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Isaiah 59:14-15: “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the public squares, And uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” Comment 1: This Trump trial, along with all the others, is a politically motivated hit job. This most recent
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If God is sovereign (that is, acting in sovereignty—not “could be sovereign but God is so good He doesn’t act on His sovereignty”—which is nowhere taught in scripture)… If God is acting as king and meticulously ruling over all things, then many ask, “How can man be accountable for his actions?” Commonly, it is thought
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What is the Gospel? “God is Holy” – God is perfect in all of his attributes – glorious in all that he does. He is set apart – unique – His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. He dwells in pure radiant unapproachable light. Nothing and no one can stand
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“Calvinists” don’t teach that grace can never be resisted – In fact it is always resisted until God decides to overcome our sin loving hearts with his omnipotent love. There is a drawing that is ultimately irresistible, not because he forces men to believe, but because he opens their eyes to see that Jesus is
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For God so loved the world…. What does this love do? 1). He gave His only son! As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness Jesus was lifted up. 2). So that whoever BELIEVES in Him will not perish but have eternal life. All who turn and look to the savior will find rest
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Sometimes, though we have wandered afar, we just need to come home to Jesus. Repentance is leaving the far country and its hollow pleasures that leave us empty and aching. Our heads may be hung low -we may feel unredeemable and irrevocably lost. As we trudge up the strangely familiar path to the house we
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Theology Thoughts Broad is the way that leads to destruction and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. The Bible is clear not all will be saved. No one enters into the city of God whose name was not written in the book of life before the
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Galatians 3:2-3: “Let me ask you only this: ‘Did you receive the Spirit by Works of the Law or by Hearing with Faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun By the Spirit are you now being perfected By the Flesh?’ “Dane Ortland: “But growth in godliness is not generated by conformity to any external code
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What is the law meant to do in the life of the believer? Heidelberg answers well 114. Q. But can those converted to God keep these commandments perfectly? A. No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with earnest purpose they do begin to live not only
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There is such a thing as Raging Remorse Stormy Sorrow Where Grief or Pain and Rage meet. I can Wallow in it Feed it And Feel Right to do so OR I can “Cast all my Cares on Him.” What would that look like? It would mean that in Every Sorrow I Face I would
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I know this is pastor appreciation month. Having been in the church all my life and graduated from Bible College, I actually have connections with many pastors, whether I have sat under them or not. I want to encourage you all not to become weary in well-doing. Don’t get distracted by the chaos in the
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Order of Service Pre-Service: Ken will arrive at: 12:00 Preservice music will begin at: 12:30 Ken will move to front 1:00 Formal Seating (Stuck on You plays) Grandma Carol w/Tim escorting Grandma Geri w/Josh escorting Nana Judy w/Noah escorting Mother of the Bride w/Jaguar escorting Mother of the Groom w/Andrew escorting Andrew walks up and
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Garrett and Claire, I’m sitting here in the green room on the morning of your wedding and reflecting on all the miles traveled with the two of you to this point. From the bank tour and band concerts, movies at the house with coffee and good food, Mariners games and concerts – to today. The
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Acts 4 begins with the Sadducees being very irritated with the apostles because of the healing of a man who had been lame since birth. The healing was the tip of the iceberg for the Sadducees because what really irritated them was that the Apostles were proclaiming “in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” This
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Oh King Uzziah would that you had listened to the good priests when they withstood you at the gates of the temple. For 50 years you served the people of God well. You sought the Lord faithfully. You taught the people rightly to fear the Lord. After all the damage your father did with his
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Grace – grace is stunning when you realize that you have been given something of great value, at great cost, that is not earned or deserved. Here I am sitting in a new and amazing house, surrounded by my family happily (mostly) playing together. Ben, Andrew and I took a walk around our new playground
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Every unarmed black suspect killed by police in 2019 reviewed in attached video. Total Unarmed Blacks Killed 2019: 9 Total Police officers in the USA: 686,665 Total arrests in the USA 2018: 10,310,960 So out of over 10 Million arrests – 9 unarmed black men were killed. Even if all of them were unwarranted (which
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In the last seven days initial estimates on Covid-19 related deaths in Washington State: 10 Two days had 0 deaths LINK The week before: 36 deaths Estimated deaths from all causes for that same 2 week period in Washington State: 2282 deaths LINK (I took 2015 death rate and increased at the same ratio to
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For the fourth time in 2 weeks the “top projection study” has significantly revised their death projections downward. This is not due to the “shelter-in-place” order as that was factored into all of the projections they produced. LINK Some observations: 1) Covid-19 appears to be more aggressive than the seasonal flu and requires caution especially
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Covid-19 is taking its toll on the US I feel it – the uncertainty, the fear, the mounting cases and corresponding death tolls, the economic uncertainty…. I’m a numbers guy – and I keep tracking every day – What is the death rate? What is the R0 rating? What are the projections? And I am
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FEARIn recent weeks the entire world seems to have been caught in grip of its cold steel tongs. What if I or my loved ones contract Corona Virus? What if _________ becomes president of the United States? The stock market is plunging – How can I feel secure? The wheels of the world seem to
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Life is like a frenetically played William Tell Overture. It gallops by at breakneck speed punctuated by shocking staccato notes that make us gasp in pain and pleasure and then concludes as a dramatic dissonant chord with unplayed notes hanging in the air. But this is but a beginning. More – it is but the
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Along with many of you I am shocked and saddened by Kobe and his daughter’s death as well as those others who were in the helicopter with them. No matter when it comes, death is shocking. But when it comes like this to a young man and young girl – to a celebrity – suddenly
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It is Monday– My oldest son is in the final stages of getting a job– My second son just moved out by himself and starts college today and needs a job– I have a son in running start who also needs a job– My 13 year old is in public school and needs to have
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It is Monday morning and the week ahead looms in my mind – so much to do. Some things I am eagerly anticipating, others feel like a weight. All the worries and cares in my life rush in – especially on Monday mornings. What shall I do? I will cast my cares on the Lord
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Dear Steven and Kendra, It is your wedding day. In many ways it has been a long time coming, but at the moment it seems surreal that the day is here. It is an exciting day and I am hopeful that everything goes smoothly, but even if something doesn’t, don’t let it steal the joy
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There is a place that is not even as far away as Wenatchee is from Moses Lake that is so different an environment no one could live there. In fact any human going there would almost instantly die. I’m talking, of course, about space. The Kármán line that divides our atmosphere from outer space is
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I have long appreciated Star Trek and Captain Kirk. As a result, over the years, I have watched or read numerous interviews with William Shatner including this recent one. I have noticed that he frequently brings up the topics of death, the afterlife and God. And I have often thought I would love to talk
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Experiencing the fullness of God does not require that one speak in tongues or heal or prophesy. Sometimes we can overemphasis a radical experience or gifting as the essence of knowing God, but scripture doesn’t talk that way. I Cor 12 “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30
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The One who is LORD over all things is my shepherdI will not lack any needed thing He causes me to rest in a place of abundance and beautyHe leads me to a place of peace and tranquilty where the waters are unmoving When I am worn, He Himself is the fresh life to my
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Hey look that sign in the sky saying God would never have a local flood again! Gen 9: “And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud,
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This story keeps on deepening. (If you haven’t followed the story read through the link at the bottom of this article) The latest is a response from a guy whose brother happened to look like the kid from the Catholic school. His name was put on social media and as a result his family and
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PSA: The government is currently shut down because Trump wants his wall but the Democrats say it is inefficient and ineffective. Trump is asking for 5 billion. The daily cost of discretionary spending that is currently being saved (though most will be retroactively paid once the government is open again) is 3 billion dollars. That
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My wife, Christie, listened to the recent discussion between Andy Stanley and Dr. Flowers and felt compelled to write a letter to Pastor Stanley. “Dear Pastor Stanley, This morning my husband was listening to an interview you did with Dr. Flowers a couple of days ago. He came across it through a Twitter post. I
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“The catastrophic recent weather events in the United States, Asia and elsewhere have once again shown that the world is in the midst of a climate crisis of our own making. While countries like ours are on the front lines of the worst impacts to come, these events remind us that no country is immune.
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I’ve spent a lot of time this week thinking about the race issues among believers that have been seemingly widened this week or probably just uncovered some more via the MLK50 conference. I’ve discovered I don’t have the ability I would like to express what I want to, nor do I have the wisdom or
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Sometimes the darkness seems to be winning – and you wonder if there is light to be found. Sometimes it is a chore just to lift your head and trudge through the day and you wonder if there is any meaning to be had. Sometimes the storm seems too daunting – the pressure too much
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As often happens my soul was refreshed at church today – the well-selected songs, the body of Christ together and a message that reminded me again of the goodness and patience of God towards sinners. I could tell the many around me experienced that same thing. My week has been a discouraging one and today
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Read Daniel 9:1-19 Pray The Story of Israel Abraham – Isaac – Jacob Moses – Exodus – Promised Land Judges – United Kingdom – Divided Kingdom Manasseh – He rebuilt worship centers to false gods His father had destroyed. He burned his son as a human sacrifice to a false god. His reign was full
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Scripture James says every good gift, every perfect gift comes down from above from the Father. Moses charges us to serve the Lord with Joyfulness and gladness of heart because of the abundance of all things. James says to set our hopes on God – who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Thankful How
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We graph 0.9 degrees of temperature change like the recent stock market performance held upside down. We also graph the world as going from ice cold blue to inferno from hell using the same less than a degree change measurement. Money, power, politics and social standing are all aligned to suppress any doubts or questions
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The esteemed Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, just 3 years ago said, “Transportation pollution paying for transportation solutions. It’s not our children’s lungs that should be burned. It should be polluters.” http://komonews.com/…/gov-inslee-wants-new-tax-to-fund-12-b… This resulted in a 12 cent per gallon tax increase that was phased in over 2 steps – one in 2015 and one
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1) During my first summer break I stayed in the dorms and attended a movie at the local theater. There was a “spy” at the theater who reported my nefarious activity to the Dean of Students who called me to his office. He asked me to admit whether or not I had committed the said
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Have you heard that the tax bill is “permanent” for corporations and “goes way up after 10 years” for the middle class and there is “no tax relief for the middle class” in the bill? I just read articles this morning from the New York Times, Washington Post and US Today stating these exact things.
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Many of you know Bob Smith – somehow it has been 7 years since he passed away – If you didn’t know him he was a great and dear friend and I miss him…. I had the honor of speaking at his funeral and I thought I would share my comments from that today in
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Two ways to think about taxes. Everyone should pay a portion of their income (as small as possible) to ensure that defense and infrastructure needs are met or… the tax code should be used to press the agenda of whatever the current whim of the US Congress is – ie tax credits. Tax credits also
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“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” “He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all” I had one of those awful dreams one has from time to time where someone you love dies. This time
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The head is struck A flash, a flicker, a flame Illumination, heat, beauty A beat Nothing The heart awakens A beat, a beginning, a being Meaning, passion, pursuit A beat Nothing Let me not squander nor misuse This briefest breath – this second’s song And grant that I might firmly choose To trust, though weak,
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NT Wright is a brilliant NT Scholar and a leading teacher on the New Perspective on Paul. A very simplistic summary of one of the tenets of NPP is that there was no issue in scripture around whether law keeping was the means of attaining salvation. Judaism according to Wright already had grace built in
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Romans 9 The Statement “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” WHOOOAAAA God …hates???? That would be unjust!! 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! This must be about something else not about God saving people… 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on
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The bent of Paul’s heart to rage against God is the same bent of every heart apart from awakening grace. The need of Paul to be knocked off his horse by the blinding light of the Lord is not a “Paul” need. God must reveal himself or we perish. The response of faith in Paul
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Mount Morality’s slopes are too steep They’ve been the death of many To Mount Calvary will I fly And there be rescued by my Savior’s strength. The Law’s demands I strive to keep But only find despair I reap I try again my case to plead Brought to my face in desperate need Then the
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The latter half of Albert Einstein’s celebrated life was spent on a grand quest – a quest to unify multiple disciplines into one simplified formula that would explain how everything works in the universe. Einstein called it Unified Field Theory. Modern physicists refer to the “theory of everything.” Einstein failed to achieve his goal. Though
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KJV was requested by the host church – It had been a while 🙂
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Powerful sequence in Amos 4 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And lack of bread in all your places, Yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord. I also withheld the rain from you When there were yet three months to the harvest… …So two or three
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All of us can see things we would like to be different in Moses Lake – reduced violence and drugs, better jobs and pay, more restaurants and shopping (Olive Garden and Winco anyone?). As a society, we have become so dependent on government to initiate and determine change that we have forgotten that we live
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John 11:14 “Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. John 11:35 “Jesus Wept” What is Jesus glad about in verse 14? That “he was not there” Glad that he was not there to prevent Lazarus’ death!
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Intro: Introduced to this church via Bob Smith – Review Series – Beginning to End Communion with God – is the great end for which we are made – Philippians 3:8-9 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all
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1) I was and remain strongly in favor of the school bond passing. It is essential, in my opinion, to the success of our public schools and health of our community. 2) I was relieved that the bond had appeared to pass by the narrowest of margins 3) I was irritated by the challenge to
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3 Issues in the new Trump era. 1) Rule via executive order. Republicans and conservatives rightly were incensed over the way president Obama thumbed his nose at the opposition and bypassed congress by executive orders. Trump is doubling down on Obama’s precedent and the right is largely silent about it or excuse it. We
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6 reasons why I am supporting the new high school project. Moses Lake High School has the 2nd highest attendance in the state out of 550 high schools. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/largest-enrollment/s/washington/ The high school was remodeled 22 years ago to accommodate 1600 students. Enrollment is at 2226. Which means we are more than 600 over the
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If I could just have the passion and wisdom of John Piper, the fortitude and exegetical prowess of John MacArthur, the practical insights of Paul Tripp, the spiritual depth of Larry Crabb, the mind and theological grasp of Michael Horton, the thunder of Paul Washer, the grace of Brennan Manning, the knowledge of Tim Keller
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Reading today in I Kings 11 and 12 Due to Solomon’s sin of going after other gods, God says his kingdom will not endure. And the prophet Ahijah says this to Jeroboam: “Behold I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes…” But how will he
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Joshua 7:24: “And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of
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I asked my Cuban-born cab driver how he felt about Castro dying He said, “I don’t care that he died.” I asked him if he thought things would be different in Cuba He said, “No way – the people ruling are too hungry for power.” I asked him about Colin Kaepernick. He said, “Who?”
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Here it is Thanksgiving morning again. The family is still asleep. It is quiet and my mind is turning over the question, “What am I truly thankful for?” For what does my heart sing in gratitude and delight?
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Let’s keep this as simple as possible. The first principle that needs to be understood is that when our founding fathers were setting the shape of this country there was great concern that states maintain their rights and equal representation. So two houses of congress were formed. The House of Representatives which is comprised of
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Tonight I dreamed. In my dream my Dad, with whom I’m very close, was ill
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I John 2:8 “Because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shinning.” There seems to me to be a great chasm between my most holy and righteous works and God’s righteousness. It is a chasm unscalable by my great discipline or willpower or ability. It is infinitely high I cannot get
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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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We tend to think of this world as something God wound up and set in order but that He does not involve Himself directly in everything that happens. Often we say this to “protect” God from being accused of being evil or unjust when a natural disaster strikes. That wasn’t God – that was just
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I think some of the differences lie in 1) Only Trumpers consider Hillary to be way more evil than Trump – While never Trumpers think it is impossible to distinguish. 2) Only Trumpers believe that Trump will do what he says and is committed to a conservative course of action this is why you overlook
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“God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ” Been thinking about this text for a while. Lots of implications but I’ll just give you a little of what I’ve been mulling lately. God is not as interested in
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You don’t have to have your eyes open very wide to realize there is something horribly wrong in the world. I recently picked up a book given to my oldest son Steven by his teacher – Mrs. Copley. It is titled simply “Night” and the book describes the horrors of a young Jewish boy by
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Meditation on Isaiah 31-32 Worry reveals my doubt in the Lord’s sovereignty and/or His goodness. When I worry I am constantly hatching new schemes to fix my own problems. When things go wrong I tend to utilize other resources – usually myself – rather than depending on God. But God says – “Woe to those
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How to Love God Part 2 John Bunyan: “When God brings sinners into the covenant of grace, he doth first kill them with the covenant of works, which is the moral law, or ten commandments.” To sum up yesterday’s post I argued that the main work of the law is to reveal God’s holiness and
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How to Love God And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
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To the extent the Law of God is made attainable with statements like – do your best and God will do the rest – we not only cheapen what the law says we lose grace in the process. The law clearly says “your best efforts” are not going to be sufficient – more than that
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I am increasingly appreciative of the Word. It has a way of speaking by the Holy Spirit that nothing else can do. I don’t know about you but there are a lot of other voices in my head – and the Word of God is able to transcend them and speak with clarity words of
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‘Twas the night before Christmas – no not the one with tinsel and bows and Christmas trees – the one over 2000 years ago. Almost no one knew what was coming and even those that had an inkling did not understand the magnitude of the moment. For most people it was just an ordinary night.
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Observation on God’s sovereignty in today’s Bible reading: 1) Jeremiah 1 “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” God’s sovereign choice does not mean Jeremiah is
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Here is what I have noticed about every story– there must be a plight. There must be a peril to be rescued from – Kirk must have Klingons endangering the Enterprise or there is no story – there is no glory – there is no rescue. Can you imagine Superman flying at the speed of
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In Isaiah, Assyria is “the rod of God’s anger” against a godless nation. And God uses them to plunder and spoil the “people of his wrath.” And when God has completed his appointed purpose for the nation of Assyria, Assyria says, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom,
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Philip Yancey writes in his book on prayer, “A hundred times a second lightning strikes somewhere on earth, and I for one do not believe God personally programs each course.” Why does Yancey say this? Why would it bother him if God was planning the path of every lightning bolt? Is he concerned about God
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I believe every person who sees the depth of their need and the beauty of Christ will willingly come to Christ I believe that no one is able or willing to see the depths of their sin or the beauty of Christ unless God reveals it to them. I believe God reveals a man’s sin
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TRUE OR FALSE “God doesn’t care if you are happy. He cares that you are holy.” I know this post is a little longer than normal but sometimes it takes few paragraphs to say something! So in the spirit of Shakespeare’s Polonius statement “As brevity is the soul of wit…. I continue.”
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I’m sitting in an Olive Garden in Bloomington, IL. My thoughts of what heaven will be like do not much exceed this.
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If we shine the light too brightly that Christianity is mainly about personal transformation – we create a hierarchy that encourages people’s natural inclination to push their sin underground and pretend to be more than they are. If we, instead, shine the light brightly on the beauty of Jesus – His Holiness – His Compassion
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The law is like a man in a sailboat with a sailing instruction manual. He knows what proper sailing is – He may even possess a lot of technology to aid him in sailing. But his knowledge and tech cannot move him across the water. Only wind can do that. So we must stop preaching
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I had this picture come to mind on Sunday while in church. You remember the scene in the movie Hook with Robin Williams where he has met the Lost Boys and he sits down at the end of a very long day to what he thinks is going to be a glorious meal, but when
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This is the excerpt for your very first post.
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Disclaimer: Christie and I just celebrated 20 years of marriage. It has been good and sweet and difficult and humbling. Please don’t despair from the happy picture, there are many times it has been ugly. The statement below is what I have been convinced of from Scripture. I truly believe that God is able to keep
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Brilliant light – light so pure and piercing – light radiating in an incomprehensible spectrum – light so bright as to be unapproachable. In the midst of the light, on a throne, high and lifted up – the God of gods and the King of kings – the Lord of all the hosts of heaven
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Dean Koontz: “Everyone talks about justice, but there can be no justice where there is no truth, and these are times when truth is seldom recognized and often despised.” If you grew up in a conservative Christian culture like I did you probably feel as if the world is coming undone.
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There is one way and only one way that we are sanctified and that is by beholding the beauty and glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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What if church were a place where… …people felt the weight of their own sin more than yours …the undeserved grace of God was experienced so strongly that you were truly loved despite your failures and flaws …you could confess your faults and reveal all the is ugly about yourself with brutal honesty without fear
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Love does not require that one accepts everything about a person. True love may require, in fact, that we speak to someone about the error of their ways. As a parent, if my child wants to play on the railroad tracks, it is, in fact, unloving if I say “Sure, honey, do whatever you want.” If
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There is a God who if you “be good” he will help you feel good = Moralistic Therapeutic Deism NOT the Christian Gospel. Instead Christianity says There is a God, who seeing the evil of mankind, sent his own Son, Jesus, as a man to suffer and die in their place so that all who
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1) Jesus is our destination – Knowing Him is our highest good and joy. He is what our souls were designed for and crave. Rom 5:11
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I do not think a person needs to be perfect to be president of the United States. I certainly am not. But neither do I believe they are qualified if they shamelessly and repeatedly make their sin their glory and boast. It is for this reason, I cannot
Passionate Grace 