Author: Norm
God’s love on fire!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 76 “Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise.” (Psalm 76:10) What is meant by the wrath of God? Some synonyms for ‘wrath’ include fury, rage, extreme anger. How can wrath bring Him praise? We need to be clear: God is love, God is not wrath. Some kind of love is the…
Guard my heart!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 3-4 “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23) For the Jews, the heart was a person’s spiritual command center. Our heart directs our mind, our will and our emotions. When something has our heart, everything about us moves towards it. What happens if our hearts are gripped…
The voice of wisdom all around!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 1-2 “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud…” (Proverbs 1:20) The Creator has designed the universe with wisdom built right in. There is a ‘common sense’ evident in life that anyone can see. If people actually thought through their ways, they would see it. But we tend not to think through our…
To do what He says!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 6:46-49 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) Many christians have become too familiar with title ‘Lord’. It means ‘master’, and ought to involve obedience. A servant does not do their own will, they do their master’s will. Yet Jesus does not give…
Toxic fumes!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 6:43-45 “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) If only there was a ‘mouth-o-meter’ that could test my words. Not just the exact words, but their meaning and intent. How many of my words would be self-serving? Am I trying to be funny, or to be liked,…
No time to judge others!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 6:37-42 “First take the plank out of your eye…” (Luke 6:42) Imagine if we really did what Jesus says here. No criticizing others until we’ve worked out our own issues. Will we ever reach a point where we can judge or criticize others? Only God sees all of us from the standpoint…
To love like my Father loves!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 6:32-36 “You will be children of the Most High.” (Luke 6:35) Adam and Eve were created in God’s image. This means they were created to relate WITH God as His children. They were made to be LIKE Him, reflecting His character. And they were made to represent Him, to live FOR Him…
Holding things together for me!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 75 “It is I who hold its pillars firm.” (Psalm 75:3) God created us as free agents in His beautiful creation. But with that came the risk that we would choose evil… and we did. By our folly, we have turned God’s kingdom into a dominion of darkness. God is not responsible…
God prefers honest wrestling!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Job 41-42 “You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7) For some reason, God is pleased with how Job spoke about Him. Which is odd, because the last few chapters God has rebuked him. It seems that God can take our wrestling with faith and doubt….