Posts filed under ‘salvation’
When Darkness Speaks: Understanding God’s Purpose Amid Evil
I asked my wife if she ever felt as though she was kind of hovering between earth and heaven; not fully here in this life, but not yet in heaven? The reason I asked was because that’s the way I’ve felt and I thought that was a bit strange. Her answer surprised me. She stated without hesitation that she certainly did feel as though she wasn’t fully grounded in this life anymore because of the fact that she looked forward to being with our Lord in heaven. This does not mean (for me or her), that we do not like this life. It simply means that we both understand there is a higher calling on our lives and it will only find its full meaning when this life ends and we are both safely and permanently with our Lord. While we see tremendous evil occurring throughout society, we also know it has not reached its zenith yet, but will one day. This is certainly part of the reason that we both feel somewhat of a disassociation between life here on earth and what it so to come in eternity.
Continue Reading February 7, 2026 at 12:19 PM Leave a comment
Misplaced Zeal: Understanding Today’s Moral Confusion
God had decreed that King Nebuchadnezzar would reign and any nation that did not willingly come under his rule would be punished “with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.” This message also summarized the content of chapters 7-10.
If the Judahites continued to reject the LORD, and disobey the Mosaic Covenant, He would destroy the temple and Jerusalem completely. The temple would suffer complete destruction, and Jerusalem would become a curse, namely, an object of ridicule and an example of horrible suffering.
Jeremiah also warned the people about the false prophets and told them not to listen to them. Theses prophets were lying by saying the people of Judah would not serve Babylon. It’s what many wanted to hear (including the king), but it was not the truth.
Forgiveness vs Forbearance
We should also always let go of and deny the temptation for revenge or vengeance. In truth this can only be done through our willingness to do so and the cooperation or practice of it over time with God’s help. This can become easier to do over time. It’s not as though people will stop offending us through words or actions, is it? As time progresses, while it’s doubtful we will be perfect at forgiving right out of the gate, we need to consciously decide to obey God in forgiving (or forbearing), in each instance, fully leaning on God for His strength and empowerment to do so.
Continue Reading January 30, 2026 at 11:38 AM Leave a comment
From Judgment to Hope: Jeremiah’s Enduring Message
These three chapters deliver stern warnings of judgment against corrupt leaders, false prophets, and a disobedient Judah, culminating in the prophecy of a 70-year Babylonian captivity. Interestingly enough, in the midst of these threats, God promises to raise a Righteous Branch (Messiah) from David’s line. Further, God will restore the remnant, while also pronouncing judgment on Babylon itself as well as other nations that set themselves against Israel.
Continue Reading January 27, 2026 at 3:47 PM Leave a comment
Living to Forgive
Because of who God is, His great love for us and His willingness to forgive us for all the offences we have committed, are committing and will commit against Him, a great portion of that salvation is the ongoing forgiveness He extends to us. He did not have to do that, yet He did. How can we not offer quick and total forgiveness from the heart to those who harm us in one way or another?
Continue Reading January 26, 2026 at 3:47 PM Leave a comment
Arrogance of the Misled: A Cautionary Tale
Romans 1 spells this out so clearly and I know I’ve referred to this section of Scripture previously, but it bears repeating. The people we see on the streets (or in churches), creating mayhem stemming from their anarchist beliefs are demonically deluded. They have come to believe what they currently believe because of their continued rejection of actual truth. So this didn’t just happen to them. They caused it by their continual rejection of the truth.
Continue Reading January 21, 2026 at 1:53 PM Leave a comment
Reacting to the Weather of Our Lives
Here’s insight that may help. Your love for God and other people will grow to the degree that you understand what you have been saved from. The more we gain understanding and enlightenment on just what God has saved us from, the greater our love and our devotion to God will become. This is what grows our love for Him, resulting in a true desire to be more obedient to Him in all things. This then, in turn, causes us to be greater evangelists for God, presenting the Gospel to people we come in contact with throughout the day. Why? Because of our increasing love for God and them.
Continue Reading January 20, 2026 at 11:15 AM Leave a comment
Jeremiah 20-22: Failure to Thrive
Gee, talk about being “thick” in the head! How many times has God already indicated that He would bring serious judgment against Judah if they do not turn back to Him in full repentance? Many times since the opening pages of the book of Jeremiah and yet here we are again in these chapters, where Jeremiah has to proclaim similar things he’s already proclaimed (and the leadership and people rejected it), and King Zedekiah acts as though God has never said anything about any sort of judgment.
Sanctification: Anxiety’s Antidote
Jesus was never captivated and controlled by fear, worry or anxiety. He had a completely different perspective than we often do and He simply continued on, loving people by doing loving things for them in spite of how He might have been tempted to think and feel.
I’m quite sure that Jesus was tempted time and time again to give into the fear of many circumstances (real or imagined) as we are today, yet He never followed the urges to protect self (Hebrews 4:15) by giving into fear leading to worry and anxiety. As believers, we need to act in a way that shows our love for God and others. We cannot do that and engage in fear, worry or anxiety. The two – love and fear – are opposed to one another. We can do one or the other, but not both at the same time.
Changing Society?
For those Christians who believe that the Christian’s job is to change the tone of society by preaching the Gospel to people with the result being conversion, I’d like to respectfully ask that they think again. By being involved in transforming society, the focus shifts from the person of the unbeliever to the condition of society. While theoretically yes, people who become Christians can have a positive effect on society, there is no guarantee that this will happen.
