While Paul was a prisoner at Rome, he wrote a letter to the brethren at Philippi. The church at Philippi was one of his favorites. At one point, they were the only local church that helped him financially in his efforts to spread the gospel (Philippians 4:15). In writing to them, he used terms of […]
There is nothing more important than our relationship with God. The eternal destiny of our souls depends on whether or not we are in favor with Him. Sadly, many religious people do not realize what it takes to establish a relationship with God. Actually, there is not just one thing that God requires of us […]
As I close this series of blogs on love, I want to remind you that love is an action word. Do you remember the definition I gave of agapé in an earlier blog? Here it is again: “Love always acts in the best interest of whatever it is that is loved.” So, love always acts. […]
I once heard a man say, “Death is the penalty for living.” Is death the penalty for living? Many would say yes. Death is a penalty, but it is not the penalty for living; it is the penalty for sin. Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death….” (Romans 6:23). Adam and Eve were […]
Hezekiah, the 13th king of Judah, was a godly king. He was able to rise above the bad example of his ungodly father, Ahaz, who had turned Judah to idolatry. Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he immediately began to reform Judah, turning the kingdom back to God. During that […]
We have seen in this series of blogs that we are to love everyone, but that does not mean that we are to love everything. Philippians 1:9 (ESV) 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, If your love is not discerning, it is […]
While we must love our neighbors, that is, our fellow man, there is no higher duty that we possess than loving God. Matthew 22:34-38 (ESV) 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 […]
Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to possess miraculous power? I know that some claim to do so today, but they don’t. Miraculous powers only came by the laying on of an apostle’s hand, as we are told by the inspired writing of Luke (Acts 8:18). Since that is the case, […]
In last week’s blogs, we emphasized how love behaves. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives us some very specific characteristics of love. Remember, we are dealing with agapé which is a reasoned choice; thus, these characteristics are ones that we possess or avoid by choice. We have already looked at eleven of the fifteen behaviors […]
As Christians, the building blocks of our lives are faith, hope, and love. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6); hope is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19); and, love is our badge of discipleship, proving to the world that we are followers of Jesus (John 13:34-35). Of these three, love […]