August 16, 2022
Among Christians, some of the most often quoted and beloved Old Testament scriptures are found in Psalm 23. In very few words, these six verses paint a vivid picture of God’s overwhelming care for His children. The imagery of a shepherd knowing and caring for his sheep speaks to our helplessness as we as God’s children attempt to navigate the harsh terrain of a sin-sick world. Without our shepherd the tumult of everyday life makes it hard to find true spiritual nourishment. Without our shepherd we would not find absolute rest and we would always feel vulnerable. Here is the big question. Do I put myself completely and faithfully into the hands of my shepherd Jesus? Do I really trust him for all things? Is Jesus the true shepherd of my life or do I merely give him that title?
August 9, 2022
As long as no one gets hurt, I can do pretty much whatever I want! Such is the battle cry of our present age. We are so advanced in our awareness and thinking that it has become easy to throw off the once-constricting values of ages gone by and just be in the here and now. In our last “Is It a Sin if I…” episode, we looked at things like how we dress and adorn ourselves, cross-dressing and gambling. On this episode, we look at some deep issues regarding the expression of our human sexuality. When it comes to sex, there are many difficult questions that require diligent answers. Our diligence will be firmly centered around applying biblical teaching to our very advanced world today, so hold on! The clear scriptural answers we will uncover are destined to trigger major tensions with those around us!
August 2, 2022
Technology, medicine, communication and interdependence allow a previously unimaginable world of seemingly unlimited possibilities of societal advancement and personal fulfillment. Our communication is instantaneous, and our collective demands for entertainment and happiness have never been louder. While some of this has been a blessing, Satan, as this world’s master of confusion, has blurred the lines of morality, resulting in our discovery of new methods for old ways to sin. Our focus as Christians, is to please God and obey His righteous laws as outlined in the Bible. We already know God considers murder, lying and pride as sinful, but what about all the contemporary situations the Bible does not directly address? Do we face gray areas now that never before existed? How can we know what God considers sinful?
July 26, 2022
Parenting is a difficult and often unpredictable task. In Episode 1238, we laid a scripturally-principled foundation for managing our parental “what ifs” and imperfections. We also addressed the ever-present challenge of growing confidence and competence in our children as we slowly release our parental control over them. With all of this in place, it is now time to delve into several of the hard and practical matters of bringing children up. The structure of our present society extols a path and process of child-rearing that is often fundamentally opposed to true Christian beliefs. This leaves us with a lot of questions that may be hard to answer as we seek to apply principles of godliness. The good news is, no matter the question, there is always clear Bible-based instruction available.
July 19, 2022
Raising children never has been an easy task. Methods for parenting have varied dramatically based on what time in history you are bringing up children. Disciplining children in an “appropriate” way looks entirely different now than it did just a few generations ago. The culture you live in as you raise a family also has a powerful impact. We live in an age and culture of technology, where much of life is easily lived through watching or typing onto the screen of your phone. This convenience carries a great potential cost. Are we allowing technology and social media to not only unduly influence our children, but ourselves as well? Are we Christian parents listening to social suggestions regarding what our children need to the exclusion of going back to the basic Bible principles for those answers?
July 5, 2022
Last week we examined modern day Paganism and compared it with some of the most basic tenants of Christianity as revealed in the Bible. What we found were two fundamentally different approaches to life, worship and morality. We can see that as Christians, we are absolutely to love those who hold such a contrary belief system to ours, but that does not mean we support the standards they choose to live by. Now, what about Wicca, which is white witchcraft and built on the basis of Pagan beliefs? As Christians, we might simply say that our answer here should be obvious. However, there are claims that the Bible is only condemnatory of black magic and black witchcraft, so Wicca is not included in those verses. Could this be true? What does the Bible really teach on these matters?
June 21, 2022
Tragedy hurts. But a tragedy that involves the utterly senseless taking of the lives of innocent children is a blow to the heart that can send us reeling. Such a blow is hard to recover from and the recent school shooting in Uvalde Texas is a most recent and horrifying example of this profound pain. Heated debates typically spring up after such a tragedy as everyone wants answers as to how to stop such things. One resounding question that comes from believers and unbelievers alike is, how can an all-knowing, all-powerful God see such things happen and just, well, just do nothing? If God is love as the Bible says He is, how do we even begin to understand what so many consider to be His utter lack of attention and intervention in such tragedies?
June 14, 2022
It’s hard to stay focused, especially when that focus requires attention be given to something that is different and challenging. As Christians living in this 21st century, our responsibility is, as Jesus said when he was only 12-years old, to “be about our Father’s business.” As clear as this objective is, because we are imperfect we sometimes get tripped up and lose our focus. Thank God for His grace given to us through Jesus! What about other times when it’s not just a typical misstep? What about when we fall not just into a careless or impetuous wrongdoing, but into a full-blown choice that leads us towards evil? What do we do to help us come to our senses, and not only retract the wrongdoing, but decisively get ourselves back onto the path of God-honoring thoughts, words and deeds?
