As we saw in part 1 of this series on Deuteronomy 18:9-22, God instructs Israel to not dabble in the detestable religious practices of the nations they will encounter when they enter the Promised Land of Canaan. He lists a bunch of these practices, making it abundantly clear what he is talking about. The mostContinue reading “Avoid the occult [God’s heart for people to find truth, part 2]”
Tag Archives: deuteronomy
Live as adult children! (how God’s list of clean and unclean foods in Deuteronomy 14 matters to Christians, part 2)
How do you feel about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? At Faith Church when Mothers and Fathers Days roll around in May and June, we take a cautious approach because we’ve heard from a number of people that these holidays are complicated. Maybe you know the feeling. It could be that your earthly mother orContinue reading “Live as adult children! (how God’s list of clean and unclean foods in Deuteronomy 14 matters to Christians, part 2)”
Eating fish heads (how God’s list of clean and unclean foods in Deuteronomy 14 matters to Christians, part 1)
What do you consider disgusting food? Brussels sprouts? Tomatoes? Hot dogs? Fast food? Fish? We all have our likes and our dislikes. For me, some of the most disgusting food I’ve had was on mission trips. In India it was some kind cow intestine or worse. In Malaysia I had Tom Yum soup which isContinue reading “Eating fish heads (how God’s list of clean and unclean foods in Deuteronomy 14 matters to Christians, part 1)”
What can satisfy the soul, part 1
Do any of you watch satisfying videos? They’re a thing. Every now and then, someone in my house enjoys watching them. Just go on YouTube, and you’ll see what I mean. There is a whole genre of satisfying videos. Here’s an example of one that caused a delay in writing this post…because I couldn’t stopContinue reading “What can satisfy the soul, part 1”
How to grow your love for God, part 4 (why following his commands is not burdensome)
Does following God sometimes feel burdensome to you? Can it seem like there are so many rules, and your heart and mind are not inclined to follow those rules? If you’ve ever thought or felt something close to that, you’re not alone. Many people have wondered why following God’s ways can be so difficult. MostContinue reading “How to grow your love for God, part 4 (why following his commands is not burdensome)”
How to grow your love for God, part 3 (dealing with our fears)
What do you fear? Even if you are the kind of person who is not afraid of hardly anything, do you have concerns? What bothers you? Maybe your personality really struggles with fears. I’ve talked in a previous post about my own struggles with anxiety. I’ve come to realize I have triggers: health and financialContinue reading “How to grow your love for God, part 3 (dealing with our fears)”
How to grow your love for God, part 2
Yesterday I referred to the axiom, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” but I didn’t talk about how it matters. This week we are looking at Deuteronomy 11, and how to grow love for God, and I promise that I’ll eventually explain how the axiom about the apple tree relates to this. ButContinue reading “How to grow your love for God, part 2”
How to grow your love for God, part 1
Have you ever heard the phrase, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”? What does it mean? That children or young people tend to behave like their parents. It happens all the time. And it is not just that we look like our parents, or sound like them, but that we tend to haveContinue reading “How to grow your love for God, part 1”
God’s surprising views on justice
Last year we started studying the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. Then I went on sabbatical. We had covered the first nine chapters of Deuteronomy. Now we’re heading back in! For the most part, though, we’re going to study Deuteronomy differently than we did last year. Last year we went chapter by chapter, verse byContinue reading “God’s surprising views on justice”
If God told you to kill children, would you do it? (Two Thoughts on those Holy War passages in the Old Testament)
If God told you to kill children would you do it? Quite a question, isn’t it? The answer should be an obvious “No”, right? We’re studying the biblical book of Deuteronomy on Sunday mornings at Faith Church, and we’ve come to some troubling passages where God commands the armies of Israel to kill children. InContinue reading “If God told you to kill children, would you do it? (Two Thoughts on those Holy War passages in the Old Testament)”
Engaging Scripture 