Convictions of Honor
Veritas, Integritas, Fidelitas
For many Christians, worshipping God has turned into a bland routine, a burdensome chore, and a senseless enterprise because they have lost touch with the heart of God and the…
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After a potentially long, arduous trek, Jews returning to Jerusalem to participate in a great feast would make their final ascent to Jerusalem, enter a gate of the city, and ultimately approach the temple in order to worship. Climbing the stone stairs to the temple mount, they would sing psalms and focus their minds on […]
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Unity remains so elusive in today’s world and, sadly, in today’s church. Most all call for it. But few truly long for it—at least not the type of unity God offers. In actuality, the very people who often speak of unity act in ways completely contrary to it. Somehow, even among those who recognize the […]
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The Babylonian captivity had shaken Judah to the very bone. After years of moral decadence and spiritual indifference, the harsh realities created by the destruction of the temple and their relocation outside of their homeland challenged their arrogant assumptions of having the LORD on their side and forced them to evaluate their relationship with the […]
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No one is happy anymore, and that includes those who profess Christianity. On various social media outlets, complaining has risen to an art-form as people who previously had little or no voice now find a reason to speak about anything and everything, and mostly things of which they know little. As a people, we have […]
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The Jews journeyed to Jerusalem for several feasts every year—each having a special significance. As they traveled and approached the city and especially the temple, their purpose in drawing near…
Read MoreFull Atonement–Can It Be?
The Jews journeyed to Jerusalem for several feasts every year—each having a special significance. As they traveled and approached the city and especially the temple, their purpose in drawing near grew clearer and clearer. This developed not only from their proximity to their ancient capital but also due to their practice of singing psalms as […]
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We tend to make people heroes for all kinds of reasons. With reverence we celebrate those who are willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to protect others. We marvel at those who find courage in the moment to rise to the challenge and force their determination to override their fear. On a lesser […]
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The pursuit of happiness. Those words—inscribed in the founding document of the United States—describe so much of people’s focus in life. Of course, those were also not the original words. The committee of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson originally borrowed John Locke’s group of three: life, liberty, and property. However, due to political […]
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Though familiar to the reader and often quoted by the preacher, the meaning of Psalm 127 plumbs greater depths than today’s casual acquaintance typically assumes. While the uninspired inscription assigns this Song of Ascents to Solomon, it could just as easily imply an attempt to mimic his style due to an affiliation with his circumstances […]
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The Babylonian captivity shook the confidence of the Jews to the very bone—intentionally so. Their previous arrogance had built up a spiritual barrier so large that they failed to see how far from the LORD they had fallen. Therefore, despite warnings dating back to Moses, despite the wave after wave of foreign invaders taking away […]
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The situation described in Psalm 125 is specific enough to offer an excellent picture of the challenges facing the author and his companions while generic enough to prevent assigning it to a specific time or incident. The LORD’s people were under threat in some fashion and needed God’s protection (Psa. 125:1-2) because wicked rule had […]
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What if? These two words can prove exciting or frightening, depending on their context, what follows, and our reaction to those words. What if Hitler had not invaded the Soviet Union? What if someone else won the election of ________? What if modern medicine had not existed for that surgery? What if I had bought […]
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It hurts when I hear people, including some Christians, use the phrase “Have mercy” so cavalierly. After all, it is essentially an appeal to God, whether they realize it or not. And no appeal to God should be made vainly or regarding silly matters of no consequence. Few probably appreciate the origin of the phrase […]
Read MoreLooking toward the future can be thrilling or frightening depending both on your circumstances and your point of view. If you are a child in December, you look forward to Christmas with an anticipation that brings joy to every moment. But if you are an adult in April, you tend to dread the day you […]
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In modern America few people show concern over their safety when traveling. Oh, many still say a quick prayer before an airplane takes off, and some might express concern for the reckless drivers they encounter at an ever-increasing rate, but the nature of travel has changed so dramatically that people generally feel safe and secure […]
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