One of the most recited verses by Christians is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” As a kid, I remember reciting that verse to myself before taking tests, shooting a free throw, and competing in a game of “chubby bunny.” If this verse is true, then there’s nothing…
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This is the final installment to this short series on “Sloppy Christian Sayings.” The purpose in doing a series like this isn’t to be harsh or critical of what Christians say. The purpose is simply to encourage us to pay more careful attention to the details of Scripture. God bothered to put it there, so…
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We are all guilty, at times, of making statements that may ring true to our ears, but upon careful reflection may not be entirely accurate. I’m doing a short series of blog posts on “Sloppy Christian Sayings.” My previous post took up the statement: all sins are the same. Today: God loves everybody the same….
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We live in a “one-liner” world. Catchy, pithy statements go viral every day. With ever decreasing attention spans, many Westerners today do not have the capacity for extended, thoughtful reflection. As a result, the extent of our views on the issues are limited to 140 characters, or thereabouts. While there is a place for these…
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I’ve often asked myself, “How do I know I really believe God is faithful?” I can say the words, “I believe God is faithful,” but a well-trained bird can do that too. So how do I know I really believe that? Hebrews 13:5 says this, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be…
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If you missed Part 1 of this two-part series, please read it first here. The irony of the cross is this: what looked like Satan’s victory, was actually his defeat. On the surface a cultural crisis may appear like a victory for the enemy, but the cross shows us it may actually be his defeat. Could…
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The same-sex marriage ruling earlier this summer has been a catalyst for numerous dire predictions about the future of the church and the U.S. I understand that we should mourn when sin is institutionalized. Sin always grieves God’s heart. But I’m not convinced this ruling was a bad thing. Let me explain. As a Christian,…
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There really is an app for almost everything. An app for weather forecasts. An app for sports updates. An app for coupons. An app for color coordinating your clothes. In a world of “if you want it, we’ll provide it,” we can often think that should be true of the church we attend. But the…
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Pain. Suffering. Adversity. Hardship. You name it, we experience it. So much of it is out of our control. Money won’t stop cancer. A great health insurance plan is no guarantee against a car accident. The best cardiac surgeon won’t make you immune to a lethal heart attack. Much of the difficulty we experience in…
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God wants us to think about the shortness of our lives (Psalm 90:12; James 4:14). He wants us to ponder eternity (1 Pet. 1:3-9). I’ve been doing more of that lately, and as I’ve pondered, I’ve jotted down some reflections. More specifically, I’ve written down regrets I don’t want to have on my deathbed.
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