Devotionals
The Consequences of Compromise
Compromise has amassed quite a following for itself. We tend to see it as an almost-ideal solution to thorny problems. And often that is true. Often compromise is a great solution, but not always. We should not always default to compromising, instead assessing the situation and determining what course of action is most warranted. A... Read More →
Polygamy & Misdirected Self-Loathing
It’s often pointed out that the Old Testament seems to turn a blind eye to polygamy, even appearing to endorse it in some cases. While this is essentially true outside of the first chapters of Genesis, what we do see consistently throughout the Old Testament is unflinching examination of the consequences of plural marriage. Such... Read More →
The Power of Positive Thinking
I don’t want to get all “Joel Osteen” on everyone, but I think it’s worth comparing how Moses’ sending of the spies and Joshua’s sending of the spies came out quite differently and what conclusions we might draw. Back in Numbers 13 we read about the 12 spies who went into the Promised Land and... Read More →
The Praise of the Punished
A simple but challenging thought today. God tells Moses he will not be allowed to go to the promised Land because, like his brother, he “broke faith” (NIV) with God. Moses appealed his conviction, but God’s mind was made up. Moses would not be successful in his advocacy as he had been in the past.... Read More →
Do Babies Go To Hell?
A number of years ago I was recruited by an outgoing youth pastor to join the transition team. My role was to mentor/advise the younger people on the team who were actually running the Jr/Sr High Youth Groups as well as to run the grade 6-12 Sunday School. It was one single class and so... Read More →
Does God Delight in Destruction?
Today’s devotional is a brief apologetic note. It comes from the blessings and cursing section. The the blessing that is pronounced features some pretty noteworthy warnings, and the curse the is pronounced is… long. Very long. And quite descriptive. And both the blessing and the cursing are conditional on the actions of the people. And... Read More →
Excluded from the Kingdom?
If you read Deuteronomy 23:1-8 and are NOT a Biblical savant you probably scratched your head and thought… wut? Seriously. What does this even mean? I’ll put the whole section in here for context: 23:1 A man with crushed or severed genitals may not enter the assembly of the Lord. 2 A person of illegitimate birth may not enter the assembly of... Read More →
Under My Own Power
I often see people cite Deuteronomy 17:17 when talking about David and Solomon, both of whom had multiple wives. And in the case of Solomon (who neared 1,000 when you factor in concubines) we see the direct statement in 1 Kings 11:3 that this did indeed result in his heart of hearts being led astray.... Read More →
Death to the Infidel!
Right at the top of chapter 13 God tells us that false prophets and dreamers of dreams can be tested. We can know if they are the real deal or if they are trying to lead us astray. How? When they tell you to follow their new god… It’s kind of hilarious in its simplicity,... Read More →
A Hostile Takeover of Your Heart
Deuteronomy 11:6 warns us not to let our hearts be deceived, be enticed to serve other gods. The heart always seems to be the vector of deception. Of course, when we think about the heart today we think of the emotional side of ourselves, but the original writers has a wider definition in mind. The... Read More →
The Word of the Lord
Just a quick demo for today. The Lord tells us where His commands, His instructions, His words should be. This list is succinct and significant. If any of these areas are lacking, it is certainly worth shoring it up. Deuteronomy 6-9 | 073/365 Read More →
Old Testament Evangelism
The God of the Old Testament — Yahweh — is an angry, unloving tyrant of a deity. Full of wrath and judgement. But the God of the New Testament — Jesus — is a peaceful, hopeful, loving deity. Balderdash! This sentiment is so rife among people who are only passingly familiar with the Bible (yes, this... Read More →