Steve’s Books
Category Archives: Encouragement
How do you respond to the light?
People respond to rebukes in different ways. The wise and righteous in God’s eyes will be grateful for the insight shared about their shortcoming. All others will get angry and some even violent. We’ve read of words getting out of … Continue reading
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Cultural Christianity
When I was having a discussion with an atheist the other day, he voiced the usual objection about Christianity being the only way to Heaven while other religions were unfairly left out. Over time, I had come across several different … Continue reading
You can tell you are a Pharisee when …
… you are told an uncomfortable truth about yourself and you get angry. Sometimes when I tell the truth about someone’s sinful condition, people get mad and say hurtful words in response. (These are people who go to church.) This … Continue reading
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Hope and the Christian
Hope is not merely a religious word for a theological concept, but an internalized, deep conviction developed over time, just like many other convictions that have grown on us. For example, we may develop a deep appreciation for someone when … Continue reading
Dealing with a Deceitful Heart
God spoke to us through Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked. How is this seen in our lives? Here is one example. When I am overwhelmed by worries and fears, then my heart … Continue reading
Grace and Works Go Together
I fear we are limiting God’s grace in our lives. I’ve seen two different aspects of God’s grace testified to. We often emphasize salvation is by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). In this passage, grace is God being merciful and … Continue reading
Reflections on salvation from John R. Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ
I am currently enjoying John R. Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ, as an eBook on my Nexus 7. I’m going slowly, savoring Christ on every page, even going back a few chapters to re-read them before moving on. In … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Encouragement
Tagged justification, propitiation, reconciliation, redemption
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We’re Kidding Ourselves
There’s something about us that just refuses to take correction from others. Whether they tell us our fault timidly or strongly, we just don’t get it. The Bible tells us why, though: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and … Continue reading
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A Sure Thing
Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 remind us that God rescued the Israelites from their slavery among the Egyptians, bringing them through the Red Sea miraculously, then through the desert for training in trust. God promised them a land filled with … Continue reading
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Let us give thanks to the Lord!
Thanksgiving message I gave in 2015 1 One phrase repeated in Psalm after Psalm after Psalm is, “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good” (Psalms 136:1). Maybe it’s repeated so often because we forget. When we give thanks, … Continue reading
