Do you want to know what desperation looks like? Well, accelerate your DeLorean up to eighty-eight miles and watch your flux capacitor light up. We’re traveling back to 1998. The year I discovered my hair was exiting my scalp at a higher velocity than normal. That is textbook desperation. From that point on I knew male pattern baldness was inevitable. So, to make matters worse, I decided to speed up the process.
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Many times in our personal lives we try to focus on becoming like God by practicing His attributes. And we should! We often quote 1 Peter 1:16, where Peter quotes Leviticus, “Be holy because I am holy.” The Bible makes that clear.
But what we really could use is addition by subtraction.
Have you ever read a verse in the Bible like this, “But she is happier if she remains as she is, in my opinion. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 7:40),” and thought, “is this just the apostle Paul’s opinion, or is this God’s? So, is this true? Do I follow this opinion? I’m a little confused.” Well, it all has to do with the inspiration of Scripture. Let’s talk about it for a minute.
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But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” (Mark 5:36 NLT)
Just. Have. Faith.
I will be honest with you. These three words are a game changer in my personal walk. I wish it were that easy. These three simple, but very important, words have pierced my heart.
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One of the basic tenants of Christianity is this: God desires a relationship with you. Christianity is about a relationship. It is not about a religion. Therefore, if God desires a relationship with you, there has to be a way for us to know Him.
The way we know God is through revelation.
Revelation is God’s self-disclosure of His attributes to all humankind. It is the pulling back of the curtain so to speak. Think Wizard of Oz. This happens two ways. Let us briefly look at these two ways God reveals Himself. Continue Reading…
I thought of this song as I thought about today’s sermon.
Because prayer is a relationship with God, prayer can also be continual (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 13:15). You need to live your life in such an attitude that you can talk to God anytime. You always need to listen so that He can speak to you any time. God is always present with you as a believer. Therefore, you can pray continually.
What Does Righteousness Mean?
Here is a definition of righteousness from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “Holy and upright living, in accordance with God’s standard. The word righteousness comes from a root word that means ‘straightness.’ It refers to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard. Righteousness is a moral concept. God’s character is the definition and source of all righteousness (Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; Rom 9:14). Therefore, man’s righteousness is defined in terms of God’s.”
God’s Righteousness And Justice
In the Old Testament, God’s righteousness is often married with His justice. Therefore, the judgments God makes are right. God is a righteous judge. We can trust His decisions.
“Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’” (Genesis 18:25b).
“Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns’ … [and] he will judge the peoples with equity” (Psalms 96:10 a,c).
“Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)” Continue Reading…
Our first flight to New York City was stressful. We flew into NYC, post 9-11. Excitement was mounting as we were about to begin our decent. It was all fine and dandy until the captain came on the intercom and told us we were being grounded in North Carolina because of weather. Except, there was no bad weather outside my window. I did what every conspiracy theorist does at heart: I freaked out! Continue Reading…
