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Who Is My Neighbor?
Who is my neighbor? It's a question that we should well be asking in our changing society. Jesus' parable about the good Samaritan beautifully illustrates that when we see someone in need, even an enemy, we should extend mercy. We preach that we need to see the image of God in everyone...we sing about grace that is greater than all our sin. Do we practice living out this grace toward others? Do we practice mercy? Do we prove to be a true neighbor? "You go, and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)
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The Beauty of the Gospel
Have you ever really stopped to think about the impossibility of mankind being able to save themselves? We have had roughly 6,000 years of biblical history unfolding to date, and we have not and will not ever develop the perfect person or society. Why? While man claims that we can evolve into something better given enough time, Jesus prophesied that in the last days the world and mankind would devolve and get worse...
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Faith Working Through Love
Perhaps it is serendipitous, maybe a little ironic, for me to be writing about work and rest on our Labor Day holiday weekend here in the United States. This federal holiday was enacted as a response to the action of labor activists who wanted to recognize our workers as making significant contributions to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being. It is a nationwide day off granted as a rest from our great labors. There is a somewhat similar idea in the Bible called the Sabbath day, which was the seventh day in the Jewish week on which no work was to be performed. It was to be a picture of God's…
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The Mercy at the Heart of the Golden Rule
Reciprocity. It is a basic human desire, even an expectation, to be treated fairly and with respect. There are norms in every society that influence a person's behavior, many unspoken, expectations for the return of a kindness done to another. Sometimes the kindness done is motivated by a selfish desire to receive some favor back, the "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" philosophy. Sometimes. less obviously or even hidden from our own conscious recognition, a kindness is done in the hopes of fulfilling a deep need, such as love or friendship, the "if I do this thing, what will I gain and what will it cost?" type of mathematical…
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God’s Honest Truth
Have you ever asked this yourself? What IS truth? We live in a society nowadays, especially here in the United States, where "fake news" is a buzzword and people's mouths are filled with words that are chosen to sell us a product or persuade us to act. They spin a story. They spin the truth...So, what is truth, just as this Roman governor asked two millennia ago, and where can we turn to find it?
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Prophets or Profits: My Two Cents
Prophets or profits: making sense of it all is our theme today. With many mega-churches and ministries in the U.S. holding millions in assets, how is it that we have poor members in our midst? What message are we sending the world? Jesus said that the world would recognize His own by the love we have for each other. Where is this love? Have our capitalistic values in this country doused the light we are to be? How can we be missions-minded with money-driven goals? Are we so focused on doing big ministry that we forget those right next to us who struggle in the local church body? Here is…
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Repentance: Work of Man or Grace of God?
Is repentance a work of man or a work of God? Some claim that we add to the gospel or Word of God when repentance is preached. Well, what was the teaching of Jesus? What was the practice of the apostles? Why is repentance such an important theme in the Bible?
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On Your Honor
Honor and respect. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Aretha Franklin belted it out. We desire to get it, but do we give it?
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A Slice of Humble Pie
"But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2 ESV] You would have to had nipped the strong drink of propaganda and then fallen sound asleep like Rip Van Winkle to not notice the lack of humility here in the United States, especially in the last six years or so. I mean, do the scriptures on humility above reflect our culture at all?
![[Eph 1:16-17, 19 ESV]](https://i0.wp.com/lampstanddevotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Train3.jpg?resize=1140%2C784&ssl=1)
![For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. [Isa 57:15 ESV]](https://i0.wp.com/lampstanddevotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SunRays.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&ssl=1)
