January 24 2012, 5:12 am | Bill Elliff
And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him....
January 09 2012, 8:10 am | Bill Elliff
It is important to understand the ways of God so that we can cooperate with Him. Like a husband becoming a student of his wife so that he might better love and serve her, we are lifelong (and eternal) students of God. In the matter of our salvation, Paul gives us an amazing and sobering thought about God's ways. "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be...
January 07 2012, 6:37 am | Bill Elliff
Today, right now, as you make the next decision regarding what you will do in the next hour—how do you see yourself? Believe it or not, Paul thought about this a good deal and it drove everything he did. He begins almost every letter with some type of self-description. His statement in Ephesians 3:1-3 is extremely revealing and driving. "For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery...
January 06 2012, 7:22 am | Bill Elliff
Paul prayed for those under his care and in his sphere of influence--constantly. He prayed specifically, it seems, and we know this because he would often tell them WHAT he prayed. After the incredible rehearsal of our spiritual blessings in Christ, Paul rehearses his prayer for the Ephesians. He was praying that they would come to genuinely, experientially KNOW SOMETHING. (Ephesians 1) 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge...
December 25 2011, 8:46 pm | Bill Elliff
There You were, where You’d always been; Standing in the heavens. Every angel stood amazed As they gazed upon Your beauty—more than duty. For in You was perfect light. What a sight…the mind of God! The heart of love that no one else could claim; No one was the same. There You were. There You were. You knew it all and had it all And standing tall you ruled celestial halls. And then the voice, Your Father’s word, “Let’s make a world! Let’s speak it...
November 27 2011, 5:41 am | Bill Elliff
Does God hear everyone's prayer? Surely, as an all-knowing God He hears everyone. But, apparently there are some prayers that He gives lesser attention. Jesus, our ultimate example, was always heard by His Father and the writer of Hebrews tells us why: In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. (Hebrews 5:7 ESV) God’s Ground Rules in Prayer There are some conditions to prayer. One is desperation and the humility...
November 20 2011, 7:06 am | Bill Elliff
Every pastor has his strengths. Some are better communicators than others. There are pastors who are very “pastoral” and others who are wonderfully administrative. I learned a long time ago that we should cultivate the areas where we’re gifted and staff to our weaknesses as much as possible. But there is one place where we cannot afford to be weak. Every spiritual leader must be strong in prayer. What we must do Paul says we should be “devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). The word devotion literally...
November 16 2011, 4:51 am | Bill Elliff
The IPhone has changed my life. Seriously. It’s intuitive technology, in my humble Mac-enized opinion, is so different to former ways of operating that it creates an incredible ease with all things technological. An ease that I desperately needed. (If you are still unconverted, enslaved, and PC bound, my exuberance means nothing to you.) “Syncing” for instance. The Mac world has this magical process that occurs by simply plugging your phone into your computer. Or now, even better through some type of magical “cloud” that pulls your IPhone, IPad, and Mac computer into unity....
November 15 2011, 4:35 am | Bill Elliff
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:25 Paul, true to form, starts Ephesians with a doctrinal statement of what God has done for us in Christ (Chapters 1-3) and follows that with the practical implications (Chapters 4-6). We are new creatures who have been bought with a high price, therefore we should not live like unbelievers. And, one of the ways that works itself out is in our HONESTY. The Ease For me, it's important to dig down deep in this because...
October 30 2011, 5:17 pm | Bill Elliff
1. PURPOSE LIE: My happiness is the supreme goal of marriage (God just wants me happy!) TRUTH: God’s glory and others good is the goal of marriage “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) 2. AFFECTION LIE: When love is gone, the marriage is over TRUTH: Loss of love teaches me to access God’s love “The fruit of the Spirit is love…” (Galatians 5:22) 3. MORALITY LIE: My private immorality doesn’t affect my marriage TRUTH: Oneness is hijacked by sexual immorality “Or do you...
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