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THE TRAGEDY OF A GOOD LIFE
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt. 7:22-23). We often make the grave mistake of evaluating…
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“ELBOWING” THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU
I know we’ve all done it. We’re sitting in church on a Sunday morning listening to the sermon. The pastor says something and we immediately elbow the person sitting next to us as if to say, “Pay attention. You need to hear this! This is all about you!” Or we’ll hear the preacher say something and…
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5 PROVERBS CHRISTIANS NEED TO PAY CLOSER ATTENTION TO
Life is liking walking through a minefield. You never know what the next step will have in store for you. However, the book of Proverbs is like having a map showing you where all the mines have been placed; “step here, step there, don’t step over here…” While often overlooked, I wonder if we Christians…
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WHY YOUR GOOD WORKS WON’T GET YOU TO HEAVEN
Let’s imagine for a moment that living a good life will get you to heaven someday. All the charitable giving you’ve done, all the volunteer hours, all the niceties to strangers, all the service of loved ones – all of this accumulates over a lifetime and when you breathe your last, you enter heaven. As…
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GOSPEL > RELIGION
The gospel is different than any other religion or worldview out there. How so? “Religion” says, “I obey, therefore I’m accepted.” That is, when I morally or spiritually perform well, God will bless me and reward me with a good life and even heaven. The “gospel” says, “I’m accepted through the life and death of…
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GENEROSITY – PART 4
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” – Luke 12:32-33 Notice…
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GENEROSITY – PART 3
In the first century people didn’t have savings accounts or retirement accounts. There were no banks or investment groups. Today, this is where our accumulated wealth exists. But people in the first century had money in the form of currency; they had coins. But their accumulated wealth was in their possessions; their homes; their furnishings; their stuff. In Luke…
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GENEROSITY – PART 2
Picture being a farmer who grows a number of crops during the course of a year. This is your livelihood. Now, as a farmer, read this verse: Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. – Proverbs 3:9 Why would this verse be very difficult for a farmer to handle?…
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GENEROSITY – PART 1
One of the reasons you may lack contentment is that you’re not giving enough away. Enough money. Enough time. Enough skill and energy. Let me explain… If I use a glass jar to pound in a nail, I’ll quickly find out two things. First, the nail won’t go into the wood. Second, the jar will…
Read MoreCHRISTIAN LIVING IN A COMPLICATED WORLD
