Separate – Meditations on James 4

The 4th Chapter of James holds wonderful truths for God’s people! (As does the whole Bible, of course!). But, perhaps it’s been a while since many of us have read through this chapter. In reading this chapter recently I was struck by the message of God’s people being “separate” from sin and the world. At least that is, called to be separate, expected to be separate, and empowered to be separate, but in need of willingness and decision to be separate. God provides the tools, strength or power, and the direction needed – but as for the decision, that lies in our hands. James 4 makes that abundantly clear, as do so many other countless passages in the Bible! Let’s go through the chapter and pull out some points for edification. I’ll simply reference ideas and portions of text, but you’d be blessed to read the whole chapter (See James 4). Continue reading →

High in the Sky – Signs of the End – Bible Prophecies Fulfilling

Nearly 4,300 years ago the masses of mankind had gathered themselves in the fertile plain of Shinar to build themselves a city and make a tower reaching unto the heavens! They wanted to make a name for themselves and to avoid being scattered abroad upon the face of the earth! In the Biblical story (Genesis 11:1-9), God, seeing what they were up to, decided to go and confuse the languages in order to divide up and disperse people groups into various cultures so that mankind would not be able to progress as quickly in their development, while living in sin. Continue reading →

Peace and Prosperity Talks – Good? A sign of the end?

Peace is an experience and a word that resonates with the hearts of most people! What perhaps could be better than peace when our hearts are daily torn by sad conflicts and outbursts of evil in this world! When people from all walks of life begin to talk about peace, and sides long in opposition and violence over their various differences have begun to talk of peace it certainly sounds like music to the ears of people with aching hearts yearning for sweet rest, peace, prosperity, and harmony for all! Peace sounds so incredibly good to us all! In fact, even Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). The apostle Paul gives us a word, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.” With that said, could some world talks of peace be a sign for concern? Could some peace talks be just part of a larger plan to seize world power, trample on minority faith groups, and cast eternal truths of God aside? Let’s consider a few points of prophecy from the Bible. Continue reading →

Marriage in God’s view or Society’s?

Since the 70s, views of marriage in society, and the nature of it being a life-long durable commitment, have gotten progressively worse in the U.S. These shifting attitudes towards marriage have taken away much of the societal supports that used to exist to encourage the durability of marriage. These shifting views have really hurt marriage’s durability and even its quality in our world. It’s time for God’s people to put forth the truth that Jesus put forth, and stop being twisted by society around us. Let’s do some twisting of our own in the direction of Christ’s words, “…the two shall become one flesh…Therefore, what God has joined together let no man separate” (Matthew 19:5,6).
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Compulsive homosexual services or Liberty of Conscience?

The question was asked, “Should a Christian in business have the right to refuse services to a homosexual couple?” In general every day transactions such as buying food, gas, clothes, etc. where buying something should have no concern or orientation to someone’s sexuality I think the answer is NO. A Christian or any person should not bring into consideration your personal lifestyle at all. However, if a Christian (or another person of conviction) is being asked to participate in something they are deeply morally opposed to then I believe the answer is YES, they should have the right to refuse services. Continue reading →