God has written us a love letter; it is called “The Bible.” I have taken the words of that letter and rearranged them to make this letter. It is still from God, for it is His Words. My Dear Child, (That’s You), You may not know me, but I know everything about you. (Ps 139:1)I [...]
Posted on December 9th, 2010 by doc
Filed under: Bible study, Faith, Grace, Security | Comments Off
I have heard some really strange ideas on this topic…ranging from uncontrollable temper through fleshly desires and on to profound mental depression…any of which would be more than I would welcome. However, the inspired Scriptures do not exactly pinpoint what was Paul’s thorn in the flesh. So, I decided to examine the context and some [...]
Posted on August 26th, 2010 by doc
Filed under: Grace, satan, Word study | 2 Comments »
A friend of mine writes a short devotional three or four times a week. Recently, he had one that caught my eye. I enjoy the Book of Proverbs, because Solomon had a way of cutting to the heart of the matter that appeals to me. Anyway, Henry did a short devotional on Proverbs 28:13: He [...]
Posted on June 3rd, 2010 by doc
Filed under: Forgiveness, Grace, Prayer | 2 Comments »
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.…10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:8, 10 That seems pretty clear — we all sin. That’s exactly what [...]
Posted on August 26th, 2009 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: "In" not "of", Forgiveness, Grace, Security | Comments Off
30Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32He [...]
Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Bible Characters, Forgiveness, Grace, Growth, Humility, Love, Old Testament | Comments Off
At the cross? Allow me to suggest that’s only partially true. Ask many Christians about the sins of the Israelites, and they’ll explain that the sins were “rolled forward”, and forgiven at the cross, as if each Israelite kept adding sins to his account until the day he died. I’d like to also suggest this [...]
Posted on June 12th, 2009 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Contradictions, Forgiveness, Grace, Jesus, Old Testament, Salvation | 1 Comment »
There’s a fairly recent song by Steven Curtis Chapman that describes some of the ways he shows his faith — he’s got a T-shirt, a bracelet with letters on it, a necklace & key chain, Bible magnets on his refrigerator, a “bless you” welcome mat, a Jesus bumper sticker, and the outline of a fish [...]
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: "In" not "of", Christian Example, Christian life, Faith, Grace, Growth, Humility, Jesus, New Testament, Obedience, Society, Word study | Comments Off
How often have you heard someone say, “I know God has forgiven me, but I just can’t forgive myself.” I’d like to suggest two things with regard to that statement. First, it’s a natural human feeling to realize the impact of our own sin, and to keep remembering and remembering and remembering, replaying events in [...]
Posted on June 9th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Christian life, Grace, Growth, Peace, Salvation, Security | Comments Off
Perhaps a more basic question is “What is good enough?” Is 90% good enough? 95%? 99? How about 99.9%? Of course the answer really depends on what we’re applying the description to. For me, I would have been very pleased with 90% in my college organic chemistry class. (Actually, I would have been pleased with [...]
Posted on June 6th, 2008 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Grace, Growth, Humility, Salvation | Comments Off
A friend recently told me that sickness in his family had created a hospital bill of $3.5 million. He told me: “That is more than I can pay the rest of my life.” He has a debt that, no matter how hard he tries, he can never pay. It made me think of what Jesus [...]
Posted on May 30th, 2008 by Pat Brown
Filed under: Devotion, Grace, Humility, Jesus, Joy, New Testament, Salvation | 8 Comments »
