The very fact that God is called LORD and specifically Jesus Christ is called the Lord points us to the fact we who are His are to serve Him. That’s what lords require and deserve—service. There are a multitude of reasons as to why we are to serve the Lord, but have you ever considered…
When the Lord saved me in 1997 at the age of 17, I had artists like Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Led Zeppelin bumping and rocking in my car stereo system, but my much more sanctified and spiritually mature future wife began to introduce me to Christian artists. One band that really moved me into listening to more Christian music…
This week we continue the season of Advent, which is the Christian season of preparation for Christmas. Our theme this year is “Hope of the Nations,” and we are thinking on the world-wide hope found in Jesus Christ. We’re meditating on the ideas of light, life, liberty, love, and Lord. Our focus this week is life. We read in Romans 6:23: 23…
‘Tis the season to be jolly! Over the next few weeks, WIFW will take on Christmas music, focusing on songs that help us keep Jesus Christ, the reason for Christmas, at the center. Today’s song is “Welcome to Our World.” There are so many great Christmas songs, but in my opinion, this is one of the best. Written by Chris Rice in…
This week we begin our season of Advent, which is the Christian season of preparation for Christmas. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent, we’re reminded of how much we ourselves also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior’s second coming even as we prepare to…
Recently I had the honor and privilege of being interviewed by my friend and early mentor Brandon Porter on the weekly radio and internet ministry he co-hosts called Biblical Thinking. It was a conversation that was spurred by my article “Discerning Minds Want to Know: Sharpening Discernment for Our Trying Times.” Through the interview, we highlight some of the insight from that…
It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and I have so many things to be thankful for. How about you? To help you give thanks, we’re going to go a little bit ancient-modern here, all the way back to 1882. In that year, the blind George Matheson penned a song that gets to something that I am so very thankful for. He called it…
There was great joy in Israel during the days of King Josiah (2 Kings 22-23). The lost book of truth had been found!
Truth is of utmost importance. But, it’s not enough to simply claim truth. It’s important to critically reflect on how we come to know that our “truth” is really true. Through a recent conversation, a theological principle known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral or the Methodist Quadrilateral was brought to my attention. I had briefly heard of it before […]
(By Dave Miller, the current 2nd Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention and a pastor in Iowa)
Habakkuk was confused, frustrated, and evidently just a little bit ticked at God.
“Oh, Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence” and you will not save?” (Hab 1:2)
His concern was focused on the wickedness that was so prevalent among God’s people, in his nation.
“So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” (Hab 1:4)
Read between the lines. “Where are you, God? Why are you allowing this wickedness to prevail?”
Then, God answered Habakkuk, but it was not an answer that the prophet wanted to hear. […]
The Bible says that on the seventh day, God rested (Gen 2:1), which was a fitting conclusion to a week of work. We are made in God’s image (Gen 1:27), and if God is a worker, then so should we be as well. I know that we as a nation are increasingly becoming an entitlement society, but we who are followers of…