Do right – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/10/21/do-right
The world isn’t much concerned with doing right. It prefers to do what feels good. People look for immediate gratification rather than adhere to a standard and enjoy the fruit of righteousness. Opinions then become an individual’s guide and the arbitrator of what is good and right. This explains a major part of the mess the world is in.
Jesus’ covenant is better – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/08/02/jesus-covenant-better
You can almost hear those who first heard this begin to question: why do we need another covenant? God established his covenant with us on Mount Sinai. What could be better than that?
The Value of vision – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/07/09/the-value-of-vision
Have you ever bumped your toe, banged your knee, or walked into a wall? I’m not talking about pain that comes from being a walking phone-zombie, but rather from the blindness that comes about from walking in the dark. Walking without sight presents great challenges. Those with good eyesight only experience those challenges rarely. But those experiences provide great lessons for us. It should not surprise us that God uses the physical realities of blindness to teach far more important spiritual lessons.
Look to Jesus Christ – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/07/04/look-to-jesus-christ
Jesus Christ is the complete answer of God for the problem and need of mankind.
With all your mind – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/30/with-all-your-mind
How do I love God with my mind? The Lord Jesus included this as a part of what he knew to be the “greatest commandment.” Since it held such an important place in the Lord Jesus’ thoughts it ought to hold a similarly great place in ours, shouldn’t it?
Have we surrendered? – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/29/have-we-surrendered
The Israelites describe the Philistines as “rulers over us” instead of acknowledging that God was their true ruler and king. They had already surrendered to the Philistines.
Considering the text in Judges, one might ask, “Have Christians in our age surrendered to the evil?”
Young and old – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/27/young-and-old
There’s a lot of difference between the young and the old. I came up with a few items that distinguish the two groups. You might even want to add to this list.
Stubbed toes and a bloody nose – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/25/stubbed-toes-bloody-nose
Just as physical, emotional, and intellectual growth can be painful for children, spiritual growth can be painful for adults.
“Abraham rejoiced to see my day” – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/23/abraham-rejoiced-to-see-my-day
In John 8, Jesus told them Abraham rejoiced to see his day. The Jews, not believing the statement said, “You are not yet 50 years old and have seen Abraham?” Then Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” The Jews would have stoned the Lord right then and there because they knew he claimed that he was God. As F.F. Bruce wrote, “He was using language which only God could use.”
The imperfect Jesus – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/17/imperfect-jesus
The title, “The imperfect Jesus,” reminds us to use Bible words with Bible meanings. Hebrews 5.9 states that Jesus was perfected by obedience. Here are verses 8-10:
Be faithful even if it means death – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/14/faithful-death
Most who are Christians, at least in the Western World, have never suffered persecution as the Christians did in the first century. Although we may be aware that this is always a possibility in a changing and volatile world, in our minds any persecution that might come would be from someone we don’t know, from someone who does not even acknowledge God.
Shattered dreams … yet joy lives? – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/12/shattered-dreams-yet-joy-lives
As young people we might have envisioned how our lives would unfold. We looked forward to achieving a college education followed by a successful career. Or maybe as adults we anticipated how the potential we saw within our children or grandchildren would blossom in marvelous ways as they reached adulthood. Still yet, there might have been the expectation for just a normal healthy life filled with a long marriage and children.
Learning to do more – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/09/learning-to-do-more
There is a quote from Jesus in his “Sermon on the Mount” that challenges me. It is within Matthew 5:46 and is, “what do you do more than others?”
Difficult decisions – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/08/difficult-decisions
https://i0.wp.com/forthright.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/hitchiker-hospitality.jpg?fit=1200%2C657 We are all aware of the importance of hospitality in the Christian life. There are many commands to practice love towards Christian brothers and sisters (Hebrews 13:1), neighbors (Luke 10:27), and even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
God works good out of bad – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/07/god-works-good-out-of-bad
Perhaps it is ironic that one of the first persecutors was Paul himself, known as Saul of Tarsus. The persecutor became a proclaimer of what he had persecuted, and was then persecuted himself! The Jews wanted Paul dead. They had stoned him once and made plans to eliminate him several times. Perhaps they hated Paul intensely because, in their minds, he had switched sides and because they could not answer his arguments about Jesus from their own scriptures.
Evolution’s random mutations and natural selection – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/05/evolutions-random-mutations-natural-selection
Stem cells can serve as a metaphor illustrating a powerful idea regarding Darwin’s proposed mechanisms for evolution. Research reveals that random mutations and natural selection do transform species, however, at a surprising cost.
Jesus came within God’s timeline – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/02/jesus-came-gods-timeline
A young man seemed surprised to learn recently that Jesus came to earth to die. He asked if God worked from a timeline, if he accomplished everything within a timeframe that he had set. Yes, God had an eternal purpose and plan and he fulfilled it “when the appropriate time had come” Galatians 4.4.
Our duty to get up and take action – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/06/01/duty-get-up-take-action
Implications of Christ’s priesthood – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/05/28/implications-of-christs-priesthood
Due to the great work of Christ as our High Priest, we can be confident in at least five areas:
How to succeed by being weak – Forthright Magazine
▻http://forthright.net/2019/05/27/succeed-weak
Christians are sometimes ashamed of their weaknesses, because the world will not — cannot — admit them. So we hide them, to our detriment. They are not to be flaunted, nor given rein, but they are to be confessed and delivered up to Christ, so that his power may work in them and through them.