'#gracebibleadell' Tagged Posts (Page 9)
IN THE BEGINNING, GOD…(GENESIS)
And we’re back! After a few weeks off, we’re resuming the vlogs again. We’ll be devoting the next several months to studying the book of Genesis. It’s a foundational book to many areas of our lives and key doctrines of the faith. Today we’re looking at just four words: “In the beginning, God…” Short, but profound. Join us!
WHO’S AT THE CENTER?
It makes a vast difference in the course of our lives in who we place at the center of it. And it affects our gospel witness as well. What am I talking about? Perhaps Philippians 2:14-15 will give you a clue. Developing this attitude is of such importance not only relationally, but for our witness as well.
PRACTICAL ATHEISM
I was reading through Psalm 14 and thinking about the subject of atheism as my eyes scanned over the initial words of the psalm. The deeper I got into the psalm and thought about the gospel, my attention turned to how we as believers are promoting that message with our lives to those around us. Is the glorious gospel clearly seen or are we living as practical atheists? Belief is meant to affect how we live and give us gospel…
CREATING SOMETHING NEW (PSALM 51)
I spend time in my garage creating various projects from wood often for my home. I thank the Lord for that skill set that I have attained over the years. What is beyond me though is dealing with the sin problem within me. David acknowledges that in Psalm 51. A heart that is morally degraded needs a solution beyond our power. The word that begins v. 10 with though contains special significance for us in this great psalm.
JUDGEMENT (PSALM 1)
We’ve all heard it said before, “Don’t judge!” Underlying the statement is the concern that mankind unfairly judges others. God does not though. As THE JUDGE of the universe, he is the one who establishes & declares what is right and wrong which the psalmist points out. That’s key for us! Because he does so, he then calls us to a specific manner of living. So judgement is actually helpful in that it guides us. But it also reminds us…
INFLUENCE (PSALM 1)
This past Sunday we talked about understanding the spiritual influence in the background to the circumstances and situations we face. That influence may be either positive or negative. The psalms draws this out as well in Psalm 1 and the slippery slope that the influence of the world can create in our lives as we go along with it.
THE SPIRITUAL BATTLEGROUND
We often think of battle in a physical sense. Wars between nations or people groups. But there is a very real spiritual battle taking place every day, and it is located closer than we think. Understanding the where, may help us to gain greater perspective into the conflict we see around us, noticing the spiritual element.
BALANCE IS KEY
Balance. It is a key to life. Whether we are talking about what we eat or simply the ability to stand, balance is key. And it is particularly important when we come to the Scriptures. Many doctrines require a balanced approach. Too far one direction and we are in legalism. Too far the other and we abuse grace. The same is true as we come to Ephesians 6 this coming Sunday and begin to discuss spiritual warfare. We must keep…
REVENGE – A DISH BEST NEVER SERVED
Revenge. A dish best served cold. Or so the saying goes. Reading from the book of Proverbs however, we find that it is a dish best NEVER served at all. Rather, we are called to entrust these hurts, these acts of evil against us unto the Lord. What are we instead called to and is there perhaps a greater purpose? We’ll explore that today.
ROLL IT ONTO GOD?
That’s a strange title right? I know. What am I supposed to “roll”? Am I playing a game of ball with God. No. But that is the literal meaning of a word from Proverbs 16 today as we focus on one verse and the importance of being dependent upon him.
THE WAYS OF THE LORD ARE WISE NOT FOOLISH
I’ve heard it and seen it written various times that believing in the Lord and the ways prescribed in his Word are foolish. Interestingly, I was in Proverbs 3 today and Solomon writes in direct contrast to that. And we find it not only there but also in Ecclesiastes 12. In light of what our nation is celebrating this month, it is all the more a call to understand the wisdom of the Lord and of us to proclaim that…
TRAINING BECAUSE OTHERS DEPEND ON IT
In the military, training is not only to defeat an enemy or help you personally in a situation, but also to help your fellow soldiers. In the church, our gathering times are in a sense a training grounds. We often approach those gathers with a mindset of what’s in it for me personally. Based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and what we’re going through in Ephesians, I’d encourage you that our times are training so that we might be equipped to…
PRAISE THE LORD FOR IT IS GOOD
I was reading through Psalm 147 today and was simply impressed and encouraged by several verses. Today’s vlog is just sharing my thoughts and some encouragements from those verses.
LIVING WITHOUT AUTHORITY
Living with no authority has serious consequences for our lives. I’m talking specifically about the authority of God. We see that with the nation of Israel in Judges where in chs. 17, 18, 19, & 21 we see the same phrase repeated: “Israel had no king.” The author sandwiches the last part of the book with the phrase: “they did what was right in their own eyes.” Even as Christians we have a tendency to do this? How might you…
TIME FOR GOD’S GOSPEL AGENDA
My wife and I share a calendar on Google in order to keep our schedules in order. We admit that we are busy people with ministry, work, children, and giving to our community. We live in a busy world. As we think on the time that each and every one of us has each day, do we think about God’s agenda for us? This video hits at the heart of our idols that we talked about earlier this week &…
DIVIDED AFFECTIONS
So much is calling us today to worship it. If we are not careful, we can end up with divided affections and chasing after idols as Israel did. We’re in Judges today looking at some sad news about how a nation that had witnessed the mighty hand of God turned from him. It’s a spiritual plight that we are not immune to.
VIEW OF SEXUALITY REVEALS VIEW OF GOD
A Pew Research poll found that nearly 1/3 of Protestants believe that casual sex is sometimes or always okay between consenting adults. They also found a direct correlation between that statistic and church attendance. Join us today as we address this issue and continue our discussion the sermon on Ephesian 5 this past Sunday.
FALLING IN LOVE
In 1961, Elvis Presley released his hit single “Can’t Help Falling In Love”. Falling in love. It’s a common phrase that we use when talking about relationships and how we have moved from friends to the next level of seriousness. But it has also become an excuse for why believers are dating and have married unbelievers. While love does conjure and appeal to our emotions, it is also an action. Continuing the subject of Sunday’s sermon, let’s look at Ephesians…
#ASKPD: JUDGMENT IN JOSHUA
As I was reading through Joshua 11-12 today, I noticed a phrase that I have seen in the New Testament. Pondering on that for a moment, it helps us to answer the question about why see the drastic measures of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, particularly as Israel enters the land. Take a moment to watch and consider.
FREE DIRECTIONS FOR LIFE
I love the map app on my phone that gives me free directions to the various places I need to get to. I really appreciate it when I get lost. There is a different source though that gives us even more important directions and it too provides them free of charge. It’s the Bible. And this directions are for life.