Category Archives: holiness

Electric Holiness. Leviticus 10:1-3.

I had to be taught to respect electricity. Before I learned, I played games with it. Once I held a long nail above a lamp plug. I loosened the plug just enough to expose the two metal prongs, but the lamp was still lit. Experience had taught me that the prongs would shock me ifContinue reading “Electric Holiness. Leviticus 10:1-3.”

“In Spirit and in Truth”–Worship With Enthusiasm and the Fear of the Lord. 1 Chronicles 13:7-12.

The Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred object of the Hebrew faith. It was a national treasure to be kept in the tabernacle or the temple. But when David became king, the ark had been sitting in the home of Abinadab for twenty years (and God had blessed Abinadab greatly as a result).Continue reading ““In Spirit and in Truth”–Worship With Enthusiasm and the Fear of the Lord. 1 Chronicles 13:7-12.”

THE TRUTHHOLYLOVE Romans 3:4.

People are afraid of holiness. But I praise God for holiness. His holiness means that He is GOOD and KIND and LOVING. God loves because He is holy, and He is holy because He is TRUE. You can’t separate those. Praise God. I have friends who say there is no hell. On what basis? SomethingContinue reading “THE TRUTHHOLYLOVE Romans 3:4.”

JUSTICE. John 2:15-17.

Have you ever cheered when the bad guy gets it? When Commodus dies in GLADIATOR, or when Tavington dies in THE PATRIOT? Everyone loves justice. God loves it even more than we do. He IS just. So He cleansed the temple. The bad guys had taken over the Father’s House—and Jesus had swallowed His indignationContinue reading “JUSTICE. John 2:15-17.”

STEP BACK. Jeremiah 51:6,45.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, God might strike me down for saying this, but, I think the Yankees might lose,” and then everyone listening steps back, as if there’s a chance God might actually send a lightning bolt? The old cliché always strikes me as silly and a bit irreverent. God will notContinue reading “STEP BACK. Jeremiah 51:6,45.”

HOLINESS.  Micah 6:6-7.

Close your eyes and imagine.  Imagine a world WITHOUT JESUS.  Imagine that you are going to HELL unless you can make up for your sins.  What will it take? What does it take to please God? Micah suggests several answers: “Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?  Would the Lord beContinue reading “HOLINESS.  Micah 6:6-7.”

CAN YOU SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING? Isaiah 5:11-13.

God’s children suffer because they miss God’s work.  But why are we blind to God’s activity? Because we focus on our appetites. “Woe to those who rise early to drink beer, who stay up late drinking wine. At their feasts they have music and wine. They DO NOT PERCEIVE the Lord’s actions, and they doContinue reading “CAN YOU SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING? Isaiah 5:11-13.”

Living on the Edge. Amos 6:12.

If you’ve stood on the edge of a cliff, you understand the expression.  We all talk about edges, about pushing things to the limit.  In the book RANGER CONFIDENTIAL, Andrea Lankford reports on the deadly falls each year at the Grand Canyon and the rangers’ struggle to retrieve the bodies.  Eleven fell from the edgeContinue reading “Living on the Edge. Amos 6:12.”

David Lost the Moral High Ground.

Who was David’s greatest enemy?  Goliath?  King Saul?  The Philistines? How about Absalom?  David’s own son staged a coup, taking his father’s throne and forcing David and his armies into the streets, running for their lives.  His son?  What happened? David had children by so many wives that there were half-brothers and half-sisters all overContinue reading “David Lost the Moral High Ground.”