During Israel’s civil war, the Philistines were content to let the Israelites fight amongst themselves. But when David becomes king of a unified nation, they take notice. Why? Because about ten years prior, David was their nemesis. He killed the Philistine hero Goliath, and then David just kept beating them. But things changed when SaulContinue reading “David’s example of trusting in God, when God’s instructions made little sense – 2 Samuel 4—5, Part 4”
Tag Archives: obedience
God doesn’t really want us to go to church services – 1st Samuel 15, Part 5
I recently heard the story of a man is a follower of Jesus, but he allowed his life to go down a pathway that was not in line with the heart of God. This guy started drinking heavily. And it showed. You could drive by his house and over time you could see just fromContinue reading “God doesn’t really want us to go to church services – 1st Samuel 15, Part 5”
Is God concerned about how many people show up at worship services? – 1st Samuel 15, Part 3
King Saul is caught. He disobeyed God. But does he realize what he did? God asked Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites, but instead, Saul took the Amalekite king as a prisoner of war, and Saul allowed his men to keep a bunch of the Amalekite’s livestock. As we learned in the previous post, GodContinue reading “Is God concerned about how many people show up at worship services? – 1st Samuel 15, Part 3”
I’m glad that God can feel regret – 1st Samuel 15, Part 2
As we learned in the previous post, in 1st Samuel 15 God commanded Israel’s King Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites. Does King Saul decimate the Amalekites? Yes…and no. In verses 4-9, Saul and the army attack and destroy the Amalekites, but with a couple notable exceptions. They allow the Amalekite king, Agag, to live,Continue reading “I’m glad that God can feel regret – 1st Samuel 15, Part 2”
The deception of worship services (and a bonus topic: Does God command genocide???) – 1st Samuel 15, Part 1
Did Jesus ask us to hold worship services? Did he ask us to build church buildings? Did he want us to have pews? Did Jesus teach us to gather here on Sundays for singing and sermons? In the book Jim & Casper Go To Church, Jim is an evangelical Christian and Casper is Matt Casper,Continue reading “The deception of worship services (and a bonus topic: Does God command genocide???) – 1st Samuel 15, Part 1”
Why Jesus’ teaching “If you love me, obey me” is not gaslighting – John 14-16, Part 1
When I was in Bible College, I was in the college library one day reading Christianity Today magazine. It was the September 1994 issue, and in that issue an article really caught my attention. The title of the article is “Who’s Afraid of the Holy Spirit?” by Daniel Wallace, at the time a professor atContinue reading “Why Jesus’ teaching “If you love me, obey me” is not gaslighting – John 14-16, Part 1″
How to navigate the teen years (for parents and teens!) – Colossians 3:18-21, Part 4
I was a teenager in the 1990s, wonderful years filled with grunge rock (or for me U2, REM and Public Enemy), Michael Jordan, and Bill Clinton. It seems like just a few years ago, but it was in fact 30 years ago. Those were coming of age years for me. On January 1, 1990 IContinue reading “How to navigate the teen years (for parents and teens!) – Colossians 3:18-21, Part 4”
How to live Christianly in the world – Titus 3:1-8, Part 2
In the first post in this series on Titus 3:1-8, I introduced the series saying that so often we Christians talk about the good news of Jesus by focusing on its implications for life after death. While it does apply to the eternal realm for sure, what we notice in a letter like Titus, isContinue reading “How to live Christianly in the world – Titus 3:1-8, Part 2”
Practices for a blessed life [Deuteronomy 26-28]
Today we’re talking about practice. At the time of the interview above, Allen Iverson was taking heat for skipping practice. We’re going to find that being committed to practice can save us from a whole bundle of trouble. Turn to Deuteronomy.26:16-19. This little section at the end of chapter 26 will transition us to theContinue reading “Practices for a blessed life [Deuteronomy 26-28]”
Engaging Scripture 