The Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
Waiting is hard. Whether it is sitting at a traffic light or standing in a checkout line, we have no choice but to wait and watch the seconds tick slowly by, often with gritted teeth. We wait because we are…
Tag Basic Christianity
The Fruit of the Spirit: Love
We all know combinations that just don’t go well together, don’t we? We even have a saying for them—they go together like oil and water. Some people think this about God’s Law and love. Others perhaps agree that God’s Law…
The Fruit of the Spirit: An Introduction
What Metaphor? The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians five brings to mind images of an orchard. It’s a serene and beautiful scene. However, the more I look at the text of Galatians I start to think that the orchard…
The Deadly Sins of Proverbs 6:16-19: Hate Discord. God Does
In the book of Judges the men of Ephraim provide the church a vivid lesson in the ugly sin of discord. Having loved themselves so much, they could not hate discord and so be like the Lord their God (Proverbs…
Liang Fa – The First Ordained Chinese Pastor
Liang Fa – The First Chinese Ordained Pastor In 1804, fifteen-year-old Liang Fa moved to the big city of Guangzhou (then known as “Canton”) to find work, first as a brush-maker, then as an apprentice printer. His parents had…
The Deadly Sins of Proverbs 6:16-19: Haughty Eyes
First, let it be known that God hates; He hates sin and he hates sinners.[1] And we ought not shy away from this truth for it is really only out of this reality that the Gospel explodes with such wonderful…
Lord of the Years
Constancy is something every human being craves. Knowing that, in the midst of all the upheaval and change that marks the course of life, there are anchor-points that provide stability along the way. But where can we find such certainty? …
A Walk of Deliberation: Ephesians 5:15-20
As we come to the end of our series on walking in the book of Ephesians it is appropriate that Paul would urge believers to walk carefully.[1] The adverb “carefully” has the idea of walking deliberately. I can just imagine…
A Walk of Light: Ephesians 5:7-14
Paul often calls for turning from a pagan to a Christian “walk”,[1] a metaphor expecting certain companionship and conduct. Yet we should note he emphasizes the indicative (what Christ has done for and in us) before the imperative (what we…
How Joseph Saved Christmas
Christmas is the time of year we remember and celebrate the birth of the long-awaited Son of the David, who would (and has) saved us from our sins. But did you know that the first Christmas almost didn’t happen? …