In 1 Peter 1, Peter is trying to explain to his fellow brethren the amazing glory of the word of God. One of the best parts of the word of God is that it tells us about salvation. It explains to us how God was able to take away our sins and establish His kingdom. God’s plan of salvation was of great interest to those who came before us. The prophets would search to see what clues they could discern from the word of God. The angels too were longing to see how God would bring salvation to mankind. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is Memorial Day. It is a day where, as a country, we take time to consider and remember all of those who have died in service to our country. We remember the sacrifice that they made in order to give all of us our freedom. This noble sacrifice is good for us to keep in mind. They put themselves in our place in order for us to be protected from those that would forcibly harm us. Instead of us having to handle this threat ourselves, they put themselves in our place. Read the rest of this entry »

In one of the seemingly most paradoxical moments in all of history, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings humbles himself into a position of servant in order to wash the feet of His followers. Jesus takes one of the lowliest jobs on for himself. Even in our time, feet are not considered the most hygenic part of our bodies. Back then it was even worse because their footwear was only sandals, and they walked on dusty roads. This made their feet extremely dirty, hard, and just generally unpleasant. That is why it was such a sign of humility for Jesus to do this for them. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul here commands Christians to rejoice in the Lord always. At first glance this might seem strange to us. Are we really supposed to rejoice in the Lord always? Is that even possible? What about if a loved one dies? How can we rejoice then? The first thing to keep in mind is that Paul is not really talking about an emotional high. Emotions are fickle, and sometimes can even be changed by what we ate that day. Instead he is referring to an attitude that we need to posses. We need to have a postive attitude, one of thanksgiving and of joy. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most powerful, and sometimes most neglected, weapons in the Christian arsenal is prayer. As James points out, God’s power is amazing. For Elijah, he was able to control the rain. A brief scan through Genesis and Exodus shows us the amazing power of God. First we see that God is the one who created everything. Everything around us, everything we see was brought into being by him. In Exodus, God does amazing miracles, turning water into blood, controlling the weather and animal infestations, and even the power to give and take life. What is amazing about this power is that it is available to us. Read the rest of this entry »

God’s glory is apparent all around us. He has infused it into His creation. Some of the most obvious examples are found in the sky. The sun rising and setting is one of the most beautiful sights one could behold. The sun gives off a glow that slowly diminishes under the horizon. There are different shades of purple, orange, blue and red which all blend together as if done by a masterful painter. And the most amazing part is this: if the clouds allow a clear view, it never gets old. There is a new sunset every day, a new masterpiece. Read the rest of this entry »

After the Israelites had left the Egyptian bondage, their former master, Pharaoh, decided he wanted to retain their services as slaves. He sent the very formidable and famous Egyptian army after them, chariots blazing after their prey. He probably thought they would quickly surrender (the Israelites having just left servitude had no formal army ). Here we have the contrast David is talking about. The Egyptian with their  chariots, soldiers and great military might. The Israelites have only God. Read the rest of this entry »

John 15:20

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

     We all want to be liked. We can think back to times when people rejected us in the past. Perhaps it was our personality or popularity. It could have even been the gospel that drove a wedge between us and someone we cared about. When we look back, that rejection hurts. We do not like how it made us feel and possibly even how it still makes us feel today. Remembering that feeling can be a hinderance to teaching the gospel.

     The word of God is divisive. There are no two ways about it. Jesus even said us much, saying it would divide families. The family bond should be one of the strongest. If something has the power to separate family, it easily has the ability to do the same with friends and acquaintences. We know that when we talk about the word of God, it will cause some people to reject us. This can be scary and sometimes even terrifying.

     Servants of God have to confront this fear. Sometimes people let this fear paralyze them. They lose their ability or desire to teach others about God’s great grace. This is sad, because first of all, we need to recognize that we have a personal relationship with God. No one likes their friends or family to hid them out of shame. God likewise does not appreciate it. Even worse is that we may lose an opportunity to show someone the path to the greatest gift ever know: eternal life and a relationship with their Creator.

Psalm 139:7

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

     We serve a God who is everywhere. Some people are uncomfortable with this idea. They are like teenagers wanting privacy from their parents. They do not want God in their business. Mainly because they want their business to be their own and able to do whatever they want. The idea of God always being around dampens those plans. So they resent the fact that no matter where the go, God is there.

     Yet the people who truly understand what it means to have God in their lives take great comfort in this passage. The fact of the matter is that life is hard. It is nice for us to know that no matter where we go, God will always be there to support. We can gain comfort from His love and grace. One of the phrases that is used about Jesus often in the New Testament is that, “He had compassion.” As we grow in faith, we understand that God is there for us, and supports us.

     It can be hard at times to grasp the reality of God. Having never actually seeing Him, we struggle with what to think about Him or even to realize His presence is with us. Yet when we look in the scriptures we see a benevolen and loving God, reaching out to His children. He especially looks after those who are suffering, no matter what form that suffering may take. We need to constantly remind ourselves that not only is God in our lives, but He is offering encouragement and support to us in our time of trials. Praise the Lord, for He has never left us alone, nor forsaken us.

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

     The work of any artist is in layers. It is not as if an artist can just come out, sit down, spill some paint and have a masterpiece painted in an hour. Instead there are many stages and steps that must be gone through. In many cases a casual bystander would not be able to see what the artist has intended in the early stages. It will go through many transformations, touch-ups and repainting in order to become a brilliant display. The layers may never even be noticed by observers, but it was there without a doubt.

     We too are being molded by the great Artist. God is transforming us into a likeness of Him. We start out a jumbled mess, unrecognizable and ugly to anyone who was outside watching. Yet God has a plan for us. He knows what He will create through us if we will just let Him. For those who will go along with His plan, they will be turned into His glory, His image. There is no greater work that has ever been done than God’s ability to transform sinful man into godly servants.

     Yet this process takes time. We want our transformation to be immediate. When it does not happen we may grumble at God. We wonder why we are wandering in this unfinished state. What we fail to realize is that God knows what He is turning us into and He knows how to get us there. To the casual eye, and to our own, it may look completely off base. We may not understand why there is suffering or pain in our lives, or why we are still struggling with temptation. We need to remember that the Master is at work, and He can mold us into a great creation if we will just follow Him.