Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”Mark 12:30-31The commands of our world are do whatever makes you happy. There is only one command. The singer Adele famously lived by these commands. She chose her own happiness over ...  Read More

The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”...  Read More

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to...  Read More

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6Life is full of problems to be solved. Little problems like what to eat for dinner. Big problems like family or work conflict. Sometimes, particularly these big problems, they consume us. We begin to lose sleep. We can’t think of anything else.Do you hav...  Read More

Q. 92. What is a sacrament?A. A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.Westminster Shorter CatechismAgain, don’t be undone by the language. Our beliefs are not shallow (historically speaking) but have a depth of meaning. The sacraments (baptism & the Lord’s Suppe...  Read More

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:15Life is complicated. It wasn’t long ago that we had some relatives over at our house and one of the kids made a comment that they didn’t want to wear a pair of sunglasses because they were ‘girls’ sunglasses. Which elicited a response from my non-Christian...  Read More

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.Matthew 5:21...  Read More

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.1 Timothy 4:8Let’s double down on yesterday’s passage. I really hate exercise. I’d rather not do it. I like being fit and feeling fit. But not the process. But I do some form of exercise four or five times a week. I get through it by reminding myself of the...  Read More

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.1 Timothy 4:7-8We are a community obsessed with physical training. Going for a run, to the gym, surfing or sport, we think exercise is the key to thriving under ...  Read More

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.Matthew 5:17-18The 10 commandments and the many other laws of God given through Moses have ...  Read More

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.Hebrews 4:9-11Do you get tired of hard work? Particularly, of the hard work of following Jesus? It isn’t easy to resist the te...  Read More

Q. 89. How is the Word made effectual to salvation?A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation.Westminster Shorter Catechism How are you going, Theology Thursday readers? How are you going with the catechism? How do you find ...  Read More