Greed is idolatry. It stems from valuing created objects wrongly. Whereas true satisfaction comes only from knowing God (John 17:3), the greedy person seeks it in ‘things’. Greed is an enemy. Like all enemies, it is not after our wellbeing and so we must resist it. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, lost his place and health on…
Tag: Christian life
How Should I Pray for my Enemies?
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Probably every believer knows that Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies. But how should we go about it? First, we should realize that as Christians we will have enemies. As long as we have confessed Christ and belong to him, we…
What’s the Point of the Five Points?
For many who come to a Reformed understanding of the gospel, including me, the Five Points of Calvinism are a common doorway. Its neat categorization of key elements of the gospel is quite enriching. Especially when you are coming from an environment that doesn’t think deeply about doctrine. It provides a straightforward answer to key aspects of the biblical gospel which helps one discern how this differs from much of what is proclaimed today.
Rejoicing in persecution
1 Peter 4:12-16 According to Open Doors, 11 Christians are killed daily for their decision to follow Christ. In North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and several other countries, it is extremely difficult to be a Christian. Believers are attacked by both the state and Islamist groups. Systematic killings of Christians have also been ongoing in…
A short reflection on dying well, by Augustine
Answering the concerns raised about why many Christians were killed in the persecutions by the Roman emperors, Augustine (354-430) points us to an essential truth about death itself. This excerpt is from his classic work The City of God. But, it is added, many Christians were slaughtered, and were put to death in a hideous…
The challenge of worldliness
As a young Christian, when I heard the world ‘worldliness’, what often comes to mind is listening to ‘secular’ music, putting on fashionable and trendy clothing, delighting in non-Christian movies and books, enjoying the company of non-Christian friends, and so on. The community I grew up in typically frowned upon these and discouraged them as…
The Christian Mind 