John has a pretty scathing critique when he comments on the state of our world. Here’s what John says: Practically everything that goes on in the world–wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important–has nothing to do with the Father. It’s pretty straight forward, but to put it in other words:Continue reading “1 John (part 4)”
Tag Archives: Bible
1 John (part 3)
For such a little letter, 1 John sure is action-packed. We’re still in chapter 2 when John says, “You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers–such vitality and strength! God’s word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.” “YouContinue reading “1 John (part 3)”
1 John (part 2)
As chapter 1 transitions to chapter 2, you’ll find an interesting dichotomy. On one hand, John is talking about the light and God himself being the light and how we can share in that life with Him and with others. But here’s the kicker: If we claim we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves.Continue reading “1 John (part 2)”
1 John (part 1)
It’s weird. I’m trying to write a post on a book that I read over three months ago. I’ve been reading Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art” and I can’t help but notice I’ve been facing The Resistance. It’s been distracting me from writing, keeping me from this blog. It’s been slowing me down, thisContinue reading “1 John (part 1)”
Job (part 7)
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a part of the book was missing? For example, what if Job wasn’t restored by God in the end? What if Job was left to suffer and left ransacked and empty? How would that change your perspective of God? Or what if we didn’t get the insightContinue reading “Job (part 7)”
Job (part 6)
Something I’ve always found fascinating about the Scriptures is how often they cross-reference each other. Things in the Old Testament are revealed on a deeper level in the New Testament. Writers in the New Testament do callbacks to multiple things in the Old Testament. I think there’s a tendency to overlook a lot of theContinue reading “Job (part 6)”
Job (part 5)
Job’s friends always get a bad rap. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sermon or read a commentary on Job where the person had a favorable outlook on Job’s friends. But let’s think about this for just a second… Job’s friends did actually come and visit when he was going through hisContinue reading “Job (part 5)”
Job (part 4)
“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” A variation of this phrase comes up a couple times in the book of Job, and as we know, when there’s repetition, pay attention. What lessons can we glean here? First, let’sContinue reading “Job (part 4)”
Job (part 3)
(Disclaimer: Read my previous post if you haven’t already) Let’s take a trip back in time. Before grocery stores, people had to butcher their own animals, or take their animals to a local butcher for meat. Before shopping centers and department stores, people had to shear their own sheep and make their own wool garments.Continue reading “Job (part 3)”
Job (part 2)
The first thing that sticks out to me in the Book of Job is the problem of interpreting chapter one. I mean, I have no problem believing that there was a rich guy in Uz who had a lot going for him, and lived uprightly. That’s easy to believe. It happens often. I have troubleContinue reading “Job (part 2)”
Job (part 1)
I’ve probably read the book of Job a dozen times or more. It’s one of my favorites in the Old Testament, and no, I’m not a masochist. What draws me to the book of Job is the wisdom and timelessness of it. Some commentators believe Job lived before the patriarchs, before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.Continue reading “Job (part 1)”
How to Be a Better Husband
Today, I want us to focus on an idea that comes up multiple times in the Bible: The idea of God being the husband/bridegroom and us being the bride. I’ll admit it’s quite tough for me to try to imagine being a woman / wife. But it’s not difficult for me to imagine God beingContinue reading “How to Be a Better Husband”