“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:47-50 (ESV) Continue reading
Author Archives: Steve Pruitt
The Heart Kicks
“Worship is when the mind apprehends great truth about God, and the heart kicks in with deep feelings of brokenness or wonder and gladness and admiration and gratitude, and the mouth says something like, ‘Blessed be God! O blessed and praised and honored and glorified be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’”
John Piper
Weather Control
The forecast called for a dusting of snow with no travel problems expected. Oddly enough the heavy snow was supposed to be to the south of this central Alabama town. But, the forecasters with all of their modern technology and years of meteorological experience missed it by 100-125 miles. Continue reading
Happiness
“The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.”
Jonathan Edwards
No Ordinary Child
The birth of a child can be an exciting event in the life of family. My wife and I were blessed with five healthy children and have not experienced the pain of losing an infant at birth (though we did have one miscarriage).
Each of our children had a special component to their birth that made it unique from the others and treasured dearly by dad and mom. However, as special as the birth of our children was and is to us, they were just ordinary births and ordinary babies to the rest of the world. Other than friends and relatives, no one stood up and took notice of the births of our children. But during this time of the year we celebrate the birth of a child whose entry into this world had and still has infinite implications.
Let’s read about it. Continue reading
In His Eyes
Written by Karen Holland
In His eyes, in His eyes,
You are so precious in His sight
In His eyes, in His eyes
So much love for His Bride.
In His eyes, in His eyes,
You are so precious in His sight
Held in His gaze, a beautiful jewel
The apple of His eye
Under His wings, you’ll abide
So precious in His sight, you are held
You are held
In His eyes.
Secrets of the Kingdom
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Matthew 13:10-11 (ESV)
The disciples asked a question that perhaps many people have asked down through the years. Or perhaps many have read this passage numerous times and have not stopped to consider why some people understood what Jesus preached and others did not. It is obvious from Jesus’ response, “. . . to them it has not be given,” that the ability to understand the secrets of the kingdom came from a source outside of the individual. Continue reading
Membership
“A church has no right to make anything a condition of membership which Christ has not made a condition of salvation.”
A.A. Hodge