Devotional

Quit Wasting His Time!

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Christians teach about the necessity of good stewardship regularly. Usually, this is in regards to money. But every gift from God is to be stewarded faithfully. Notice in  1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV) “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” I believe how we choose to use the time God has given us faithfully … Read more

When Prioritizing Family

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In today’s Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon, the morning reading touched on the tendency of some men to withhold their finances from the work of God, in order that they may take care of their families. You can read the entire devotional here (and I recommend you do): BibleGateway.com – Morning and Evening It starts … Read more

Trinitarian Prayer

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Let not your hearts be troubled, dear saint of God. For the Father elected you, the Son paid your debt and the Spirit resurrected you and indwells you. The God of the universe has set His love upon you and even so, the whole trinity works in unity to bring you to perfection through intercession on your behalf. Be of good cheer as you consider this glorious truth!

Quick Thoughts on Greetings

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Why does the Holy Spirit tell us to greet one another throughout the New Testament? I believe that the Lord wants us to greet one another, and, like all Christian virtue, we are apt to forget his command or disobey it, as long as we are on this side of glory. I’ll let you in … Read more

Praise Yahweh (the LORD) – Psalm 117

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God has provided us with His Word that we might know Him and praise Him. Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter of the Bible, yet it is packed with God-glorifying wisdom, truth, and comfort. Let’s take a look at it! Psalm 117 (ESV) 1 Praise Yahweh, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great … Read more

A Guide to Family Worship

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I did not grow up in a Christian family, so family worship was not something that was modeled for me when I was growing up. Additionally, my first decade as a Christian didn’t include a lot of teaching or discussion on the topic of family worship. So a few years ago when I became convinced … Read more

Review: The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible

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The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible is an excellent resource for parents of small children! Positive Review This book is THICK and HEAVY. The pages are strong, able to withstand the awkward turning of toddler hands, which is essential for a book for small children. Each page is a full color illustration. The book is divided … Read more

Do ALL Things Without Complaining?

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These guys complained and what happened next will shock you!
Remember Numbers 11? God takes complaining WAY more seriously than many of us think.

My wife posted the quote below on Facebook in regard to complaining:

If you are a sovereigntist, or one who believes in the absolute sovereignty of our God, and you gripe or complain about your circumstances, you’re being a hypocrite; for you demonstrate, with your words and by your actions, that you don’t actually trust God that He is in control. — Gabriel Hughes

One of the commenters offered a perspective I thought was worth considering:

What if I gripe and complain about my circumstances because I see my folly that led me into those circumstances? Yes, I’m a sovereigntist. And yet our God is also one who allows things to happen for his glory. It’s a fine hair because he is still ultimately in control in allowing me to make poor choices.

What follows is my response to that question.

God Really Is Sovereign

First, it is necessary to understand what it means that God is sovereign as well as believe that God is sovereign. That is, he is the supreme ruler, or ultimate power – absolutely. Possessing all power, God is thus able to create any potential circumstance. What we conclude from these facts is that, in a very real sense, we live in the best of all possible worlds. Yes, that is right. Because God is perfect and possesses absolute power and supremacy, we can be sure that there is no world of which we could conceive that would be better in an objective sense. That is to say, the reality we experience is the reality which ascribes to God the glory He deserves.

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Things Above Us?

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Colossians 3:1-2 is, in essence, the theme of this blog.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.[/perfectpullquote]

So how can a group of guys get together, entitle a blog “Things Above Us” in clear reference to scripture, then proceed to make sports one of the four pillars of categories alongside such heavenly minded topics as theology, evangelism and missions?

Let’s briefly (for word count purposes) examine Col 3:1-2. Mouse over the verse references to read them or just keep a copy of God’s Word open next to you or in another browser tab.

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Preparing My Heart For Another Lord’s Day

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My heart aches for Sunday. If I’m honest, I don’t always have this longing as a Pastor. My old nature is very much active still. There are Saturday nights and Sunday mornings that I feel anxiety, worry, and even, dare I say, less-than-thrilled for our worship service. Those Unreliable Feelings Those feelings. Let me put it … Read more