Running for the Prize
Let this sink in: our obedience in this life matters now and counts forever. Life in heaven will echo with the consequences of the lives we lived on earth.
Let this sink in: our obedience in this life matters now and counts forever. Life in heaven will echo with the consequences of the lives we lived on earth.
Apocalyptic, as a category of prophetic literature, is the most dramatic, foreign, and difficult to understand of all the biblical literary forms. It deals with end-of-the-world events using symbolism and figurative language.
Spiritual movement is either forward or backwards. There is no middle “maintenance” mode. We might feel like we are maintaining a holding pattern but we are in fact slipping backwards.
You may only be one person, but you can still make a difference. So, please, make a difference! God has opened a door for you. It’s open right now. Find it. Walk through it. Don’t hesitate.
Tolerance, in its essence, is a disposition to allow freedom of choice and behaviour. However, the ideal of tolerance is now a legalistic blanket of rightness.
Jesus’ birth occurred in obscurity. Luke juxtaposed that obscurity with the angelic pronouncement regarding Jesus’ exalted identity. This pronouncement conveys key historical and theological points which Luke wanted to make clear in his gospel.
We also have racism because we live in a sinful world that has taught us to compare the outward differences. We also have racism because we live in a sinful world that has taught us to compare the outward differences.
We’re prone to treat the Bible like a textbook and we’re cramming for a test. We know how to read, analyze, colour code, timeline, and graph the Scriptures, (all good!) but meditation is a neglected skill.
The exotic—even bizarre—symbols used to describe the Beast in Revelation 13 are not just frightening features conjured up to illustrate the monstrous character of the Antichrist. The vision of the Beast is drawn from specific images in the book of Daniel.
Do you take time to reflect on the wonder of heaven? Do you think about eternity with God and the complete and total banishment of death and sin? Do thoughts of heaven influence your earthly days?