That Uncomfortable Feeling
I recently read an article based on the stated premise that “the Bible should be read for one’s enjoyment.” With that objective, it was no surprise that the rest of the piece consisted of the author aggressively working to convince his readers to purposefully disregard and ignore any parts of the Bible that would make them feel uncomfortable or might impinge on their modern sensibilities.
Of course, the author wanted his readers to affirm his premise and dutifully conform to his directives, regardless of “how difficult it might be to alter their traditional views” of the Bible. This was a classic example of how seriously we expect other people to take our words, even while we sit in judgment of God’s words. Sometimes we have difficulty seeing the irony in how vehemently we seek for our own ideas and thoughts be clearly heard and accurately understood, while seeking to devalue and emasculate God’s thoughts and ideas.
No, the Bible was not given for our enjoyment. God has spoken through the apostles and prophets so that we might carefully understand him and dutifully obey his voice. He does not want us to sit in judgment on his inscribed truth, picking and choosing what we prefer. Instead God has promised, “to this one I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Is.66:2).
That Uncomfortable Feeling
I recently read an article based on the stated premise that “the Bible should be read for one’s enjoyment.” With that objective, it was no surprise that the rest of the piece consisted of the author aggressively…
Earthly Jobs
The Bible calls all Christians to see their daily work at their so-called “secular jobs” as a series of sacred acts of service to our King. We must look beyond our earthly bosses…
Exchanging Our Expletives
Words reveal the heart. Jesus said, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt. 12:34). In our culture, expletives—words blurted in moments of frustration, shock, or excitement—often expose what fills a person’s heart. While many Christians avoid crude and obscene language, there is a more subtle problem we must face: the misuse …
Perspectives on the Unseen
To hold a biblical perspective on reality is to affirm that there is more to reality than what meets the eye. In fact, what you don’t see matters far more than what you do see. Paul writes…
A Simple Cure
When, in Psalm 73, the psalmist finds himself frustrated by his daily struggles and aggravated by the inequities of life, it is amazing how quickly and simply his angst is resolved…
Reading the Whole Bible
Reading through the Bible, from cover to cover, on a regular basis is a critically important discipline for a healthy Christian life. With that said, it is important to distinguish this from reading for study…
Christ with Us
God has promised his kids that he would never leave them and never forsake them (Heb.13:5b). Before Jesus physically left his followers after the resurrection he allowed these final words to resonate in their hearts: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt.28:20). While this truth can surely …
Epaphroditus
Epaphroditus is one of the many unsung heroes of the Bible. His name means “attractive”. And while we don’t know anything about his physical appearance, when we read the New Testament we quickly discover that he possessed a beautiful character…
Doubt
It’s not just Thomas; every Christian has moments and even seasons of doubt. But the best prescription when doubts arise is to go back to Christ’s credentials and the reliability of the biblical documents. Consider the fact that our confidence…
Real Missions
The Book of Acts is a story about first century Christians who, by today’s popular standards, would be considered brash, judgmental, narrow-minded zealots who were fueled by some sort of spiritual imperialism devoid of any real empathy, care or compassion…