Our Sure Foundation
The workers knew something wasn’t right. A crack in the exterior wall of an 8-story building in Bangladesh was a tell-tale sign that the edifice, still under construction, was pretty sketchy. Sadly, the structure tumbled down the next day, resulting in the death of more than 150 people and injuring more than a thousand others. Eventually, it was determined that a faulty foundation contributed to the big collapse.
crushed
The other day I read two passages in Deuteronomy and Numbers with similar messages. They caused me to recognize more deeply the consequences of disobeying God and failing to heed His warnings. Put succinctly: Moving forward without God’s leading, permission, or assistance, regardless of how we justify our words or actions, will lead to His judgment.
gospel 101
Suppose there was a nonbeliever visiting your home church. At the end of the worship service, your pastor asked you to share the gospel with the guest. What would you say to him? What about the good news would you present?
widows and children
Widows were the epitome of the destitute and desperate in ancient Jewish society. In his gospel, Luke often wrote of widows and their journeys of faith: the prophetess Anna who saw the newborn Messiah (Luke 2:36-38); the widow of Zarephath who ministered to Elijah (Luke 4:26; 1 Kings 17:18-19); the widow of Nain whose only son was raised from the dead by Jesus (Luke 7:11-15); and the poor widow who gave two small copper coins (Luke 21:1-4). Luke also records Jesus telling a parable about a persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), encouraging His listeners “to always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1).
the day
Recently, our family took a trip to visit my parents in a distant state. Our two boys love their “Grams” and “Pa,” so they were excited to see their grandparents. They were also excited to miss a week of school, to travel by aircraft, and because we had tickets for all of the guys in the family to attend a local university football game. As you can imagine, my boys counted the days leading up to the trip, something that was both excruciating and immensely exciting for them.
flood of justice
God judges sin because he loathes what it does to us and to others. There is no other motive in God, nothing deeper than His love for us. He wants us to loathe sin, too—and be its executioner. If we won’t, he will!” —David Roper (Elijah: A Man Like Us)
when bad guys win
How do you feel when you play by the rules, but the cheaters win? Not pleasant, huh? But things like that happen in life—sometimes bad guys win and the good guys suffer.
heavy lifting
An elderly man saw me struggling to carry a heavy box from my car to the post office. Rather than let his age, a pronounced limp, or hot weather deter him, he rushed to my assistance.
you choose Q: after judgment will we go to heaven or the new earth? Also, will aborted babies be judged?
Q: After judgment, will we go to heaven or the new earth? Also, will the aborted babies be judged? —Daniel
A: The Bible speaks of a final judgment where every human person will stand before God’s “great white throne” (Revelation 20:11-12). Those who do not know Jesus, “anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life” will be…
no fish story
Why is God so big on judgment? Perhaps a better question is: Why is God so patient with us?
roadside theology
Traveling south on a highway, I passed a billboard that presented this ominous message: HELL IS REAL. I agreed with the words, but for some reason that roadside theology lesson didn’t linger in my mind. However, returning north on the same route I was jolted out of highway hypnosis by the words on the flipside of the billboard: JESUS IS REAL. These two truths posted back-to-back made me ask myself, Why doesn’t the reality of hell drive me to share Christ more frequently?
indicted or invited?
There are two ways most people tend to read the Bible. One is to read it mostly as an indictment of the human race. In other words, we’re sinful rebels who are bent on finding life apart from God.
