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Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same resolve--because the One who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin-- in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God's will. For there has already been enough time spent in doing the will of the pagans: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. In regard to this, they are surprised that you don't plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation--and they slander you. They will give an account…  ( Click for more )

On that same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his household--both slaves born in his house and those purchased with money from a foreigner--were circumcised with him. Then the LORD appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. – Genesis 17:26-18:1 HCSB

God came to 99-year-old Abraham and in essence told him, “Listen, I’m going to do right by you and take care of you. There’s this one thing I need you to do however…”

I can imagine…  ( Click for more )

A Davidic hymn. I exalt You, my God the King, and praise Your name forever and ever. I will praise You every day; I will honor Your name forever and ever. Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable. One generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim Your mighty acts. I will speak of Your glorious splendor and Your wonderful works. They will proclaim the power of Your awe-inspiring works, and I will declare Your greatness. - Psalm 145:1-6 HCSB

I have the tremendous privilege of coming from a long line of God’s children. Many in…  ( Click for more )

For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself--a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:5-6 HCSB

People who turn to the spirits of the dead for help are cursed and on the edge of destruction.[1]The Bible is clear in stating that we should not fabricate objects upon which we focus veneration.[2] Offering sacrifices to the dead, like burning incense or candles, in order to appease them and get them to consider our requests, is also forbidden.[3]

The prohibition is wide ranging in its application.…  ( Click for more )

A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house 'Beelzebul,' how much more the members of his household! "Therefore, don't be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won't be uncovered, and nothing hidden that won't be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper, proclaim on the housetops. Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able…  ( Click for more )

And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ.…  ( Click for more )

The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him. - Proverbs 18:17 HCSB

Many years ago, an old saint was in the habit of going around asking people for money. He wouldn’t say what it was for – like a little kid he would simply ask for the change in people’s pockets. After a while, the people in his village grew tired of him asking for their money.

“He doesn’t even need it!” they would whisper to each other behind his back. “I mean, it’s not like he’s rich, but he’s not poor either.…  ( Click for more )

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. - 2 Timothy 2:2 HCSB

“I don’t need to attend church.” Some claim. “I can stay home and read my Bible. The Holy Spirit Himself teaches me.” They’ll even quote, “The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in Him.”[1]

However, just…  ( Click for more )

Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). They said, "Does the LORD speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?" And the LORD heard it. Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth. Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "You three come out to the tent of meeting." So the three of them went out. - Numbers 12:1-4 HCSB

God is concerned about decency and order.[1] Since the very first act of worship, God has always wanted things done…  ( Click for more )

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!" And Jesus responded, "Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven." - Matthew 16:16-19 HCSB

One of the first times “qahal”[1]Israel…  ( Click for more )

Does any of you who has a complaint against someone dare go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels--not to speak of things pertaining to this life? So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge? I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who will be able to arbitrate between his brothers?…  ( Click for more )

In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit's mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined,…  ( Click for more )

“The Lord demands fairness in every business deal; he sets the standard.” – Proverbs 16:11

Quentin O’Connor, the noted lawyer, died and went to heaven. He had no sooner gotten inside the Pearly Gates when a tremendous chorus of angels began to sing gloriously in his honor. The air was filled with a golden aura, clouds of incense wafted everywhere, and approaching O’Connor was St. Peter himself.

“O’Connor,” said the celestial gatekeeper, “we have long been awaiting you. You are the first human being ever to break…  ( Click for more )

See, he is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit. He dug a pit and hollowed it out, but fell into the hole he had made. His trouble comes back on his own head, and his violence falls on the top of his head. - Psalm 7:14-16 HCSB

As the Allies began encroaching on German territory, the Nazis were forced to close their death camps. They desperately worked to move the prisoners by train to other camps, trying to hide their cruelty.

One guard, known for his cruel treatment of Jewish prisoners, seized upon an opportunity to beat one of his hapless victims…  ( Click for more )

Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me. Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? - Job 38:2-5 HCSB

A great surgeon once allowed a shoemaker to observe him at work. The shoemaker watched with no small measure of trepidation as the master surgeon skillfully sliced into his patient’s body. Oddly enough, it seemed to the shoemaker that the surgeon was cutting…  ( Click for more )

And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. - Acts 2:17-21 HCSB

God has used prophetic dreams and visions in the past and will do so again in a particularly startling fashion toward the End of Days.[1]

Today, God principally speaks to us through His Son[2] Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.[3] The Bible is the Word of God in written form. God the Father gave it to Christ. Christ, in turn, inspired both the…  ( Click for more )

And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. - Acts 2:17-21 HCSB

Sometimes, God speaks directly to us in dreams.[1][2] However, in a day when beautiful coffee table books on angels and dreams are a dime a dozen, we need to remember that these divine dreams were not always very pleasant. Often, they were positively nightmarish.[3] At one time, this was a highly sought-out form of divine communication and those who…  ( Click for more )

Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. - Ephesians 6:11-13 HCSB

On the 24th of March 1969, a young Marine named Ronald Coker was serving as a point man, patrolling in the Vietnamese province…  ( Click for more )

He said to another person, “Come, be my disciple.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” Jesus replied, “Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-62)

Have you ever noticed how often…  ( Click for more )

"Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-19 HCSB

There is a growing and very vital movement to…  ( Click for more )

…the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men…Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let nothing he said prove false. All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear in Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word. - 1 Samuel 2:26; 3:19-21 HCSB

As a young man, Samuel was a rare find. His mother dedicated him to the Lord and left him at the Temple immediately after he was weaned. His character was near perfection. “Holekh va’gadel”…  ( Click for more )

"Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there." So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink." As she went to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I don't have anything baked--only a handful of flour in the jar and…  ( Click for more )

For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. - Galatians 5:13-14 HCSB

There are many today who try to foist a “Gospel of love” on believers. They emphasize God’s grace and mercy so much that they actually wink at sin! Galatians 5:13-14 is one of the favorite passages they like to quote. However, its historical context includes the fact that the Judaizers were trying to get the…  ( Click for more )

Alternate title: Ecotheology

The nations were angry, but Your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear Your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth. – Revelation 11:18 HCSB

Those who abuse their stewardship are not likely to make it to heaven.[1] We are Jesus’ slaves and He has put us in charge of the care of his possessions. One of the perks is that we get to eat the Master’s food. However, the Lord…  ( Click for more )