The Beauty of Scripture

  2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.   I read a quote on Facebook that stated the church does not determine what we preach, the Bible determines what we preach. Those may not be the exact words, but they were much like what I quoted from Facebook. Most certainly, this thought is reflected in the letter to the Thessalonian church – you are to pass on the teachings sent to you by word or letter. The culture of the world around us has invaded our minds and thoughts, and our churches. No longer can one count on the truth of the Bible strictly taught in our churches of today, well, not all churches. Some churches become a place for “show” rather than true spiritual teaching. But there are many churches which do hold on and stand firm in the Bible teachings. And from what I understand, those churches that do not teach biblical truth lose their people who are searchin...

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” If there is anything that is needed in today’s world, it is encouragement. As we look around at the world and the politics and the wars and see the antagonism between peoples and countries it all vies for our attention. It in fact screams at us everyday to listen, to be absorbed, and to cringe in its wake. There is no good news out there in the world! No, we will not find our encouragement in the world around us – unless! Unless we live in the love of Jesus Christ! Our churches are still a place where the Good News is announced. Are we all perfect? No, not one, for none of us are perfect, but we do know someone who is Perfect! Our Lord Jesus, and our Lord is in control of all things that pertain to this world in which we live. The world has been ...

Romans 3:23, 24 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ. When I think of my own story of redemption and how I came to be where I am in life, I am so grateful for the justification and redemption of my Lord. Paul says there is not one of us who can attain the glory of God – not one! We may strive in life to be good people, and yes, there are many good people in our world, but striving is not enough. Striving will never get me there, nor will it get you there. We are all sinners! We are born in the likeness of the first Adam who was tempted and fell. And we fall. Sometimes we fall hard. We struggle to know why that temptation once again caught our attention. We fight it to reclaim our victory and then fall again. It becomes a cycle in our lives as we go round and round. I have fought those battles. I have walked those paths that lead me back to the same spot as yesterday. You may not ...