As we continue studying Titus 2:11-15, Paul says that salvation has appeared to all. “Appeared” is the Greek word where we get our English word, “epiphany.” Epiphany gives us the idea of light appearing in the darkness, like at sunrise. Here “epiphany” refers to God’s grace like a new light of truth in Christ appearingContinue reading “Do you really know God? Titus 2:11-15, Part 2”
Tag Archives: god
What Christians need: Grace, Peace…and Titus? Titus 1:1-4, Part 5
What do you need? A million bucks? I often daydream about how a million dollars would free up my life. But that’s not really what I need. What do we need? We conclude this week’s blog posts on Titus 1:1-4 today looking at what Christians need. If you haven’t read the previous four posts, IContinue reading “What Christians need: Grace, Peace…and Titus? Titus 1:1-4, Part 5”
God wants me to be happy, not angry, and never to doubt? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 4]
In 1 Timothy 3:12 we read that “all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Woah. Maybe God doesn’t want us to be happy, and only cares about us becoming godly or holy, even if it takes us being persecuted? How are we to understand this? Does GodContinue reading “God wants me to be happy, not angry, and never to doubt? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 4]”
This too shall pass? [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 4]
Are the difficult times in life good or bad? You might read that and think, “How could difficult times ever be good?” Well, when we experience suffering, we tend to feel more helpless and needy and thus we pray more. Increased levels of communication with God, as with any relationship in which greater communication almostContinue reading “This too shall pass? [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 4]”
When life crushes you [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 2]
Have you been there? The feeling of life crushing down on you, and you just want to crawl into a ball. Most of us have experienced that awful feeling, probably numerous times in our lives. We feel we can’t handle life, and wonder if we are failures. In the middle of the pain, we raiseContinue reading “When life crushes you [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 2]”
God won’t give you more than you can handle? [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 1]
If you’ve ever been going through a really difficulty time, you may have heard one of the following statements: God won’t give you more than you can handle. God helps those who help themselves. During times of suffering, you’ll be closer to God. This, too, shall pass. We hear them regularly, don’t we? We interactContinue reading “God won’t give you more than you can handle? [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 1]”
How God’s mercy changes the future [How God feels about our fear – Deuteronomy 31-34, part 3]
Do you feel stuck? Maybe you see some light breaking through the darkness, but there is a wall, a forest that seems like it is blocking the way. Maybe it feels like you will never get past the difficult situation you face. When we are in the middle of pain, we can wonder if GodContinue reading “How God’s mercy changes the future [How God feels about our fear – Deuteronomy 31-34, part 3]”
God wants to set you on fire [Second Sunday of Advent, part 2]
People are waiting for God to return. He is coming, and he tells us it could be surprising. He doesn’t mean “surprising” in the sense of us not knowing the timing of his return. We learned in part 1 of this series on the Lectionary readings for the second Sunday of Advent that God’s arrivalContinue reading “God wants to set you on fire [Second Sunday of Advent, part 2]”
The danger of echo-chambers [God’s heart for people to find the truth, part 1]
Have you heard of “echo chambers”? I was listening to a podcast this week where a guy said that in our day and age, especially because of the many, many choices we have for news, and because of social media, that Christians too often live in an echo chamber. Echo chambers are rooms where youContinue reading “The danger of echo-chambers [God’s heart for people to find the truth, part 1]”
A story about what happens after people die
What happens after a person dies? My uncle recently sent me this story, author unknown, that tries to answer that question. On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by theContinue reading “A story about what happens after people die”
Engaging Scripture 