It was November, 1966. My husband was in the Army and I was at home with our young son. Our second child was due in January. The princely sum of $183.10 a month (the Army allotment for dependents) didn’t go very far. First, I would lay aside the tithe, then the house payment of $64. … Continue reading –>
Should you pay tithe? I don’t think so. I think paying tithe is a heathen practice. (Please stay with me to the end.) Here’s why: Paying tithe presupposes that I have goods or money that I wish to exchange for goods or services. Paying something (offering) to a deity in exchange for grace or favor … Continue reading –>
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 When the story of the birth of Jesus is told, the innkeeper often gets a bum wrap. How could you not have room for … Continue reading –>
“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’” Zechariah 7:9-10, NIV An oft-recurring theme with the Minor Prophets and echoed again with Zechariah is the plight … Continue reading –>
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Haggai 1:4, NIV Very old ruins have held a romantic fascination for me. When I walk beside the ruined walls, I wonder what stories could they tell of lives lived long ago. What hopes and … Continue reading –>
Compare Genesis 1:28 with John 12:31. What was the status of Adam and Eve in the newly created world? Who seized power and became the ruler of this world? Adam was given the responsibility to be ruler of the world. When he sinned, Adam’s dominion was compromised. Satan now exercised his power in the creation, causing the corruption … Continue reading –>
“Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they … Continue reading –>
“And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.” Genesis 2:15 A few years ago, when we were hearing quite a bit about lowering our carbon footprints, my kids and I had an ongoing joke. Because there seemed to be such a … Continue reading –>
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, NIV). How does this text help to set the foundation for a biblically based concept of stewardship? We often tend to think of stewardship in terms of money. As we’ve seen … Continue reading –>
As we have seen throughout this quarter, God’s original Creation was “good,” even “very good.” Everything and everyone came forth from the hand of the Creator in a state of perfection. There was no sickness, no disease, no death. Contrary to the evolutionary model—in which disease, sickness, and death are part of the very means … Continue reading –>
