Michael Coughlin, Author at Things Above Us

Amber Vale Candle Giveaway and Review

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Nov 17, 2019 | General |

Amber Vale Home is a brand new home decor company focusing on hand-crafted items. Their flagship...

Psalm 119:129-132 — Into The Light

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Nov 16, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

God is glorified by His giving of more and more grace. It magnifies God’s benevolence and kindness in the eyes of creatures when He expresses pity on them and blesses them with still more grace. Oh, how many Christians will go to Heaven and only realize there that there was more grace available in this life had they only asked. God will never run out and you can never exhaust His grace! Too often we don’t ask for more grace because we don’t feel we deserve it.

We never deserve it. That’s why we call it grace. It is not earned. It’s granted by a good and merciful Savior.

Psalm 119:125-128— God’s Law > Everything on Earth

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Nov 9, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

Thus, David begins the end of this octet with the proclamation that God’s precepts are right. All of them! And thus it follows that every other way is false and therefore worthy of disposal. It is not enough for the Christian to say “I believe what I believe but I won’t judge someone else for their beliefs.” This is as hateful as letting a child play with a fork near an outlet or walk through a parking lot with his or her hand unheld. When you love someone, you do what you can to protect them while they are weak, teach them how to protect themselves so they’ll grow, and warn them of the very real dangers they are ignorant of.

Bulls on Your Altar

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Nov 2, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

How does sacrificing bulls on God’s altar teach us about right sacrifices to God?

After establishing the right relationship with God through His cleansing power, we see that God WILL delight in right sacrifices and that bulls will be offered on God’s altar. It isn’t that God is completely displeased with sacrifices and offerings (religion). It is that sacrifices and offerings (religion) are only acceptable to God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Once we know Jesus we are made holy so that we may offer sacrifices to God in Spirit and in Truth (Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5; Matthew 5:23-24).

From the Mailbag: “Judge Not”

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Nov 1, 2019 | Evangelism, Missions |

A woman contacted us through our contact us form and expressed some concerns with an article...

That Ain’t Your Mama’s Hyssop

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Oct 26, 2019 | Missions, pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

David is guilty of the death of Uriah (2 Samuel 11:15). Although he hadn’t physically touched Uriah’s dead body, there is a sense of uncleanness because of his involvement in Uriah’s death. So when David cries out to the Lord to be purged with hyssop, he is calling on God to cleanse him from his sin. David could have offered more sacrifices than nearly anyone who has ever lived. He was a rich man! But he knew that God delights in “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,” rather than animal sacrifices (Psalm 51:16-17), and certainly hyssop is similarly a prefigurement of something…or Someone.

All The More They Were Eager

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Oct 16, 2019 | Theology |

It is the law of God, held before a sinner, that exposes and even entices the indwelling sin. Remember Romans 7? Consider verse 8: “But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.” There is something about God’s correction which actually livens up the sin that at times lays dormant in our flesh.

The picture that Zephaniah provides to us is a picture of sinners who purposed in their hearts to make all their deeds corrupt. It wasn’t enough that they had fallen short of God’s commands, broken His covenant, and lived in rebellion. Upon hearing of their own deserved judgment, their response is eagerness to make all their deeds corrupt.

Psalm 119:121-124— Deliverance

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Oct 12, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

ot only are we promised deliverance from our own cursed flesh, but we are promised freedom from the evil of this world. We long to see the day when all of God’s enemies are finally made a footstool (Hebrews 1:13) so that we might be delivered from them! Our suffering and oppression, although ordained by God and granted by God (Philippians 1:29) is nevertheless something we naturally want to avoid. We long for the time and place where God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4), where there will be no more pain and no more death. Suffering and pain are results of the curse, and all creation groans to be delivered—ourselves included (Romans 8:22-23). It is this meaningful focus on future deliverance that strengthens the child of God for every circumstance in this world. We are not promised health and wealth now, but when we inherit all the rewards earned by the Christ, we will be glad we traded none of them for temporary comfort!

The Life of Charles Weigle

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Oct 10, 2019 | Theology |

As I got into Charles Weigle’s conversion story, I started to become more intrigued in my heart, then the FLOOD BEGAN. Not only had I failed to “not cry,” but I was bawling my eyes out. The story is so interesting I kept reading.

Psalm 119:117-120 — God Discards the Dross

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Oct 5, 2019 | Evangelism, pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

God’s holy hatred for sinners is pure and so much more terrifying than we tend to want to think about. The KJV says, “Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes,” and the sense is truly terrible. There is no mercy for the wicked when God’s judgment comes. Therefore, we must all the more earnestly tell sinners of the mercy of God which can be found today. And we must never diminish the terror of the Lord. The heathen will rage (Psalm 2:1) and the weak of heart will accuse us of fear-mongering, but there can be no compromise when we preach the wrath of God because to tone down God’s hatred for sinners has the practical effect of diminishing Christ’s love for sinners, as well.

Psalm 119:113-116 — My Hiding Place and My Shield

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 28, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

Not only is God our hiding place, but He is our shield. He is our defense against everything hurled toward us by the enemy. There is no condemnation from God for those who are in Christ Jesus, the hiding place, but the condemnation of men is in ample supply. God does not promise that his people will avoid attacks from evildoers. But He acts as our shield. It is God who takes the brunt of the punishment when we are accosted for our faith (Acts 9:5). With a shield, we will still feel the impact of the blows and experience the heat of the battle, but we will not receive a fatal blow until the shield determines it is time.

Answered Prayers – Ministry Report for Sept 21, 2019

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 24, 2019 | Evangelism, Missions |

On September 21, 2019, I was joined by a faithful group of evangelists and an old friend. Andrew...

Psalm 119:109-112 — Sorrows, Snares, Sons, and a Savior

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 21, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

The Antidote to Sorrows Psalms 119:109 I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget...

Psalm 119:105-108 — Freewill, Oaths, and More Affliction

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 14, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

God’s Word Lights The Way Psalms 119:105 ESV Nun Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light...

Suicide Thoughts

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 13, 2019 | Theology |

Thus, we need to be careful when we are talking about folks who committed suicide. Too often I think we skirt around the issue of calling it sin, or even murder. Most people who commit suicide do it as the result of some sort of depression and I think we almost excuse it a little in our minds. It seems rather callous to call a guy who was so depressed he took his own life a murderer. But truth is worthless if it is hidden (Matthew 5:15).

Placebo Prayers

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 11, 2019 | Theology |

Last weekend, we had 6 men preaching God’s Word in our group. We split into two groups of 3 and separated physically. This allows us to always have 2 men preaching the mystery of the gospel. So we were able to achieve nearly 5 hours of street preaching in 2.5 hours, with each man carrying no more than about an hour of the load. But this week, I was the only preacher, and I was committed to filling the time. How God enabled that to happen is truly remarkable!

Psalm 119:101-104 — Sweeter Than Honey

Posted by Michael Coughlin | Sep 7, 2019 | pSaturday Psalms, Theology |

Honey is never bitter or sour, and neither is the Bible to the adopted child of God. We taste it, take it within ourselves, and then come back for more. But like honey, it has to be searched for and found, then extracted from its comb. Honey doesn’t come from Heaven in jars. There is danger and even peril in taking the fruit of the bee, and we also must be willing to endure trial when we dig into God’s Word. You may even get stung!