PD’s Reflections (Page 11)
REMEMBERING TO PRAISE GOD
I don’t know about you, but I forget things occasionally. That’s why I like using sticky notes or a notepad to help me remember. David as he writes in Psalm 103 calls for himself to worship and praise God. It’s important for us to remember to praise the Lord no matter what situation we are in. He remains the same faithful God who ministers to us. He is worthy of our praise.
WHAT HAVE I DONE (DEUT 1)
Why have you allowed this God? What have I done to deserve this? Do you hate me? Those are questions that either you or others have asked as they’ve gone through various situations. The nation of Israel did too. Isn’t it interesting how we forget what God had done. As we go through various situations, it’s important to pause and think for a bit on what God may be doing, how he may be growing us, or even how he…
HE IS MORE AWESOME (PSALM 96)
As I was reading Psalm 96 today, I was struck by v. 5 which comments that all the gods of this world are worthless. Yet as man continues to suppress and reject the truth of God, we see a switch in man valuing the idols and deeming God worthless. In my Bible is written a question and a prayer: “Why do we worship so many idols?” and “God help me to see their worthlessness!” Let’s look at Psalm 96 together…
KEEPING THE RESURRECTION IN VIEW
Through what lens do you view your day. I’m not talking about the right or left lens of the eyeglasses you may or may not have on right now. I’m talking about the lens through which you view life. In light of this week, might I encourage you to view it through the resurrection. What difference does that make? Take a moment to watch.
IT ALL BEGAN IN THIS ROOM ONE YEAR AGO
Exactly one year ago today, I started vlogging on our church YouTube channel to provide midweek encouragements on the passages we were reading together at the time. After 156 episodes, we’re still carrying on with the same mission. The words spoke here are meant to encourage people in their walk with Jesus and to greater steps of faith.
THE END OF THE WORLD…NO, NOT YET
Our world is fascinated by apocalyptic events. Christians as fascinated by end times events. The books of Daniel and Revelation intrigue people. As we look briefly at eschatology today (study of the end times), I find hope, I find a warning, I find a mission, I find a calling. The end of the of the world? No, not yet. But God does have the future planned.
GATHERED, EQUIPPING, MINISTERING ON PURPOSE
The church. A building with a tall steeple on the corner of “such & such” streets. That might be the common way that people think of the word “church”. Yet we see a very different picture in the Bible don’t we? In fact as we look at the word “church” in the New Testament as well as some of the ways it is pictures, we hit a number of very practical applications for us today as we explore this area…
THE QUICK SCOOP ON ANGELS
What do you know about angels? We often think of them as they are depicted in cartoons or in various greeting cards. As cute as cubby babies are on clouds playing harps, that’s not exactly how the Bible describes them. In fact, you might be surprised to know that much of our common conceptions may indeed be wrong. Here’s the quick scoop on angels today as we continue to look at some essentials for us to know.
THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT WORDS
As we take a pause today on our regular routine, I wanted to share this video with you that I saw today. In light of what is presently happening in our capital, these words are important. They are important really for everyone: “In the beginning, God…” What impact those should have in our life!
THE CORE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
We’ve talked about the hypostatic union, the deity of Jesus more in depth. Today we’re covering the resurrection. The resurrection is fundamental to the Christian faith. Without it, the Apostle Paul says that our preaching is in vain.
COULD JESUS HAVE SINNED? DID HE SIN? (#ASKPD)
Impeccability and peccability. These two terms deal with the question of whether or not Jesus COULD HAVE sinned. They both agree that he didn’t. What difference does one make over the other. That’s what we’re discussing today.
JESUS IS GOD, YES HE IS
Jesus is God. He himself proved it and addressed the subject time and time again. Where would you go to prove that though? What passages come to mind? We’re going to explore a few in John’s gospel today. Join us! It’s crucial to know where to God when the question comes. “10 Biblical Reasons Jesus Is God” by Answers in Genesis
GOD & MAN – IS THAT IMPORTANT?
Hypostatic union. While it is a theological term, it has great significance for us as saved people. It’s hard to understand, and I don’t think that we can every understand it fully. But it is very applicable for us. Without this, we would not be saved.
NOT JUST AMAZED BUT LIVING BY FAITH
We just finished on Sunday going through Ephesians 2:8-10. And we truly stand amazed at what God has done. We stand amazed at this message – by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for God’s glory alone. I ran across a video today though talking about the difference between amazement and faith. We’re called not to just be amazed at God by to live by faith.
SITUATION, TRANSFORMATION, TESTIMONY
The Equality Act is up for a vote in the House of Representatives tomorrow. I am grieved to see the disregard by our politicians for the effects this will have on our nation across the board. At the same time, I am also grieved to see the struggles of so many who are trying to find their purpose and identity apart from God. As I was thinking on this today, Paul’s words in Romans were on my mind – not…
CREATED IN HIS IMAGE (PURPOSE & IDENTITY)
Genesis 1:26 on the image and likeness of God is a debated verse yet very important to our purpose and identity as those among the other created things of the universe. As we discuss the “image of God,” we find that this is key to separating us from the rest of creation. It gives us meaning and purpose for our lives. It speaks to our uniqueness.
ABOUT MORE THAN CREATION
As I was purposing to continue in the subject of anthropology a bit more today, I kept coming back to the first few chapters of Genesis. Those first three chapters are about more than just creation. Within them we find truth on creation, gender/identity, marriage, sin, salvation, and more. If we cannot take any part of those chapters literally, what authority does the Bible have in any one of those areas or the Bible as a whole in our lives?
TWO VERY DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS
Anthropology. The study of man. And if you do a quick Google search, it is a vast conglomeration of subjects that fall under this umbrella. What we are concerned about primarily is Christian Anthropology or the study of man as God presents it to use in the Bible. As we begin looking at it, we must go back to the beginning. How one views the beginning has significant ramifications for the present and the rest of what the Bible has…
WHO’S IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT?
The word “Lord” is an important one for our daily Christian walk to remember. It reminds us that we are under the authority of Christ and called to walk in his will. Yet if we’re honest, we often just happy with him being our Savior rather than our Lord. Lord implies that I must submit to his control in my life. As unpleasant as our world makes that sound and deceived us into believe it is, it is in submission…
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Taking just a moment to reflect back on why we are going through the basics. I think challenging days are on the horizon. Things that may make 2020 look easy. Let’s purpose to know what we believe, why we believe, & how to explain it those around us. Let’s purpose to be people of faith, living out what we believe. And for those that are season, find a disciple that you yourself can invest in to prepare them with what…