Scoffing…for Now

What Peter has said would come indeed has: In these “last days” scoffers abound who live according to the dictates of their own pleasure and laugh at the very idea that Jesus Christ will come again—after all, He’s been gone for nearly 2,000 years! In their scoffing folly, they fail to see that God is…

Sweeter than Revenge

Peter’s first letter was written to Christians going through trying times, largely at the hands of others hostile to their Christian perspective and manner of life. When someone gives us a hard time, it’s easy to become consumed with desires for personal revenge or for their physical harm. And then it’s not long before those…

Diligent Efforts

On the one hand, for us to experience God’s gift of salvation is quite easy because it takes no work. In contrast to every other religion in the world, the Christian doctrine of salvation requires no amount of good works in order to be saved, for “by the works of the law shall no flesh…

A Generous Spirit

One of the hallmarks of a Christian overwhelmed by God’s grace is a generous, giving spirit—and it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has a great deal to give! I’m blessed to serve as pastor of a people who are generous, yet I don’t think anyone in the church could be classified as wealthy. Our…

Treasure Hunting

When it comes to God’s Word, how would you describe your “passion level”? Just how interested are you in getting anything from it? There are some professing Christians who, if they were honest, would have to confess they really don’t have any desire to know God’s Word any better than their current shallow understanding. Others…

Old Words…but Timely!

A few years ago, I inherited a small, thin hard-cover devotional book, Devotions and Prayers of John Calvin. So, the material in each 2-page spread (devotional thoughts on 1 page, a prayer on the other) is about 500 years old. Calvin wrote in French, and the text was translated into English—when, I don’t know, but…

Marriage in Troubled Times

Have you noticed the strain that troubled times can put on a marriage? In a good marriage, a couple weathers life’s difficulties, and the relationship becomes stronger. But that’s only the case when both husband and wife come to the point of affirming (or reaffirming, as the case may be) their respective marital responsibilities. 1…