All Things New

March 02, 2020 by Joel Burns in meditations

Many Christians in our modern day either fail to see or refuse to believe the statements the Bible makes about the eternal state of God’s chosen people, concluding instead that it is the children of God’s responsibility to win the world, issue in the kingdom and set the stage for the return of Christ.

If the Great Commission includes an implicit directive to fix the world, then political notions of utopia fit in rather nicely.

But the Bible points us in another direction: one of present allegiance to a heavenly kingdom and of future hope in God’s rebuilding of the world.

If Your Christianity Is Easy, You're Doing It Wrong

February 11, 2020 by Joel Burns in devotions

The true Christian disciple understands that he has been called to a life defined by struggle, war, striving, suffering, endurance, competition and labor.

Victory is assured, but only if you get in the fight.

All the Evidence You'll Ever Need Is All Around You

January 30, 2020 by Joel Burns in devotions

The very fact that we care about nature at all or are overwhelmed by its beauty, by the secrets of its operation, and by its unthinkable size is evidence of this truth. My dogs would not care in the slightest about a trip to the Grand Canyon and my appreciation of the wonder of that place is not simply the result of higher intelligence. If I am nothing more than a highly intelligent animal, than the Grand Canyon is nothing more than a hole in the ground.

Be Sure To Feed Your Oxen

January 27, 2020 by Joel Burns in devotions

Action is messy. Done right, it will require dedication, consistency, resilience, balance, endurance, doggedness and a willingness to fail. It will require feeding the oxen before you harvest the crops.

In A Common Tongue For The Common People

January 24, 2020 by Joel Burns in devotions

The historical record of the Bible demonstrates that the Holy Spirit never intended the truth of God to be kept behind a wall of religious elitism. Religious education is a great thing. Theological study is a great thing. Christian service is a great thing. Religious elitism is a farce that attempts to adopt the standards of sinful humanity into the functioning of the Body of Christ.