Sound Words (Page 27)

In Loving Memory of Lost Children Over the last two weeks, we have noted that nothing about death is good, yet God’s goodness remains, even when we are faced with death. This week, I hope we can see through the comfort of the Scriptures how much God truly cares about those plagued by the pain of loss. God hears. God sees. God understands. God Cares. When Hagar flees from Sarai, the angel of the Lord finds her in the wilderness…

June 30 In Loving Memory of Lost Children “No parent should have to bury their child.” This quote from last week summarizes what  comes to mind when we consider the death of a child. Truly, no parents should have to come to terms with the death of their children. Yet they do. I would like to continue to share some thoughts about this kind of loss, but first let me clarify a few things. I am not pretending to know…

In Loving Memory of Lost Children “Where is Théodred? Where is my son?” If you are not familiar with this sad quote, it comes from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In it, a king named Théoden awakens from a cursed stupor to find that his beloved son Théodred is dead. During an exchange with Gandalf, following Théodred’s funeral, Théoden utters what everyone is thinking. “No parent should have to bury their child.” There is a…

Choosing Godly Leaders All it takes is an election to get people thinking about the importance of leadership. It concerns me, though, when I hear Christians who will obsess over the people leading this country but who will not think twice about those who are leading God’s people. What concerns me even more is that there are Christians who do not think God’s plan for leadership in the church is even necessary. Nevertheless, a reader would have to be blind…

Tempted by Pain Relief “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:13–15 ESV) As we conclude our look at our desires and the ways…

Tempted by a Shortcut “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:13–15 ESV) As we continue to look at our desires and the ways…

Tempted by Acceptance “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:13–15 ESV) As we continue to look at our desires and the ways in…

Sin Beneath the Surface Sin is like a weed. If you do not get it at the root, you have not really gotten it at all. If you are trying to overcome sin without dealing with it at its roots, then be prepared to fail. And even if you manage to overcome one sin, some other sin will take its place if you do not figure out how to cut it off at its source and replace it with what…