“Make the World Go Away, Take It Off of My Shoulders…”

These are the opening words to an old country song sung by Jim Reeves. Keep them in mind as you read.

When you go to the mountains in North Carolina there are always ads along the way that lure you to so-called gem mines. They are little shacks with sluice-like water troughs where you pour in buckets of dirt guaranteed to contain rubies, amethysts and other jewels in the rough. Of course you know the dirt is dug and trucked…

Now we will take the issues that Paul presents in Colossians 3 and delve into the reasons behind them. There are two parts to this chapter, two mindsets he holds up, two contrasting natures. One deserves the death sentence, the other eternal life. This is serious stuff. The question they place before us is this: “How do we put to death what we can’t see or touch, those things in the spiritual realm?”

Think of it this way. You need a new suit. The old one is worn out. So you go to a…

Principles 4

Actually more than principles, attitude, obedience and expectation are really the character forming capabilities we are given as images of God. How they are used depends on what and who a person trusts with them. When centered in Jesus they frame the movement from a heart conditioned by the secular world to a heart in the process of becoming Christ-like. The world centered in the religion of secularism eventually leads the heart to stagnation while a heart in Christ is…

Previously we have suggested that ‘bond’ is a better word than relationship because of the spiritual nature we have been given in Jesus. In biblical times there was the visual presence of bonded people, those carrying outward signs like rings, body marks or chains. They had those marks of identity denoting ownership by a master. Defining this position was the Greek word, doulos, slave. A slave was a servant bonded to and identified by his or her master who demanded complete submission to the…

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."—Romans 6:3-4.

This is in response to Charles Spurgeon’s sermon delivered on Lord's-Day Morning, October 30th, 1881, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, England using the above text from Romans to support…

We have elaborated on the ‘world’ and its principles. Now we want to look at Christian principles, those that succeed not from religion but from a personal relationship with Jesus. Immediately one thinks of the Sermon on the Mount as the place to start but I think we have to move more basically from where we are as persons. The danger of jumping into any Bible passages per se is that we tend to segregate them into ideals and make and elaborate a belief system from which we can, from time to…

“So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world (Gal.4:3).”

That verse captures the basic problem of living apart from God and His Word. We live by the world’s principles. But just what is ‘the world’ and what are its ‘principles?’ When the Bible uses those words ‘world’ usually means secular society and ‘principles’ means the invisible conclusions people use to function within it. When Jesus uses ‘world’ in John 3:16, He is referring to…

A few years back we took a river cruise from Vienna, Austria to Amsterdam, Holland. It was a magnificent trip along the Danube and Rhine rivers. Along the way we went through about 80 locks, water cages with gates that open to take in water to raise and lower from one elevation to another since you go up through hills from Vienna and down through others to Amsterdam. You spend some time in each lock as the water rises or falls to get you through the next elevated area. When the lock empties…

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near

in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel (Joel 3:14-16).”

Decision is the key word here. Multitudes are all and every heart having to decide about the reality of God…

When you think about a person, when someone comes to mind, when an event takes place, what is the last image you have? What picture comes into your head? What sound, action or impression pops into your mind? A mispronounced word, a Freudian slip, spilled coffee on a white rug, an unintended expletive in front of others when someone stubbed their toe, a lapse in judgment and emotion during a heated argument about nothing and on and on. What we find is that no one comes out perfect. There’s…

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near

in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel (Joel 3:14-16).”

All Old Testament prophecy has to be viewed through Jesus since He was the ‘prophet-priest-king’ figure…

You’re watching football on TV and the camera zooms in on an upset coach shouting at the refs over a bad call. You don’t hear him but you see his lips and they are obviously mouthing an angry string of curse words. You go to a movie and the ratings tell you ahead of time that the language is going to be questionable. You’re at a ballgame with your family and two rows down several people share their dissatisfaction with a burst of profanity. You go to pick up kids at school and a bunch of…

Three thoughts frequent my head this morning. They are all spiritually connected.

First, we can be so individualistic that we forget what it means to be dependent on God. It is through that dependency we learn how to be humble in the presence of others. There is always a tension between how much I exert myself and how much I submit to authority. When Jesus healed the leper (Mt.8:4) He told him, “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded.” We learn a lot about…

What is religion? As disciples of Jesus we really need to ask that question especially in these times when ‘religious hostility’ makes headlines and secular governments have to deal with its consequences. How do we sort out what is true, real, spiritual and personal when it comes to making decisions about what we believe? Let’s give it a try. What is religion?

Religion is man’s attempt to put a face on ultimate reality. The face doesn’t have to be a human face. It can be a structural…

There has always lingered in our understanding of Middle Eastern history that Christians started the Crusades.  The following article sheds light on this commonly accepted myth.  Its author's credentials are listed at the end.

Timeline of the Islamic Crusades

The Truth about Islamic Imperialism…

This is the kind of time when we ask what is God’s will for me?  Jesus said that His food was to do the will of His Father.  That will was being obedient to the principles of the Word in any and all situations.  Why?  Because in our limited humanity we can’t predict what every next moment will bring.  Therefore as we pray and call on His name we depend on the Holy Spirit dwelling within to guide our thoughts, our attitude and our action which are guided by our belief, our trust and our…

Are You Pro-Choice or Post-Choice? That is the Question

Everybody makes choices. We like the idea of being able to choose and to choose freely. We are by nature pro-choice people.

But what is your initial reaction when the phrase ‘pro-choice’ is used? Does it make you go on the offensive or the defensive? The reaction proves one clear conclusion. The word ‘choice’ has been hi-jacked and used as a weapon to argue against moral restraint. To quote Henley’s poem Invictus, “I am…

What is your political temperature? Are you over heated? What are you taking for it? Read on. There’s way to survive it and actually come out of it feeling better. It begins with a question. How do we live politically in a secular society? I would like to suggest a way to start.

First, as a spiritual people we have to keep in mind we live in a secular society. As citizens we share a common bond with every other citizen and that is the God-given equality as individual human beings with…

Listening to country radio from Galax, Virginia this morning a song came on called “I Don’t Know a thing About Love.” Of course like all country songs it has to do with guys and gals but the real issue is love itself. I started thinking about how far mankind, and myself, have a tendency to drift from God’s love every day.

Let me use an illustration.

I don’t know whether or not it is the aging process but have you ever had the experience of going into a room to get something but…