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In: abuse, Bible and Theology, Fatherhood, God's Character, God's love, Prayer and Devotions

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13) Jesus asks us in the preceding verses which of us would deliberately give their child something harmful and poisonous when their child asks their parent to meet a basic need the child has to sustain life. Sadly, in our day, we can imagine, if not understand, people who would deliberately and knowingly kill their own child. The fact still remains, all but the heartless sociopath and the selfish narcissist at least have a desireRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, God's Character, God's love, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) We have a tendency to reason about what God would do and how he would act from our fallen sinful nature. We reason, since we love so-and-so, and we accept their behavior and love them just the way we are, since this is what our love does, surely that is what God’s love does, too. Nope. He loves us, but he doesn’t accept our sin–he wants us to surrender it to him, so he can in turn makeRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, God's Character, Idols, Sin and Holiness

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” (Colossians 3:12) Then tells us we need to ask: why are we, God’s chosen holy and beloved ones to put on compassion, kindness, meekness and patience? What are we missing by not asking why? The answer to that question for this verse, and to the same question regarding an earlier list of  sinful inclinations of our fallen flesh that we’re to put to death, is found in verses 1-4 and 11: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated atRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, God's Character, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15) Quite a bit packed into this one verse. First,  Peter reminds us Christ isn’t like us. He’s holy, not a sinner, and should be honored as such. If we don’t watch ourselves, we will project our sinful thinking onto Christ to justify our pet sins, since, obviously, Jesus would think that is okay (often we pull out our sinful version of love here.)Read More →

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In: Bible and Theology, God's promises, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35,37) Paul is long winded, so for the full scope of what he is saying, we need to read chapters seven and eight of Romans in one sitting, or at least 8:26-39. The most crucial context to these verses appears to be, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, howRead More →