwide Increase in Teen Prostitution Over the last year, local and federal law-enforcement officials say they have noted a marked increase in teen prostitution in cities across the country. They are increasingly alarmed by the trend lines: the kids are getting younger; according to the FBI, the average age of…
Pull me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me; for you are my stronghold. Psalm 31:5 (Hebrew text) Net – If you read this too quickly, you will miss the crucial implication. The psalmist is already caught! “Pull me out” implies that he is already in. He has been trapped by…
