One of the main things that helps me keep a good perspective through December is reading a Christmas or Advent devotional book. Some years I’ve followed reading plans for Scripture that specifically deal with the coming of Christ, including the prophecies of His birth. I don’t have one on hand, but I’m sure there are…
Read MoreI have been meditating for several weeks on 2 Cor. 4:15-18. The expression “light affliction” has been returning to my mind as I deal with daily, nagging physical conditions that are burdensome and uncomfortable. I’m seeking relief, improvement, and help from any source available. Even though I’m plagued by real challenges and wearing out, I’m…
Read MoreThis post originally appeared on GrowingFathers.com and is republished here by permission On this blog [Growing Fathers], we talk often about how God has called Christian men to be leaders, especially in their own homes (Eph 5:22–24; 6:4). However, you will never learn to lead others until you first lead yourself, and What’s Best Next…
Read MoreBe anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 “Oh, be quiet. Go away!” Those were the words I heard recently when…
Read MoreFrom David to God Above: Psalm 69 in Its Original Setting Sorrows overwhelm us from time to time—so many, that they seem to be a sea. David was almost drowning in them when he wrote Psalm 69, his lifeline to heaven to pull him safely back up? (cf. Ps 69:29). He startles us with an…
Read MoreBut God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-6. In Ephesians 2:11,…
Read MoreThroughout my ministry, there have been several times when I’ve been asked a question like this: “Pastor, I was saved and baptized early in life. After a period of not following the Lord faithfully, I’ve now been seeking to take my walk with Christ more seriously. Should I be baptized again?” I recently had the…
Read MoreJohn Blake wrote an article published by CNN on Monday, November 13, 2023, regarding the Social Gospel as a rising movement in the US. This is a theology most biblical fundamentalists learn about in seminary as part of the history of the modernist movement in the early part of the 20th Century. They do not…
Read MoreOur September/October issue of FrontLine, “Gambling, What’s the Big Deal?” included an article by Larry Ball, the director of International Baptist Missions. His article focused on the question of investing. Some people justify gambling as being “just the same as playing the stock market.” Larry discusses wise investing and notes differences between gambling and investing.…
Read MoreThanksgiving comes every year, and giving thanks to God is a standard privilege of the Christian life. It is our obedience: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is also a way to glorify God—notice the parallelism in Psalm 86:12: “I…
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