We are not identical human beings—we are very different individuals, and when we came out of our mother’s womb, we were unique in exactly the way God wanted us to be. He made no mistakes. He looks at each of His new-born children, from every nation, tribe and tongue, red and yellow, black and white, and thinks to Himself as He observes each one, “Wow, I outdid myself this time! Look at this incredible creation!” I can remember distinctly bringing our first-born, Adam, home…

The two edges of the sword of God’s word are like fraternal twins, equally loved, valued and appreciated by their parents but direct opposites in personality and appearance. Nobody would know they are twins! They go by a variety of names: Gospel and Kingdom, Law and Grace, Faith and Obedience, Do and Done, Cause and Effect, and Internal and External.  We have been focusing on one edge of the sword for several months (Gospel, Grace, Faith, Done, Cause and Internal). In light of the…

It is often said that to be a “black and white” person is not a good thing, and those of us who are need to learn to be more “nuanced” in our outlook on life. I certainly agree with the intent of most who offer that analysis. Their purpose is to address opinionated “know it alls” like Yours Truly, who are convinced we are always right and, therefore, “don’t confuse me with the facts; my mind is made up.” However, truth doesn’t come in…

The stage is set; the house lights are dimmed; the camera’s are rolling, and a star is born—you! You are the star in the play, “Living by Faith,” and you have learned your lines. There are only three, but you repeat them over and over again in the play—”Search me, Oh Lord…see if there be any wicked way in me;” “Oh Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner;” “I believe, help my unbelief!”—and you are ready!  In the surreal world of the stage you…

What does it mean to be a “believer in Jesus Christ? The vast majority of Christians think that it means “I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth and died for my sins. He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended into Heaven, and will one day come again.”  These basic ideas make up the heart of the Apostle’s Creed—the creed that has served as the definition of what constitutes traditional Christianity since about 140 AD. If…

The following is the actual, real-life prayer of a good friend who meets with Jesus regularly, pen in hand, to record both what he prays and what the Lord says to him. This was a particularly significant time for him, and he read this to me after he got my last newsletter. He felt the letter illustrated what He had just told the Lord. I immediately recognized it was a perfect example of my point in the posting and asked him if I could…

For the past few weeks we have been discussing the controversial topic (in Christian circles) of the role of women in society. The basis for those discussions is several passages in the Bible that have laid the foundation, down through the ages, for the church’s view of what God Himself thinks about the role of women, and what He wants to communicate to us about the subject today. We came to the conclusion that the Bible teaches conclusively that God created women to bear…

A good friend of mine recently got a surprising report from his doctor. He had been battling some physical limitations for some time, nothing seemed particularly serious. He had had a cancerous growth successfully removed from his leg some time ago and was undergoing the customary precautionary follow-up treatment. He had moved on to pursue life again as usual. Then a few days ago his doctor dropped a bombshell out of the blue. His cancer had returned, and had spread throughout his body, including…

One of my roommates in college was an amateur magician who had mastered a handful of coin tricks. Since he would occasionally practice on his old roomie, I learned to do a couple of them myself.  One was called the French Drop, which, like all magic tricks, fools the observer as the magician focuses on one hand (or some “shiny trinket,” etc.) while the other hand is hiding the coin. I have often thought that Satan, the master deceiver, has done the same thing…

We have now come to the last four verses of Proverbs 31, and in them we see that there is an earthly reward for the faithful wife who follows in the footsteps of the homemaker portrayed in this chapter.  Make no mistake, God’s love, salvation, gifts, talents and abilities do not come to us because we have earned them by our obedience to Him. In like manner, neither do His blessings and rewards. They are all by grace alone, completely free and totally unmerited,…