Category Archive for "Christian Living" | Living Hope International Ministries

Facing Anxiety

Anxiety is on the rise in America. Anxiety disorders afflict an astounding 40 million adults in the United States today according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Keeping in mind that these include only those with official diagnoses. The actual number of those vexed by chronic anxiety is likely much higher. Beyond these…

Hellenism and Christianity

Hellenism refers to the achievements and influence of the Greeks in social and political institutions including the arts, science, philosophy, morals, and religion. In ancient Greek mythology, the term comes from Hellen (a man, not a woman), whose parents were saved from a devastating flood that destroyed all of creation. His parents, Deucalion and Pyrrha,…

Praising Yahweh

At this holiday time of our calendar year, everyone is thinking about joy and happiness either from a standpoint of having joy from Yahweh in their hearts, or from a bah, humbug, joyless frame of mind that comes from being distant from Yahweh. People also can become anxious about New Year’s resolutions saying, “What does…

The Bible’s View of the Human Body, 5: Personhood Theory

The Bible’s nuanced and practical view of the body has lost much ground in our culture today. In its place, a new understanding has grown up that draws a strong distinction between the body and the mind. Much of this thinking grew out of the work of René Descartes (1596-1650), a French philosopher and mathematician…

Parenting Children

On a recent Sunday during our church service, I noticed several babies under a year old whose little bright faces were peering over their mother’s shoulders at those who were behind their parents. Such happy faces and sweet smiles! Before the service began, one young preschooler was on her grandfather’s lap with her head on…

REST

The Lord Jesus Christ promised that, no matter the stormy circumstance of life, we can enter into a safe and protected haven with him. Living in an age that has Satan as its god plus the constant struggle with our own sin nature and our concern for loved ones and other matters sometimes invokes weariness…

Part 5, CHURCH IN SARDIS, 3:1-6

The second and third chapters of Revelation record Jesus’ communication to seven of the churches in Asia. This article is the fifth in a series of seven reviewing these chapters. Although Jesus spoke specifically to each church, his message is of great significance to all who want to enter the Kingdom of God. "To the…

Children are a Gift from the LORD Part 1

Yahweh makes a consistent point that if we have the gift of children, we are to teach and train them according to the Word of God. One of the first commandments that Yahweh gave to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply. Being fruitful and multiplying means to have children. Genesis 1:28a God…

The Bible’s View of the Human Body, 4: Boundaries

Since we have both God’s original design as well as fallenness in our bones, we cannot simply seek to fulfil our bodily appetites whenever we feel an urge. Owing to “the flesh,” our desires are not always in tune with God’s original good design. We can see this easily, using the illustration of eating a…

Treasure in My Heart

A wonderful believer was recounting a very serious family difficulty and remarked that in looking back on the tragic time, she saw where she would crumble in her trust that Yahweh would provide relief from the pain. But, being the steadfast believer she is, this was short-lived. The reason for the quick turn-around was, she…

The Bible’s View of the Human Body 2: Holistic Redemption

Last time we looked at how the creation and fall affect how we think about our bodies. We are at once the result of God’s magnificent design, bearing His image and simultaneously fallen, radically seeking our own selfish interests. Thankfully, God does not leave us alone in this condition. He has provided a solution to…

Building Character

The following quotes (in paragraphs 2, 4, and 7-9) are from N.T. Wright’s book entitled: After You Believe (Why Christian Character Matters). The words in brackets in the following (paragraph 2) are my addition. To begin with, you have to grasp the fact that Christian virtue isn’t about you – your happiness, your fulfillment, your…

Is That You, God?

John 8:47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” The NABRE states it this way: “…because you do not belong to God.” This is a very bold and startling statement, but it answers the question, “God, is what I…

CHURCH IN PERGAMUM – 2:12-17

The second and third chapters of Revelation record Jesus’ communication to seven of the churches in Asia. This article is the third in a series of seven reviewing these chapters. Although Jesus spoke specifically to each church, his message is of great significance to all who want to enter the Kingdom of God. And…

The Bible’s View of the Human Body 1: Creation and Fall

Between the apathy and reductionism of those who think our biological bodies don't matter and the vanity and superficiality of the celebrity culture that places ultimate value on appearance, the Bible offers a surprisingly elevated view of the body that engenders respect but not worship. In a world of sexual harassment, abortion, and sex reassignment…

Be Like Ezra

Ezra lived at a hinge time in history. The Babylonians had demolished Judah and captured the people, bringing them to Babylon. After seventy years, the Persian Empire overtook the Babylonians and permitted the Israelites to return home. The reason for this traumatic series of events was the people’s idolatry. God had prophesied through Jeremiah and…

The LORD is my Banner

Many debate whether Yahweh is involved in our life events or not, and also, if He is involved, to what extent He is involved. Is He really interested in helping me with my problems? Is He really there to support me in times of trouble? Let us look at a record of Moses leading the…

Overcomers (Study of 7 Churches in Revelation)

Revelation, as the last book, projects into the future by using hundreds of quotations or allusions from the rest of the Bible. In addition to comprehensive eschatological (regarding end times) information, a remarkable, succinct compilation of descriptive information about Yahweh is set forth similar to the Torah when God first revealed Himself. In addition, a…

Seeking Signs

While talking to a large group of people that included the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus stated boldly that those Pharisees who sought a sign are a wicked generation and will not see another sign other than the sign of Jonah. There were two signs that Jonah represented. One was the sign of being dead in…

Christ-Minded Service

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. (Matthew 20:20) The sons of Zebedee are James and John, who along with Peter were the three apostles Jesus trained the most. Their mother was among the women who ministered to Jesus according…

Restoring Authentic Christianity 2

Last time, we looked at some key values that help us arrive at biblical truth. In what follows, we’ll consider three ways of figuring out what to believe. Simply put, our goal is to grasp New Testament Christianity and live it out today. We pursue this goal through Bible study (exegesis), doctrinal synthesis, and evaluating…

Yahweh’s Love Relationship with You

If one were to ask you, “Does your past or future primarily influence and shape your life,” what would you answer? We may have handicaps, traumatic family of origin issues, school and work failures, abuse, pride, fame, or poverty and wealth that have dynamically affected us. On the other hand, we may have been primarily…

Sober and Alert

Our God’s lovingkindness abounds toward us. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who love and worship Him. His compassionate fatherly concerns make Him sensitive to our needs. He longs to help us. We live in a hostile world influenced by the devil, so indeed we…

The Evil One

The devil endeavors to disgrace and defame Yahweh by misinforming humanity about Him. He also strives to humiliate, destroy, and kill all people while blaming God for his evil. The devil’s titles reveal his large-scale systematic scheme against Yahweh and humanity. He is called the liar in John 8:44, the tempter in Matthew 4:3-4, the…

Something to Consider: Loving or Judging

Blessings, Beloved, We all want to be loved and hate be harshly judged. Those who have faith in Christ are a part of the family of God which is an interdependent family relationship. The world is too evil, and we are too weak to walk alone. We need each other in order to stay faithful…

Yield to Being Righteous

Paul writes in Romans chapter 6:5-10 that we are to be enslaved to righteousness and not enslaved to sin. Then in verse 12 we are instructed to refuse allowing sin to reign in our lives. Instead of doing evil, we are to present ourselves as Yahweh’s righteous people. In the next verse, we are instructed…

Simple Prayer

The great battlefield for Christians is in the mind. As Christians connected to Christ, we are blessed with a new life called in Ephesians the “new self” and in Galatians “the spirit.” However, as humans we are still connected to Adam from whom we inherited the sin nature which again in Ephesians was called the…

A Tender Plant – A Changed Heart

Jesus is prophesied in Isaiah 53:2 as a young plant that grows out of dry ground. When we see parched, dry soil that is cracked and barren with a young plant growing out of it, we become amazed at the tenacity and strength of the plant that could grow in such formidable circumstances AND bring…

7 Paradoxes

Ephesians 5:31-32 Marriage is an example of how the church is to function. A paradox is a seemingly self-contradictory declaration but is in fact true. 1. STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS: 2 Cor. 12:10; Ephesians 2:1-3 Most of us come into a marriage relationship knowing only what we do not want it to be rather than…

Godly Dependence

Uriah was a member of Israel’s elite Special Forces. He was a man of impeccable character, someone David went to battle with many times. Yet, David impregnated Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, while he was on the battle field. Eliam, her father, was also a member of this elite, 30-man Special Forces. Eliam’s father, Ahithophel, was one…

Will You Go the Distance with Yahweh?

The term “go the distance” means to carry on through a course of action to completion. In boxing it means to last for all the rounds, and in baseball it means to pitch an entire game. When Yahweh wants to work through us and gives us a task, we are to stay with what Yahweh…

Dealing with Our Culture 7: Patriotism

As we continue in our series on dealing with the culture, the time has come to consider patriotism, national identity, and allegiance. Patriotism is the feeling of love for one’s native country, which encompasses a spectrum from a mere love and gratitude to one’s home country to swearing allegiance to support one’s country regardless of…

Humility Compared to Pride

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The humble acknowledges that Yahweh is the Almighty God and has sovereignty. He believes that God is the source and maintainer of all life. His heart is fixed on Yahweh, and his mouth utters constant praise and exultation for…

Jesus’ Guidelines for Prayer

Jesus provided very specific instruction about prayer in His first teaching, The Sermon on the Mount, and in Luke 11 when his disciples asked “Lord, teach us to pray.” “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street…

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

Today’s news is basically the same content: steal, kill, and destroy. How can one live in this world with peace and joy? Humankind looks to all kinds of activities that, for a short time, may try to fill the void that only Yahweh can fill. Many Christians today, if asked, will report that they are…

Dealing with Our Culture 5: Scientism

In this series of articles, I’ve examined several cultural currents that are constantly nudging us to think a certain way. Today, I’d like to address the relationship of science and faith by looking at scientism. Scientism is the idea that the kind of information gained from the scientific method is superior to all other means…

God Is Not Done With You Yet

Thinking back on your life, do you ever think of some time when you really “messed up”? While contemplating that time, do you think that God turned His back on you and that He cannot work with you anymore? So many of us have watershed moments of failure in life that change our focus or…

The Reason for Man

The reason for man is a personal, continuous, and intimate love relationship with Yahweh. Far more important than wealth, prestige, human relationships, accomplishment, or success of any kind is our love association with our Father God. When this is first, then everything else in life seems to work out properly. When it is not as…

God is at Work in the World

Philip had tremendous success reaching people for the Lord in the city of Samaria. After Peter and John visited the city and helped with the work, the angel of the Lord told Philip to “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” He obeyed and found an Ethiopian sitting…

Who is on the Throne?

The problem for mankind since Adam and Eve’s fall is “self” replacing the centrality of God in their minds and therefore actions. When we consider the self-centeredness common to all of us, it is hard to imagine what it was like to always have God rather than self enthroned in the heart. We are all…

“I Will Not Forsake You”

Have you ever had the thought that you are all alone and there is NO ONE to help you and felt the sickening dread that comes with this realization? It usually happens when we see no way out, no one to come to our aid, no one seems to care, and worse – you think…

Follow Me

Shortly before his ascension, Jesus had a significant conversation with Peter. John 21: 17-22 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things;…

The Law of Reciprocal Honor

Dear Saint, God has blessed you. Your relationship with God is the single most important aspect of your life, and He is the initiator of this relationship. He loved and called you plus placed the desire within you to love and respond to Him. In our culture, success is measured by how busy we are…

Dealing with Our Culture 4: Progress

Over the course of time, humanity has made incredible progress. Slavery was once a widespread and accepted institution, but it is almost universally outlawed today. Workers’ rights, including child labor and equal opportunity employment, have made great strides in the last century. The realm of medicine has made remarkable progress over the last couple of…

Run the Race

The group of runners carefully approached the starting blocks, doing last-minute stretches before placing their feet in the blocks. They each knew that it was a privilege to have a real chance to participate in such an experience. No activities up until now had even come close to such an opportunity. They breathlessly awaited the…

Dealing with Our Culture 3: Tolerance

Tolerance, as our culture defines it, is the idea that people should have the freedom to be themselves. You shouldn’t try to change people or hold them to your standards. You certainly shouldn’t push your religion on others. Faith is a private matter, so proselytizing is immoral. You shouldn’t label, define, or stereotype people. Since…

Marital Happiness

Finding a spouse and maintaining a good marriage may consume much of one’s thinking, effort, and time. Western culture has significantly skewed the whole process of love and marriage away from Scripture and its teachings about the topic. A simple internet search will reveal the dismal statistics of Christian couples living together and divorce rates…

Fathered by God

A great source of joy for faithful Bible readers is the correlation of both Jesus and Christians to the truth of being fathered by God. In a practical way, Christians are powerfully helped in their commitment not to keep on practicing a sinful lifestyle. They are wonderfully watched over and protected from the evil one…

Holy is He

Yahweh our God is THE God! Deuteronomy 10:17 says it well: For Yahweh, your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. The Bible makes clear there are other lesser gods and other lesser…

Balaam and the Birth of Jesus

The birth of Jesus Christ was extraordinary, or should I say supernatural, in so many ways with perhaps the most surprising being the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Balaam. When Israel was at the end of their 40 years in the wilderness, they came to Moab just east of where they would eventually cross…

The Excellent Way

Dear Believer, God’s abounding blessings to you during this holiday season. Profound and riveting is the clear and emphatic emphasis Jesus placed on love. When the skeptical lawyer asked Jesus what was the great commandment in the Law, his response was to love God with your all and all and to love your neighbor as…

Dealing with our Culture 2: Hyper-Individualism

In my last post, “Seeing the Filter,” I considered how the culture is constantly nudging our sense of what’s normal by scripting and re-scripting what we think will make us safe and happy. The world puts filters over our eyes to color how we perceive everything without us even noticing it. Such deception is insidious…

Joy and Thanksgiving

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good;…

Dealing with Our Culture 1: Seeing the Filter

This past summer, I learned how to surf at Jacksonville Beach in Florida. While I was in the ocean, I constantly battled the waves pushing me towards the beach and the undertow pulling me back towards the sea. However, it was not until I came out of the water a quarter of a mile down…

We Can Do This

After five days of creating heaven and earth, on the sixth day, God made animals and created man and woman. Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. It is of note that the word “created” is used three times…

Election Over; We Won!

The constant bombardment from the election seems to never end! The candidates passionately crow their qualifications, promises, and ad nauseam slander their opponent. Thousands of years ago, Yahweh God elected David to sit on His throne and promised that a descendant of his would reign as king in the world-wide Kingdom that is to come.…

Donald MacMillan of Scotland is visiting this weekend and will be sharing and leading us in a praise service at Living Hope on Saturday night at 7pm as well as helping out Sunday morning. This will be a great time to enjoy Christian music and extol our wonderful God together that you won't want to…

The Confession of Sins

At the heart of redemption, Romans 4 declares the following assurance while using a quote from Psalm 32. Look at David, too, for a moment. He describes the blessedness of the man whom God reckons as righteous on a basis other than that of works when he says: Blessed are they whose transgressions have been…

Habits of a Disciple: 6 Giving

When we lived in Georgia, Ruth and I visited Creflo Dollar’s church, the World Changer Dome, for a Sunday service. We went to fulfill an assignment for our preaching class to attend a service different from our own tradition and write a report about it. We parked far away from the large building. So many…

ADVERSITY AND BLESSINGS

Are a life of adversity and a life of blessings diametrical opposites or complementary realities for a believer? David, one of our great patriarchs and role models, lived a life filled with adversity and extraordinary blessing. He authored many of the Psalms that revealed his thoughts and actions in the midst of his struggles. David’s…

Nature, Nurture, and Faith

With advances in the past twenty years, geneticists have greatly increased our understanding of how DNA effects our human development. Neuroscientists, bolstered by incredible imaging techniques that show activity on the molecular level of the brain, report about phenomenal electromagnetic, neurochemical, and physiological workings of our brain. Psychologists in the past thirty years have been…

Forgive

Dear Ones, David’s beloved son Absalom premeditated a coup that caused a revolution in Israel that in the end cost the lives of over 22,000 Israelites. Absalom enticed many of the influential men in David’s kingdom to join him in the revolt such as the man Amasa. He was the first cousin of Absalom because…

KINGDOM JUSTICE

“Lord, teach us to pray,” Jesus’ disciples said, and for the second time, he taught what is today commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. With the prayer he gave instruction to avoid hypocritical attention seeking and meaningless rote repetition; yet, he said to offer the prayer at least daily. Noteworthy is the substantial emphasis placed on…

Habits of a Disciple: 5 Evangelism

It was a warm sunny day when Sal, Jaired, and I went to Washington Park in Albany looking for someone to talk to about the gospel. It was Sal’s turn. He had watched me talk to some folks, but now he was going to give it a try. He spotted a middle-aged African American man…

Conquering Conflict Part 2 Matthew 5 in Practice

Every time I look at an antique music box that is prominently displayed in my home, I have conflict within myself. I love the music box because it belonged to my paternal grandmother’s family. It is a very beautiful one and works perfectly. The problem is it does not have a lid because around 25…

By This We Know

Much of the New Testament was written against the backdrop of the lure of false religion. For example, in the early years of Christianity, shortly after Paul and Barnabas first travelled to the southern part of the province of Galatia, where churches were established in the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts…

The Stability Of Thy Times

Isaiah 33:5,6 The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. The people of God in the days of Isaiah had turned away…

FEAR RUINS FAITH

Fear is devastating to faith! Fear has torment and often is the gateway for many other ungodly emotions such as hate, envy, covetousness, anger, and aggressive hostility. The most distressing and demoralizing consequence of fear is how it ruins our relationship with God. Yet, God has not given us the spirit of fear but rather…

Conquering Conflict Part 1 Godly and Ungodly Conflict

Since Adam and Eve’s fall and the entrance of sin into the world, humankind has engaged in all kinds of conflict. Some of these conflicts are so serious they lead to dire consequences. Serious breaches cause discord in the body of Christ that are the result of unresolved conflict or conflict that was more like…

Habits of a Disciple: 4 Fellowship

As I stood on the sidewalk, relieved that the heat of the summer day had finally passed, the sounds and sights of the street washed over my senses like a deluge of water over a levee. Everywhere, people were spilling out onto the sidewalk and the road from the nearby shops, the smell of alcohol…

WAIT ON YAHWEH

At the age of 17, Joseph (his father’s favorite) had 11 brothers and one sister. The resentful brothers would have killed him unless Judah suggested they sell him to Ishmaelites. “Why not make a few dollars and still get rid of the brat!” At such a young age, he was ripped from father’s house and…

Three Superlative Feasts Part Two

In Part One we briefly viewed how the Passover Feast celebrated in Hezekiah's time of extreme reforms in Judah compared favorably to the previous times of dedicating the temple (and a Feast of Booths) during Solomon's reign over a strongly united Israel, an event that had occurred almost three centuries earlier. What made the feast…

Busy doing what?

“How are you doing?” he asked. The response, “I am very busy, so I’m doing good.” Conversations like this one are not uncommon in our very busy world today. We have connected busyness with doing well as if it were some kind of virtue. With all the advanced information and communication technology available, it seems…

Kingdom of God from Isaiah

The phrase “kingdom of God” is not found in the Old Testament although the concept regarding God’s Kingdom is written in every Old Testament book. Jesus, however, used the phrase often and the metaphorical equivalent “kingdom of Heaven,” in which “heaven” represents God. Jesus either coined the phrase or more likely, it was commonly used…

Three Superlative Feasts (Part One)

In arenas of modern excitement about famous achievements, it is commonplace that people attribute majestic titles or descriptions to what is highly valued. For example, one might say, “That was the most awesome football game ever played!" People even produce statistical research and polls of popular opinion to assign lists of perceived greatness: "the top…

Yahweh Preserves the Faithful

As the year begins, it is good to renew ourselves to living an even greater life that is more faithful to Yahweh and to continue to allow Him to fight our battles and preserve us for the ultimate victory of entrance into the Kingdom. Many wonderful and glorious miracles will likely happen this year as…

Grief and Loss – Joy and Victory

This may seem like an “odd” article topic for November and December. Actually, it is very on point. So many struggle with God, family, and others during the holidays because of unresolved grief and loss. This is the year to accept God’s deliverance. If we take the time to search our life, at some point…

Habits of a Disciple: 3 Serving

I used to wait tables at Long Horn Steakhouse when I was going to the Atlanta Bible College. It was a great job for a lot of reasons. In particular, it taught me about service. You see my title was “server.” We had twelve steps of service, and the managers expected us to hit each…

Something To Consider

Dear One, The United States is very blessed to have the national holiday of Thanksgiving! With our eyes upon God’s goodness and grace, we can overflow with gratitude every day and thereby live a rich life. The Scriptures repeatedly encourage us to be thankful. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk…

Shut Up!

Nowadays, in modern America, one can say, "Shut up!", in a lighthearted way as an equivalent idiom for saying, "No way!" The literal idea might be expressed as, "That is incredible!" Nevertheless, there is no mistaking what is meant when even a faint hint of assertiveness or anger is injected into "Shut up!" If one…

EMPATHETIC CONSCIOUSNESS

The degree to which we are able to know God is restricted for obvious reasons. Although we are too limited to comprehend the vastness of God, we can gain some understanding about Him from His creation and the Scriptures. Due to His grace and lovingkindness, we can marginally acknowledge His creativeness, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.…

Examining Ourselves

Examine yourselves: are you in the faith? Check yourselves out. Or do you not think of yourselves as having Jesus Christ in your midst? Because if not, you have failed. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (Unvarnished NT) But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of…

Godly Contentment

As is recorded in the earliest chapters of Genesis, we see that mankind became discontented. Adam and Eve lived in paradise and communed with Yahweh, yet wanted something more. Adam’s son, Cain, wanted what his brother Abel had. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of his relationship with their father, so they planned to dispose of Joseph.…

THE CALL OF GOD TO GO INTO THE HARVEST – Part 2

Matthew 9:35-38 – Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said…

Habits of a Disciple: 1 Scripture Reading

Today, the entire Bible is available in 531 languages. Over forty writers contributed to it over 1,500 years. It is the most accessible book in the world with countless websites, apps, and paper copies available absolutely free. All of this seems even more impressive once we realize that the Bible is not a small book.…

Righteousness

Heroin, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, marijuana ‒ which is the most dangerous drug of all? In my experience after decades of counseling hundreds of drug users and addicts, without doubt marijuana is the most dangerous. The detrimental effects with all the others are far more immediate and devastating with the addicts experiencing jail, institutions, or death.…

Something to consider

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. Thinking about our God and Father is always good to do, and every so often, when times are hard, dwelling on Him, His promises, and hope is my only solace. What follows is something consider. I Love Thee, O LORD [Yahweh], my strength. The LORD [Yahweh]…

THE CALL OF GOD TO GO INTO THE HARVEST – Part 1

A very interesting record occurs when Jesus was visiting a Samaritan village with his disciples. John 4:31-36 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him…

Mourning

Paul the apostle spent much time in the city of Corinth helping the young believers to develop. Sometime after his departure, word came back to him that they were struggling in many areas. God inspired Paul to write the epistle that is now referred to as First Corinthians wherein numerous confrontations are. The city of…

Our theme for Family Camp this summer was Affectionate Compassion with the epistle of Philippians as our primary text. Since loving God and others is the Christian’s primary focus and it is impossible to love God without loving people, according to 1 John 4:20, learning how to relate properly to our fellowman is essential. Camp…

A Tooth for a Tooth

The radical teachings of Jesus revolutionized Hebrew faith and culture and are the basis for the body of Christ today. One such teaching is found in Matthew 5:39. Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.…

Eye for an eye

Dr. Yaconis’ article “Tooth for a Tooth” pointed out that phrase of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is quoted from three places in the Old Testament. A careful examination of these verses in their context reveals that this phrase is dealing with the principle of proportionate retribution and compensation…

Freed from Sin; Enslaved to God

In his teachings to the Jews at the temple, Jesus used himself as an example of how we are to live today to be Christians that are full of the holy spirit. Jesus first made it very clear that the Jews that were arguing with him were not free, even though the so-called believing Jews…

Connections in Matthew

In day-to-day living, any one of us might navigate through complicated traffic patterns, proficiently use advanced technologies, demonstrate mastery of complex work skills, solve challenging puzzles and mysteries, and manage many other chores requiring sophisticated reasoning. It is easy to take for granted that we, as humans, are designed to "make connections" and apply them…

Habits of a Disciple: Introduction

Imagine an alien from outer space observing a man walking his dog. The dog leaves the house first followed by a rope attached to a man carrying a plastic bag. The dog leads the man down the road until it has found a suitable time and place to excrete its bio waste. The larger following…

Congo Connection

God has been doing some wonderful things in the two Congo countries through the ministries supported by Living Hope. Here are a few highlights. Soul Winners Are Planting House Churches In the Republic of the Congo, a group of courageous individuals volunteered last fall to be sent out into various places in this country…

The Big Picture

Going out my front door in winter, I see what looks like an upright bundle of prickly sticks, about fifteen feet tall. If I'd never seen such a growth before, I could wonder why such a scraggly looking monstrosity is planted in my front yard! But I know what will happen in the near future.…

Sadness, Anxiety, and Depression

For many reasons as we are living in the world, we are assaulted with sadness, depression, and anxiety. Therefore the direct scriptural imperative to rejoice is needed but also challenging. Philippians 4:4-9 provides insight into the subject. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (4:4) Focus on the world around us or…

Synchronized Life

Jesus always had his heart aligned with the will of God and his actions with his heart. He lived a perfectly synchronized life and thereby provided an excellent example for his disciples. Confronting the hypocritical Pharisees and Scribes, Jesus quoted from Isaiah – “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far…

In Any and Every Circumstance

If you are reading this article, then you have lived long enough to know that life has many twists and turns. Some we plan for, and some just happen unexpectedly. Even within 24 hours in a day, events can change from great to awful and back again. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians that…

Something to Consider: Stay Blessed

Dear Saints, As we move into the holiday season and the winter, developing a plan to stay blessed and godly instead of succumbing to the seasonal doldrums (a time of listlessness or despondency) is wise. A few suggestions to consider are to stay physically fit, push yourself to get out of the house and attend…

The Better Life

When we accept God’s redemption through the lordship of Christ, we receive a new and much better life. 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 succinctly states this new life. For the love of Christ controls [constrains or compels] us, having concluded this, that one [Jesus] died for all, therefore all died [the old you]; and He died for…

God’s Design, Your Righteous Body

To become Christ-like, a process of change transforms us from the domain of the old man inner nature to the realm of a whole new inner man of Christ’s character. This becomes what we as Christians so desire to be – like Christ in our heart, soul, mind, and strength – so that it becomes…

Unconditional Love vs. Always Nice

Recently, a pastor posted an article about how he would treat his kids if they turned out to be gay. His four promises to them were: he won’t keep his kids’ sexuality a secret, he’ll pray for them (but not for God to change them), he’ll love them, and he accepts that if they turn…

Saints or Sinners

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”? The phrase has two main purposes: either we use it to express humility or to excuse our behavior. But, did you know that Scripture nowhere calls Christ’s followers sinners? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about sinners in order…

Unpacking Godliness

For the past six months, we moved in order to downsize so that we can have more time to spend with God and with our family. My first personal agenda was to rid myself of a lot of material items that I have used through the years but are not needed anymore. My second agenda…

Follow

Although the latest statistics indicate that 2.2 of earth’s 6.9 billion inhabitants self-identify as Christian, it is hard to say how many actually follow Jesus. I remember a while back asking a friend’s mother if she was a Christian. She replied, “Of course, I am; I’m American, aren’t I?” I guess in her mind being…

Josiah

I was asked to share about a young man from the Bible who inspires me. I chose King Josiah. Josiah became king after 57 years of abhorrent evil and unrighteousness that had been brought to pass by his father, the short-reigning Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh. The moral and spiritual decay of the kingdom was…

Yahweh’s Eternal Desire

The understanding for life, human history, and the future of humanity is centered in discerning Yahweh’s eternal desire for His creation. His purpose for the ages starts to unfold with Israel as is succinctly expressed in a few verses: Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall…

Ecclesiastes: Profound Wisdom for Today

A recent experience of having a category three tornado less than eight miles from our home gave me a realistic moment of thinking. “This could be it! God, please protect me.” Next, I thought about what if this was the end? What if life was over for me and I had no more time to…

Overflowing With Joy

A common theme in many people’s lives is trying to figure out how to “let things go.” Those being let go generally are such things as past rejection, dysfunctional relationships, depressive thoughts, anger, fear, and un-forgiveness. It is very well understood that God does not want us holding onto negativity. Instead of negativity we are…

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