Being Active at Church May Seem a Wise Use of Time, but It’s Often Misplaced Action One Sunday at church I passed our associate pastor as I scurried from one assignment to the next. “How are you?” he asked. Instead of lying with a socially acceptable response, I told him the truth. “Busy.” I sighed. […]
By Giving to God We Demonstrate Our Love to Him Jesus says to give “to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” Luke 20:25, NIV. While the context of this relates to paying taxes, the ramifications go beyond money. The Roman government, in general, and its ruler (Caesar), specifically, have an array […]
Two weeks ago I wrote that a spiritual discipline is something we do to draw closer to God or to honor him. To be of value we need to do this willingly with joy and in anticipation. I gave 17 possible disciplines to consider. Going to church wasn’t on the list. Should going to church […]
When the Bible instructs us to “Fear God,” it means to honor, worship, and reverence him. That’s a holy fear, not a terrifying one. We need to fear God in that way, but we need not cower in fear if we encounter him. Matthew’s biography of Jesus tells how the Jewish leaders arrest Jesus and […]
Spiritual disciplines are things we do to draw us closer to God or to honor him. But if we do it out of obligation or in response to guilt, we miss the point. To be of real value a spiritual discipline is something we enter into willingly, with joy and anticipation. Unlike spiritual gifts, which […]
In the Old Testament, the people perceive the temple as God’s dwelling place here on earth. Therefore, to approach God they need to go to the temple. They worship God there and no place else. The God in the Old Testament commands it. In the temple hangs a thick, heavy veil (curtain) that separates the […]
Be Intentional with Your Sunday Activities Part of how I follow Jesus is to treat Sunday as different from other days. I spend time with other followers of him, both at church and apart from church. I worship him, hopefully in spirit and in truth. I don’t work or do very little work, not with […]
Don’t Dismiss the Holy Spirit Most Christians believe that God is three persons in one; we call this concept the Trinity. Though it never uses the word Trinity, the Bible does portray the godhead as three beings who function as one interconnected entity. Though I believe this and revere this, at times it makes my […]
I enjoy nature and worship God through it, so a verse in Romans gives me pause. It talks about the error of worshiping created things instead of the Creator. I feel that I can worship God through my appreciation of nature, that I can better appreciate the intangible through the tangible. Yet this verse seems […]
Give God Our Adoration The Bible says God is holy, holy, holy, repeating it three times for emphasis to make sure we get the point. God is not merely holy—that is, virtuous—nor is he holy times two, but he is holy times three. He is holy, holy, holy. When referring to God as holy, holy, […]