Posts from April 2022
The Sovereign Ruler
“But Jacob crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys’ heads. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger boy, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, though he was the firstborn.” – Genesis 48:14 [NLT] God chooses our station or role in life. If we resist the sovereign ruler of the universe, we will always be proven to be wrong. The commentator Matthew Henry…
Giving Is Godly
“Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!” – Proverbs 21:26 [NLT] When we are motivated by greed, we will never be happy, but we will always have an abundance when we are driven to give. God wants to provide us with plenty, but He can’t give it to us if we are selfish. Selfish people only care about themselves, but the Godly person wants to see others blessed. The Godly will give his resources…
Good Plans Leads To Success
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” – Proverbs 22:6 [NLT] Prosperity comes with hard work and good planning. Too many people want a shortcut to success, but even those who had success relatively early still had to grind and hustle to a certain degree. There’s no such thing as an overnight success; there’s only a faster route to success, which comes through planning, dedication, and trusting the Lord.
The Altar of Prayer
It’s common in the history of Christendom that great truths are so often expressed that it loses their gravity, weight, and impact on the mind and hearts of the believer. It is a sad and unfortunate thing how truth reduces to a cliche, but regardless of its everyday modern use, the truth is still the truth, and we should be guilty of allowing its truthfulness to flood and affect our minds. Such is the word “altar.” Altar, to some, engenders…
We Have Self-Control
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 [ESV] In some versions of this verse, you’ll see “sound mind,” but it’s pretty much the same thing. God gives us a mind to do good so that we can glorify Him. We aren’t going to be perfect, but we can live a life pleasing to God because of His Holy Spirit. We are no longer bound by our flesh,…
Walking In Purity
“I will wash my hands in innocency: So will I compass Thine altar, O LORD” – Psalm 26:6 [KJV] David, who wrote the above verse, is an example of a man who fiercely sought God’s will. David is sometimes regarded as the holiest man that ever lived outside of Jesus. Throughout this whole chapter of the Psalms, David was asking God to test his heart to see if his ways were pure. David’s legacy continues with us today. The Book…
Nobody’s Perfect
“Nobody’s perfect” is a common refrain usually voiced by an individual seeking to generalize imperfection and, perhaps, escape accountability. This phrase is also a defensive counter to the high moral ground typically understood by Christianity and its adherents. That is to say, regardless of the ethical expectations imposed by God upon humanity and by Christians to non-Christians especially, nobody can really live up to them. Therefore people should be treated with laxer and “understanding.” This counter-measure is so common that…
Don’t Ignore The Poor
“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.” – Proverbs 22:13 [NLT] It’s easy to ignore the poor when you have made it, but how would you feel if you lived on the streets? I know what it’s like not to have anything. I remember when nobody was able to help me when I got evicted last summer. It’s not fun to be in that situation. I remember…
How Can We Judge Someone’s Salvation?
The word “Christian” has been so distorted that it’s hard to tell if someone’s really saved or just pretending. Christians are humans just like everyone else, but there are ways to distinguish a true born-again believer of Christ from someone who just says they are a believer. The Bible does say, “you will know a tree by its fruit.” (Matthew 7:20) 1. A born-again Christian must believe on the cross. What makes a Christian a Christian is that they believe…
The Poor Are Hated
“The poor is hated even of his own neighbor: But the rich have many friends.” – Proverbs 14:20 [NKJV] In Proverbs, Solomon uses the words “poor” and “rich” quite a bit. Many times, Solomon is talking about material wealth, but in this verse, he’s talking about the heart. Rich people are often lonely because they don’t know if people love them for them or for their wealth. Rich people can feel just as empty and isolated as poor people. Again,…