Tag: King Saul
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Seeking First God’s Kingdom and Righteousness
We have been talking for the last few weeks about what it means to judge justly. Last week, we talked about the Great Exchange—the imputation of our sin to Christ and Christ’s righteousness to His people. The text today leads us to consider patriotism—not concerning any worldly kingdom but concerning the kingdom of Heaven. Since…
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Still Tying to Force Your Problems Into Submission?
I am going to mention a few things. If you struggle against any of these things, please know that you are not alone, here. We have people in our congregation who have been through some tough fights in their lifetimes. We do not wish to condemn or look down on anyone because of the fight…
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When ‘Religious’ people place unnecessary burdens on others…
I have, in my Christian life, wondered how someone can claim to love Jesus but continue to dishonor Him. How can a person claim to love Christ and, yet, not be a committed member of a healthy local church body- the very body of Christ? I have wondered why there are so many preachers and…
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My Life is Good Enough Without Jesus or the Church
“My life is good enough without Jesus or the church…” I have heard this often. I’ve said it. When we say things like this we make an assumption about Christianity- that it is about living a good life or being satisfied in this life. What if I told you that the message of the Bible…
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What Our Complaints Reveal About Us
Last week, we saw Samuel anoint Saul with oil. We saw God’s confirming signs on Saul’s life as God’s Holy Spirit moved him to sing with the singing prophets. We learned what God desires musically from His people. We also saw that Saul kept God’s anointing of himself and the powerful work of God’s Holy…
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The Myth of the Super-Christian
Perhaps we have all seen it happen or we have experienced it ourselves. Some person is “super-Christian,” does all the right stuff, doesn’t cuss, doesn’t drink, doesn’t hang out with the wrong crowd, knows all of the Sunday School answers to all of the super spiritual questions, knows the content of the Bible, probably does…
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Doing Our Best Work In Our Golden Years
In the previous passage, Samuel prophesied, foretelling what the procedure of the king would be. Before this, Samuel’s ministry, which lasted until he was old (8:1), was routine. Samuel would travel the same circuit judging Israel (7:15-17). He had appointed his sons as judges because of his old age (8:1-2). Now, in his old age,…
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Live a Gratifying, Happy Life-starting today!
There are many things that we do for the purpose of self-gratification. In fact by nature, every thing that we do is purposed toward some type of self-gratification. We can observe the stages of life in our modern context. Babies cry to be fed. Toddlers begin to develop some personal preferences, and it’s obvious. They…