In some circles, Christians are directly taught that if they are faithful to God, they will be blessed with an abundant, happy and healthy life. It is a compelling message. We’d love it to be true. A neat life where faithfulness directly leads to an easy life right now sounds fantastic! And this is not …
There are so many different concepts of what a good life looks like. Many would define it as being able to do whatever you want. Others would say that it is having enough money to buy a standard of living that brings comfort and safety. Still others would say living for your family and knowing …
John Lennon urged us to imagine a world where there is no heaven and no religion. In his opinion, this would be a world where everyone lived in peace and there would be no greed or hunger. Freedom from the oppressive burden of God would inevitably lead to a good life in so many ways. …
Hezekiah found himself in the middle of a siege in 2 Kings 19. The mighty Assyrian army was outside the walls and were demanding he surrender. In his distress, he sought the word of the Lord from the prophet Isaiah. The response he received was positive; the Assyrians would leave, and Jerusalem would be saved. …
The Assyrian army threatened the city of Jerusalem in 2 Kings 18. A great army massed outside the walls and a spokesperson (with the memorable title of the Rabshakeh) came out to speak to the people of Judah. This man was clearly educated and clever. The Rabshakeh spoke to the official delegates of the king …
Sin always promises so much. When we are considering giving in to lust, we feel that this will lead to pleasure and satisfaction. When we consider giving in to greed, we feel that this will bring us security and contentment. Yet it is a lie. Sin promises so much but does not deliver on its …
Every family falls into patterns of doing things. It can be something minor, like placing the cups in the cupboard upside down when you have washed and dried them. Or it might be something major, like a pattern of responding to disagreements with anger or resentment with little forgiveness or grace. Some families value sport …
We are all capable of making good things, even things that should point us to Jesus, into objects of worship. One Biblical example of this is the bronze serpent. Moses made the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 as a symbol of salvation. When the people were suffering from a plague of poisonous snakes, a right …
The great tragedy of the Old Testament is described for us in 2 Kings 17. God brought his judgement on the northern kingdom of Israel. Using the nation of Assyria, God defeated his own people, deporting them to other nations. This judgement was fair and a long time coming; anyone other than God would have …
Have you heard of the “slippery slope” argument? It is the assertion that if you permit one thing, that will lead to other things being permitted. You see this kind of argument used every time a new type of law is introduced. There are those who think that this argument is flawed, that permitting one …