“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:13-16
Peter doesn’t mess around, does he? He [...]
[Thought questions for Lessons From the Sanctuary October 23, 2013]
1. “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8 NASB. Just a dozen words, but think of the answers we would have found to the following questions if we’d been in the group: Who are we building this sanctuary for? Why? Who’s going to build it? Why do we need it? Why do we have to build it? Couldn’t God just create a sanctuary? In [...]
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com
[Thought questions for Reformation: Thinking New Thoughts September 11, 2013]
1. The human mind: our challenge for this week: The mind is by far the most complicated part of the human being, and we are thousands of miles short of understanding it. How can we know what to believe when we don’t even know what it means to believe? Does God want to control your mind? Is it possible to
think of ourselves as Christians without [...]
Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com
Introduction
Three admonitions, six imperatives, eight brief admonitions, and closing prayer. This is how Paul concludes his first letter to the Thessalonians. Fasten your seat belts. This could be an exhilarating and life-altering experience for us, sitting with the rest of the last-day believers in church homes and other meeting places around the world. What is Paul’s fundamental message to fellow Christians today?
[Thought Questions for Church Life September 5, 2012]
“…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders…” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, NIV
Several years ago, while attending church potluck after services one Sabbath, I noticed a visitor going from table to table visiting with the local church members. His appearance had caught my attention as most of those in attendance were dressed in [...]
Did your parents ever tell you that you’d gotten too big for your own britches? Usually your parents were giving you fair warning that you had stepped over the disrespect line and you needed to step back quickly or experience a refresher course in who was the parent and who was the child, right?
Well, I’m thinking that, with respect to honoring the holiness and sanctity of God, we crossed that line so long ago that we don’t even remember it. [...]
“Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5, NIV
The opening chapters of the book of Exodus represent a low point in the history of God’s people. From calling upon the name of the Lord in the early chapters of Genesis, they had come, after 400 years in Egypt, to the point where many had adopted the customs and patterns of worship of the Egyptians.
Entering the [...]
