You might be a legalist if: You’re trying to be a good spouse, parent, child, sibling, etc. Appearances are everything. You’re afraid of making mistakes. You might be a legalist if: A person is made unclean by what goes into them (Mark 7:18-23). You’re afraid to make decisions when the Holy Spirit gives no…
Category: Discipleship
A Single Stone
David used only one stone to defeat Goliath and the entire Philistine army (1 Sam. 17:49, 50). One stone set right the many blasphemies Goliath shouted at God’s people day after day (1 Sam. 17:16, 23). One stone redeemed the disobedience of every Israelite soldier who did nothing to resist Goliath. One stone was all…
Reject All Lies. I Am in Christ.
Living Sacrifice album cover Living Sacrifice is one of my favorite bands. The other day I was listening to a compilation of their songs that I put together. As the chorus of one of the songs came on, it seemed the Holy Spirit was pounding the lyrics into me: “Reject all lies! Reject all lies!”…
Give Me Your Worst
Sketch by Patrick Murphy “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). “Grace” is the Life which can suffer and die yet be raised again. Christ in us is grace. He can go through weaknesses, difficulties, persecutions, and the like (2 Cor. 12:10). Not only do these not…
Our Affection for Rubble
“Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king” (1 Sam. 15:23). Israel asked for a king and rejected the Lord as King (1 Sam. 8: 7). God gave them what they asked for. Saul embodied their rejection of the Lord as King. He too (though he denied…
The Holy of Holies in Action
The following is an entry from my journal written in December 2007. *** Sometimes I worry that I’m not with the Lord enough, that He is always shoved out by circumstances. Today, the Lord is again telling me to trust Him. As I was trying to pray, He said, “Can’t you see how much striving…
Me and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
I woke up this morning in a grumpy funk. As I tried to finish waking in the shower, my head filled with visions of the whole family going out for muffins and coffee. Post-shower, I told my wife. She said she planned to work out. Could we do it mid-morning after the workout? Well, that…
Who Are You, Lord?
Lepicie, “Conversion of St. Paul” “Who are you, Lord?” This was Paul’s question after Jesus struck him blind and stopped him in his tracks (Acts 9:1-5). Paul was on his way to Damascus where he planned to continue killing or imprisoning followers of Jesus. Then, the future apostle was a Pharisee. He learned under the…
NO FAIR!!
On my home from work, I drive past the reader board of a local church. This week, the reader board says, “May Justice and Peace Ring Out!” Justice is quite the buzz-word these days. In popular usage, it means things are “fair”: Everyone enjoys the same opportunities, advantages, and success. The playing field is level,…
Wonderful Things in Your Law (Part 6)
Please read parts 1-5 before continuing… Scripture gives us a choice: keep the law or live by the us in Christ/Christ in us relationship. The former is the old covenant, the latter the new covenant. “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon…
The Voice of One 