My journey through Exodus is almost finished for 2022, and if I return to it this year, I’ll be surprised. In the last couple of weeks, my focus has primarily been on Exodus, but today I have a hodgepodge of thoughts and observations to share, not only about Exodus but also from Psalms. My hope, as always, is that you’ll find something worthy in what I’m sharing. Even if it is just a stew of thoughts and observations.
Continue readingTag Archive: Sin
Context is vital to understanding. When we read the Bible and, in life, we need to understand the context of what we hear and what we read. Without context, our minds will go all over the place trying to assign meaning to things we might not understand without it. As I was reading through 1 John today, I was thinking about context. There’s a lot of teaching to be found in this letter, and if we’re not careful to understand the context, we can be filled with many disturbing ideas.
Continue readingIf you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.
1 John 5:16 (NIV)
I’ve heard it said that if you think you might be going insane then you probably aren’t. If you’re like me then perhaps you’re wondering why this might be the case. I believe it has to do with being conscious of our mental attitude and how we behave. When we think about the things that we do and their impact on others then we’re taking the time to consider that behavior and the thoughts that led to it. It’s that same consideration that tells us that we are not going insane because someone who was going insane would not have the same consideration for others nor would they think that their behavior was out of the ordinary. The same attitude that shows us that we’re not going insane is the same type of attitude that reveals to us our true thoughts on our sin.
Continue readingNeither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.
2 Kings 23:25 (NIV)
Before I became a Christian I don’t recall ever hearing about King Josiah. I had an awareness of King David, I suspect, because of the story of David and Goliath, and when I think of the Bible “greats” I don’t think much about King Josiah. If anything, I’d say that this remarkable man, who stood out as one of the few faithful kings, is overshadowed by the likes of David. Ironically, I believe that the evil kings that proceeded Josiah have also contributed to my lack of awareness of this great king of the Bible. King David and Josiah were both men who loved God and they share one key trait that we today need to cultivate in our relationship with the Lord.
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Four-Calendar Café 