The proper use of money will buy friends for the long haul, that is, forever. Every day, in the business and political worlds, people use money to buy friends. Maybe it would be better stated as favor rather than friends.
Read More
God, according to his timetable, gives justice to his people speedily. The unjust judge gave justice simply because he didn’t want to be inconvenienced anymore by the crazy old widow who kept complaining to him and crying out for justice. He didn’t give justice for noble reasons. This unjust judge did not fear God as the ultimate judge of the earth and the judge to whom this earthly judge would give account. He had no respect for humans since he did not fear God. Why should he respect people made in the image of God? (As a side note, why are we surprised when our fellow humans who do not fear God behave as if there is no God to whom they will give account? It is logical for depraved humans to act in a depraved manner.) The unjust judge dispensed justice for selfish reasons, to get peace and quiet from the widow.
Read More
We should absolutely expect our prayers to be answered if we are praying for things which Jesus has explicitly commanded us to pray. Obeying his commands to pray for specific items eliminates the question of whether or not I am praying in the will of God. Last week I wrote the first of two articles on praying as Jesus commanded. I wrote about the prayer for those who abuse or persecute us and the prayer for laborers for the harvest.
Read More
Prayer is, for many Christians, too much of a mystery. Of course, part of the problem is that we don’t consult God’s word sufficiently when we face questions about prayer (and many other subjects). Probably the most common question about prayer is, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” This article (and the one to follow it) won’t answer that question, but it will identify prayers that will be answered when we pray them regularly. They are the prayers that Jesus specifically commanded us to pray.
Read More
Researchers tell us the church in the West, and particularly in the United States, is in major decline, and the younger generations have written it off. Because of this, many church leaders have a “Woe is me” attitude toward the church’s future. There is even a very depressing book titled “The Great Evangelical Recession” by John S. Dickerson. I’ve not read it yet, but I have read comments about it. Taken from the proper perspective, it can be helpful because it is always best to view the situation with facts and not just pie-in-the-sky hopes and positive attitudes.
Read More
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the...
Read More