Psalm 15

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Doug

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The Psalm asks the question “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” This is not just the person who comes to church services whenever the doors are opened and is accepted there, but the psalm is asking who is acceptable to live with God, presumably in heaven in the after while, but also to live their lives with God in this life, to be an intimate of His and to properly live with His spirit and with Christ. The psalm then goes on to list several basic qualities that should be found in every child of God. Continue reading →

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What is our hope?

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Doug

It has been said that a person’s hopes and dreams are what define him and make him what he is in this life. I submit to you that to tie ones hopes to dreams only is a precarious and slippery slope on which to stand. Dreams are a flimsy, ever-changing facade that are more like shifting sand than anything solid and strong on which to place ones hopes. If we spend our lives in pursuit of dreams, what real hope do we have and what will we have at the end of our lives to further pursue. Is it not much more reasonable to place our hope in something that never changes and that will carry us on, not only in this life, but in the life to come? Continue reading →

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Servant of All

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Doug

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Jesus said to the Apostles in Matthew 20:24-28: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” He said to them elsewhere that the greatest among them would be “servant of all.” With Jesus as our perfect example we can see that our duty in life is to serve others as well as we can. Continue reading →

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Wages of sin…

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Doug

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There were four deaths that touched the lives of members of the small congregation where I worship last week alone. This affects not only those who knew the deceased, but also the congregation as a whole. When we are faced with death we are often filled with a sense of trepidation or foreboding that makes us wonder, despite our faith, if the struggle to keep ourselves and our loved ones alive over the years has been worthwhile and our faith is shaken a little or even a lot. It is at these times that we need to turn to God’s word all the more fervently to find the comforts and assurances that God provides for the faithful. Continue reading →

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Be Sober

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Doug

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1 Peter 5:8 commands us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” What does it mean to be sober? The Greek word translated sober here and in other passages means, among other things, to abstain from wine (and this would include other strong drink) and most of us agree that to do so is what God would have us do, but what else can it mean. Being sober involves more than not drinking or being drunk. It involves a state of mind that we should all strive to accomplish in our walk with God. Continue reading →

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