I love the story of the prodigal son. I think it describes the incredible love that our heavenly Father lavishes over us. The extent of the patience that he shows prodigals in amazing. Even though there is a marvelous reunion, the story continues. Luke 15:25-32 introduces another brother to the stage. He was the oldest…
Category: God
The Prodigal Son
This past weekend I completed the God Series with one of Jesus’ most familiar stories — the story of the prodigal son. I think one of the reasons this story is so popular is because we all identify to some extent with the poor decisions and lack of judgment made by the prodigal. But the…
The Trinity (Part 2)
Yesterday I blogged about what we could confidently affirm from Scripture concerning the Trinity. Today the question amounts to what does it really matter? What’s the purpose of thinking about the Trinity? How does this add value to my Christian experience? I believe that love is the essence of God. It is the foremost of…
The Trinity (Part 1)
Last weekend I spoke on the Trinity. I’ve been amazed at the rising level of interest on this doctrine, particularly among younger adults. This fascination has escalated with the publication of The Shack by William Young. Many within our congregation have asked for an opinion on the book. I confess I enjoyed The Shack, and…
When God Doesn’t Make Sense (Part 3)
Today is the conclusion to a three part post titled “When God Doesn’t Make Sense,” from Isaiah 55:8-13. To hear the podcast of the sermon visit www.ashworthroad.com. While his purposes may remain a mystery to us, God’s purposes are designed to bring growth into our lives (Isaiah 55:12). In verse 12, Isaiah points out joy,…
When God Doesn’t Make Sense (Part 2)
Yesterday I began sharing some insights from Isaiah 55 that came from last weekend’s message. I’ll do two more today. Observation three is that God’s purposes are not immediately known or easily perceived (Isaiah 55:10). I’ve read this verse many times, but only recently noticed that the verse contains three interdependent and interrelated cycles. The…
When God Doesn’t Make Sense (Part 1)
Why? In my experience there are two kinds of people who ask the question “why?” The first is the learner. No one illustrates this better than a child. When our children were small I sometimes thought they were going to wear me out with their incessant inquisitions. Students who excel are not satisfied to know…
Does God Change His Mind?
In yesterday’s post regarding the changelessness of God, I did not include some of the thoughts I offered in the weekend messages concerning biblical texts which indicate that at certain points God changed his mind or “repented” of a decision. Here’s the gist of what I said…Wait a minute? I thought I remembered reading that…
Does God Change?
“Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.” — Psalm 102:25-27 (NLT) The…
The Omnipresence of God
I had never really esteemed Grover to be a theologian, but this classic sketch from Sesame Street reminds me of how we perceive the presence of God. Sometimes he is near and sometimes he is far. Truth be known, the average Christ follower would consider God to be far more often than near. Our struggle…