Church Blog (Page 15)

A young lady went to a Tattoo Studio and asked for the image of a loved one to be tattooed on her leg. The finished product was terrible. Instead of being the beautiful face of her child, it resembled a character from a Mr Magoo cartoon. The owner of the studio was as shocked as everyone else. He had known the tattoo artist for years and showed photographs of his otherwise good work. He had since severed ties with him…

I’ve hardly met a person yet who doesn’t consider themselves to be as shrewd as Lieutenant Columbo when it comes to sussing people out. Admittedly, some are better than others, but we all suffer from blind spots when trying to see past the veneer that obscures the inner heart. Jesus assures us that the heart of a man is seen for what it is if you just listen to what he says. When considering the seemingly endless amounts of nonsense…

“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6). The thought of Jesus asking Christians to make character judgements when preaching the Gospel does not sit well with many. Even Christians find it hard to believe that there are those who should be walked away from when they profane the truth. However, though no one wants…

The beauty of heaven makes no sense as long as we see it through the lens of the physical world. Obviously, adjusting our focus is easier said than done. For much of what we hope for is centred around the security and comfort of our physical body. We spend much time planning for the day that we will have enough money to be free from the restraints of hard work. Also, we would like to think that our home, transport,…

After Jesus’ crucifixion, how many of Israel’s leaders went home to their wives and said of Jesus, “He just wouldn’t be told!”? Correction is a tricky business at the best of times. Given the chance, we attempt to modify the behaviour of those around us according to our habits and convictions. If those habits and convictions include a desire to seek out new ideas and include new people, then our attempts at betterment will probably be well received. But if…

In New Zealand we have an army of young men walking around with ankle monitors on their legs. Some hide them in shame, but others seem impervious to the stares of concerned citizens. Many among those in charge of such things dismiss concerns that the ever-increasing number of those monitored indicates a massive deficit of wisdom among our young people. Unless the foolishness that drives these young people to believe that crime pays is replaced with Biblical Wisdom, things can…

If you were to be given a total of one million dollars at the rate of one dollar per second, how many days would it take for you to collect all of it? Of course, the mathematicians amongst us would have correctly calculated—Eleven and a half days. Naturally, we are all likely to think that that is a lot of money, but we are less likely to think of eleven and a half days as being a lot of time.…

I have watched various post-apocalyptic films and TV shows and have been amazed that no one ever seemed to have missed their cell phones, or computers, or internet connections. Admittedly, the shock of having to adjust to a new world where basic survival is the order of the day would be hard. However, though I can only speak for myself, it would take me a very long time to stop lamenting the loss of my cell phone, and computer, and…

Get close to, and stay close to, those whose Spiritual Houses have withstood every storm Satan has thrown at them. Bee-line them in church, visit them, text them, phone them…Do what they do, and keep doing what they have done. These are our church builders – They have persevered, no matter what! Endurance entails many daily exercises. We must give thought to our levels of persistence in prayer, scripture reading, encouraging the saints, and seeking lost souls. Those who wake…

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5) Concerning wisdom to overcome your daily trials, the wisest thing I can say to you is: “Ask God now for that wisdom—You don’t have to wait!” Many of our problems come when “Praying for wisdom” is treated as the measure of last resort; a thing you decide to do when everything…