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Does He who disciplines nations not punish? Does He who teaches mankind lack knowledge? – Psalms 94:10 To be perfectly clear, God sees and knows everything. Nothing escapes His complete and perfect omniscience. God also disciplines all that He has created and brings it into subjection. Not one single human being lives in a godless vacuum; especially those of us who belong to Christ and certainly those of us who have been called into His vocational service. Each person will be

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. - 1 John 4:16 "We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us." Exactly how did those early believers come to such knowledge and belief? How do we? Ever wonder how? Ever wonder if God really loves you? While I have never wondered if God loves me, I admit that at times I have struggled to see some of His a

Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation. - Psalm 91:14-16 Have you sometimes wondered if, like the person addressed in this Psalm, you are "lovingly devoted" to the Lord? I certainly have. I mean, in the sense that a football fan might be dev

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God — God remains in him and he in God. - 1 John 4:15 Is Jesus the Son of God? Those of us who follow Him should have no trouble affirming this truth, but did you know that for many others this is a huge barrier to their acceptance of Christ as Lord? Multitudes around the world believe that in order for Christ to be the Son of God, then God would have needed to engage in a physical relationship with Mary. In fact, they believe this

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. - Psalm 90:12 If the average life expectancy of a person is 80 years, then we may calculate that from the moment of birth to the moment of physical death, we have 29,200 days to live. If then we subtract 12 years (normally considered childhood), we are left with 24,820 "adult" days. Since we sleep (on average) eight hours a day, we may finally calculate that we have available to us about 16,63

And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. - 1 John 4:14 What were we thinking when we agreed to become missionaries to Africa in 2008 (at the age of 50)?! My wife and I wrestled with this question many times in the year leading up to our departure. I mean, did we hear God right? Maybe He meant something else, or someone else! Of course, we ultimately arrived at the conclusion that God had not stuttered and (after many years of

I will not violate My covenant or change what My lips have said. - Psalm 89:34 Do you remember a time when agreements were sealed with a handshake and such "contracts" were considered as binding as anything a court might impose? Well, neither do I, but the idea is one with which we are all familiar and enamored, having had it passed down from those who have gone before us. We can all appreciate the tone and feeling such integrity emotes and even in our current litigious soci

This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given to us from His Spirit. - 1 John 4:13 I once shared (in this space) that in order to effectively present an accurate picture of God's character to this world, He must remain among us (corporately) and in us (individually). The follow-up question for today is this, "How can we know if He is there?" The apostle gives a portion of the answer to that vital question in 1 John 4:13. We can know that God is among

Teach me Your way, Yahweh, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. – Psalms 86:11     It is so easy to lose focus in service of the Lord. No matter where or how we serve Him, there will always be competing demands on our time, tasks that threaten to take us away from the primary purpose for which we have been set apart.   For example, as a pastor there were a multitude of activities competing for my time and attention and I

No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. - 1 John 4:12 OK, I was never very good at geography, but anyone with a map can see that Africa is huge ! In fact, the entire United States would fit in the portion that is considered West Africa. In this same region, there are also over 1,600 separate distinct people groups with their own language and culture. Wow! Yet, as immense (and in some ways incomprehensible) as Afric

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a source of spring water; even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings. - Psalm 84:6 It seems that each year (on my annual journey through the Scriptures) I inevitably pause and reflect on these words from David. The illustration is intended to picture someone who makes his way to worship God on the mount in Jerusalem, but along the way must pass through the "Valley of Tears." The journey is difficult. There is loss.

Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. - 1 John 4:11 After John explained the breadth and scope of God's love (as seen in the sacrifice of Christ Jesus), he told his "dear friends" (including Christ's followers today) that they must exercise this same kind of love within the family of God. Does this mean what I think it does? If Christ became sin so that a person could become the righteousness of God in Him, might that same person be asked

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. – Psalms 78:9-11   One old preacher called the Ephraimite archers the "original quitters." In the midst of the battle, they ran. When the going got tough, they got out. And, as if that were not enough, they abandoned their covenant with God as well.   I once interviewed a man

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:10 Did Jesus die for our sins? Yes, in that our sins were part of the cause; yet, He died not just that we would be justified (declared innocent) before the Father, but primarily that we might escape the Father's wrath. The word "propitiation" has to do with the removal of God's divine wrath . God's love is defined (comprehended or understood) b

Even human wrath will praise You; You will clothe Yourself with their remaining wrath. - Psalm 76:10 Praise is defined as the act of expressing approval or admiration, a commendation, or a laudation. When we think of praising God, images of worship, prayer, and song are usually evoked. Wrath is not usually in the list. In fact, the idea of human wrath being somehow connected with God's praise is not only foreign, it almost seems blasphemous. And yet, while it may appear to

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:10 What is the "stuff" of love? I guess it depends on who you ask. Someone once said that love is war. Another that love is friendship caught on fire. Still another that love is an invisible, formidable force. One person even said that love is life. So, what is the "stuff" of love? John (the apostle who seemed to speak of it most) had his own Ho

You know how I am scorned, disgraced, and shamed; all my enemies are before You. – Psalms 69:19 If you live long enough you will know an enemy (or two). Here are three things to remember when facing an adversary: 1) The Lord will take care of you, if you remain submitted to His will and purposes. 2) God knows who your adversaries are, and He can handle them. 3) As long as you are in the Lord's camp, anyone opposed to you is opposed to Him and, therefore, ultimately a "loser."

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:10 I had a pastor once who said that when he came to a word in the Bible that was difficult to pronounce he would just say "big word" rather than say it incorrectly. Funny, yes, but some words just cannot be avoided. Paul wrote that, "He (God, the Father) made the One (Jesus, the Son) who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might becom

But I pray to you, Yahweh, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. – Psalms 69:13 In my experience as a Christian leader, I have had some very trying moments, tests of my skills and my authority to exercise them. By God's grace, I sometimes passed the test but frankly it didn't often feel like it. Successful spiritual leadership doesn't always equate with being popular. It is often necessary for shepherds to lead the sheep whe

God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. - 1 John 4:9 Often in this life, when someone makes a commitment, we request some sort of proof that he or she will keep it. A person's word must often be followed by an affirmative action that validates the promise. While most people would like to be known as "a person of his/her word," each of us has at one time or another been disappointed when som