OUR HUMAN CONDITION We think we can sidestep the consequences of our actions, but we cannot. We deceive ourselves. We think religious practices will save us. We think wealth or prestige will protect us. But we are held accountable. We usually respond to punishment with denial, blame on others, anger, depression, and despair. Disciple Turn…
Category: Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned: Warning
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. This is what the Sovereign Lord showed…
Lessons Learned: Security
If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors. 1 Samuel 12:14-15…
Lessons Learned: Leadership
Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Judges 2:16 (NLT) OUR HUMAN CONDITION We cannot tolerate political disorder and confusion. We swing between desiring unity born of faithfulness and wanting to “do our own thing.” We need leadership. Please, somebody give us a sense of direction. Disciple Now when Joshua was…
Lessons Learned: Atonement
The meaning of the word is simply at-one-ment, i.e., the state of being at one or being reconciled, so that atonement is reconciliation. Thus it is used to denote the effect which flows from the death of Christ. Easton’s Bible Dictionary “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them…
Lessons Learned: Order
Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. Deuteronomy 5:1 OUR HUMAN CONDITION We cannot abide chaos. We want structure. Boundaries give a sense of security. We need order to feel we belong. Disciple Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may…
Lessons Learned: Deliverance
O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT) The eyes of the Lord are…
Lessons Learned: Covenant
Simply stated, a covenant is an agreement between two parties. More common words we use today include treaty, pact, deal, bargain, pledge, promise, and even guarantee. Since ancient times, people have needed to have certain understandings among one another. The Bible is where most people today likely imagine the word “covenant”, and this is where…
Lessons Learned: Sin
But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? Habakkuk 1:13 (NLT) The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and…
Lessons Learned: Wonder
Creation Faith Life is a gift of God. Destiny is meaningless without God. Nature reveals God’s handiwork. History makes it meaningful. OUR HUMAN CONDITION I wonder who made me and my world. If there is a Creator, what is this Creator like? Why was I made? Geologists point to rocks that are billions of years…
Food for Thought 