Let's Go Back to the Bible

Posts by Josh Blackmer (Page 4)

Properly Placed Assurances

Paul, in his address to the Areopagus, spoke of the need for all men to repent and that a day has been appointed for judgment; those statements came with the assurance or proof in the resurrection of the Christ (Acts 17:30-31). We overlook the gift of having an assurance from God. We want assurances when it comes to things we buy or…

Narrow-minded Jesus

There is a plea from the agents of change to “keep an open mind” about new ideas. Any decenter of change is heralded as narrow-minded and limited in their ability to grasp what they would espouse as truth. Would it surprise you that Jesus would be listed among those to be narrow-minded? Jesus is narrow-minded about the following topics. He was narrow-minded…

Seeking God’s Approval

We are all creatures that need approval. We may have different tolerances for rejection but at some point, we all need approval and validation. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Whose approval am I seeking?” If I am seeking God’s approval, then I am setting myself up for a healthy relationship with Him. If I am seeking God’s approval in…

Seeking Man’s Approval

We are all creatures that need approval. We may have different tolerances for rejection, but at some point we all need approval and validation. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Whose approval am I seeking?” Consider the following as an evaluation. I might be seeking the approval of others if I… 1. Take disagreement personally.2. Change or adapt because of…

Knowing Is Less Than Half of the Battle

Since 1904, the Chilton publishing company has been a trusted source of information on automotive repair. They have built a reputation of accurate and helpful information for those working on their vehicles. If you needed step-by-step instructions with pictures, part numbers, and special tool listings, Chilton’s manuals were your source before the internet. You could read through the manuals and learn how…

Addressing God As the Father

You have probably heard someone praying publicly address God repeatedly as “Father,” “Father God,” or even “Father God just.” Often to the point that it is distracting. I am not being critical. This happens because of nervous habits, or they were taught this. However, a line too far is addressing God as “dad, daddy, papi” or any other informal way we would…

You Are My Portion

Among the people of the earth, the Israelites had a special relationship with God. Even among those in the tribe of Levi had a special service which drew them into a closer relationship with God than their brothers. The descendants of Aaron were to be the priests and the rest of the tribe were to serve and participate in taking care of…

“Adorning the Doctrine”

There are groups and professions that we might think ill of due to bad experiences we have had. Classically lawyers and used car salesmen are high on that list. We might all have other professions we would add to the list. There are some that would add religious people to the list. It’s not hard to see why. Many have been hurt…