Life This Side of Heaven

"Firstfruits" is an usual term. It’s not one you hear very often. It’s used to describe the first agricultural produce of the season. Much more will follow. It's the word Paul uses to describe our Savior's resurrection and it points us forward to many more that will follow, including our own, on the glorious day of His return.

Folks can have different opinions on what they consider to be beautiful. What one person considers beautiful might appear ugly to someone else. It all depends on who is doing the looking. When you and I consider our sins it's hard to even look in the mirror. However, through faith, God sees you and me now in an entirely different way.

You and I live in a world which has been plunged into the spiritual darkness of sin.  However, God Himself has announced the sunrise. With faith in our Savior, the apostle Paul announces in 1 Thessalonians, "For you are all children of light, children of the day."

It’s interesting how our imagination can produce two pictures that differ so widely. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that this is also true of what people think of God and how they imagine Him to be. However, you and I don't have guess. Thankfully, you and I don’t have to imagine what God is like or what He thinks of us.

Paul used an interesting analogy of the timing we can expect with Lord's coming. It's one that Jesus as well. It’s not meant to alarm us, but it is a handy reminder to be ready.

There’s a great urban myth that holds that if you're in a falling elevator, and if you do this at the very last moment right before it hits, you will simply land on your feet. Even though they didn’t have tall skyscrapers back in Zephaniah’s time, they must have had a similar urban legend floating around.

"Wrath" is a word that seldom shows up in conversation. Of course, it doesn’t help that on the few occasions that it does show up in our culture, it’s used in a way that seldom makes any sense. However, Scripture is precise when it uses this Word. And having a clear definition of God’s wrath is an important part of appreciating what our salvation is all about.

In Psalm 84, the psalmist admired the swallow’s choice of nesting place because He yearned to be as near to the presence of God as possible. However, instead of envying the sparrows He would have marveled at what God has given us in Christ!

If there is something to which you are looking forward, with eager anticipation, then chances are good that you may talk about it all the time. In the resurrection, God has given us an amazing hope that’s worth getting excited about. It’s something to which you and I can include as a familiar and regular part of the conversations we have with our family, friends and loved ones.

If you’re like me, whenever you hear the word “doorkeeper” a modern picture immediately to mind. I usually picture a doorman a regal hotel. However, it’s a very different position that the Psalmist describes in Psalm 84. He makes it sound pretty good! However, what God has given us through faith is so much more.

For those of you who have ever served in the military you know well the different bugle calls that are heard on base. In 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul describes that on the Last Day Jesus will return with "the trumpet call of God.” However, this trumpet call is unique in a number of different, and very important, ways

In Matthew, Jesus tells us a parable that's a like a Public Service Announcement to ensure that you and I are ready for the day of our Savior’s return.

# Standing as tall as eight feet, and weighing as much as 800 pounds, an adult male grizzly bear would be a terrifying animal to encounter in the forest. They have massive claws and they are swift. So, why on earth would the prophet Amos use this terrifying image to describe the day of the Lord? He says, “It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear.”

When you and I try to imagine how we will look on the day that Jesus appears the picture tends to be fuzzy and out of focus. But the picture that God has of you is not fuzzy at all. In fact, it’s crystal clear.

California’s Walk of Fame in Hollywood is a world-famous tourist attraction and it’s said to draw an estimated 10 million visitors each year. When you look down it's unlikely you will ever find your name there. On the other hand, as you follow our Savior in faith, sharing His love with joyful thanksgiving, you may want to look up.

Reading the labels, sorting garments, and using the right detergent is what it's all about when you want clean clothes with no stains. Knowing this, you can’t help but raise an eyebrow when you hear the laundry method needed for removing the stain of sin and its result.

In Revelation, God gave the apostle John a glimpse of what the family portrait will look like when we are all gathered before God’s throne in glory. What a picture! But there is something significant that sets it apart from all the rest. Can you guess what it is?

It’s hard to imagine what it will be like when there will be no more tears and no more crying. Right now our lives are filled with tears. However, since a life with “no more tears,” with God in glory, sounds too good to be true, the rumor continues to exist that there must be some way to anesthetize ourselves from life’s harsh realities and the inevitability of death. However, you and I have a Sav...

We remember, and give thanks, for all of those, who have died in faith, and are now with the Lord. It’s understandable that we may shed a tear as we remember them. Even though the time is short, when we will see them again, it still hurts not to have them here with us as we await the day of the resurrection. However, if we’re not careful we may let those tears give way to despair – as if our Savio...

One of the most popular hymns from the reformation is Martin Luther’s, “A Mighty Fortress.” The lyrics echo the security and comfort that is described for us here in Psalm 46. As you listen to the words of the Psalm this is not solitary solace. We stand side-by-side before our Savior, facing the same stress and struggles, with the same strength and support that comes from Him. With voices together...

Halloween still sends shivers up the back of many people and fears of all those things that go bump in the night. But the popular image of the devil, that has become so popular from horror movies, bears little to do with reality. The apostle Paul gives us clear insight into how he does operate, how to recognize it, and how to rejoice confidently in our Savior's victory for you.

As we get closer to celebrating the Reformation on Saturday, we’ve been taking a at those three great Latin phrases which describe what we believe. We believe that we have been declared righteous before God by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), on the basis of Scripture alone (sola scriptura). However, there’s still one more that actually serves as the foundation for all o...

Today, it’s become popular for folks to refer to ‘my truth,’ as if there’s a different truth out there for everyone. On the night Jesus was betrayed He prayed for His disciples, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.” We believe that sinners, like you and me, are declared righteous before God by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide). And we believe this on the basis...

"Sola Fide," "faith alone" means that you and I are saved through faith, not by works. Paul celebrates this Good News in Ephesians where we hear, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Three words you may hear this time of year are "Trick or treat." Bu there are three Latin phrases you may often hear at this time of the year as we celebrate the Reformation – sola gratia, sola fide and sola scriptura. We believe that sinners, like you and me, are declared righteous before God by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), on the basis of Scripture alone (sola scri...