Darkened Glass Reflections

Category: Character and Values

  • Valiant Warrior?—Judges 6:11–14

    Gideon can be an encouragement to all of us. God called him to step out in faith with strength he did not know he had, to accomplish a mission for which he seemed ill-equipped. Most of the heroes of the Book of Judges are like us. They have flaws. Their human frailties rise to the…

  • Obeying God—1 Samuel 15:22–23

    To obey God is better than sacrifice—or evangelism, or serving in the church, or worship, or prayer, or reading the Bible, or tithing, or fasting, or anything else we say we are doing for God. To wilfully disobey God defiles the sacrifice or ministry. To do your own thing and ask God to bless it…

  • Godly Sorrow—2 Corinthians 7:10

    St. Paul contrasted two kinds of sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7. The King James Version refers to one of them as “godly sorrow” (or, as the NASB puts it, “sorrow according to the will of God”) which produces a true repentance leading unto salvation. “The sorrow of the world,” on the other hand, leads to…

  • The Two Sides of Discipleship—Luke 10:38–42

    When a Mary rises from the feet of Jesus and brings His presence into the world by serving others like Martha would, discipleship is complete.

  • Repentance Brings God Joy—Luke 15:7

    Repentance Brings God Joy—Luke 15:7

    It does not matter how far you have wandered, or in what kind of mire you have soiled your soul. Forgiveness is available. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is seeking you. Run into His arms for protection and preservation. He is looking for a reason to celebrate.

  • Tempted from Within—James 1:13–15

    “The devil made me do it.” Those words were made famous by Flip Wilson’s brash female character, Geraldine Jones. They have been repeated by numerous people, including many Christians. They echo Eve’s excuse for eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

  • Fulfillment of the Law—Matthew 5:17-20

    Matthew 5:17-20 reminds us the Jesus has fulfilled the law of God. The entire law is summed up in loving God and your neighbor. Because it is love, the New Covenant in Christ calls us to a higher standard.

  • Judge Not

    Jesus’ instruction, “Do not judge,” is frequently abused, since those who are in open rebellion against God quote it out of context. Regrettably, many Christians have swallowed the bait of falsehood that has been presented to them.

  • Scripture Sabbath Challenge—Luke 18:9–14

    May we always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our own sin to us. He can work in our hearts as well as the hearts of others. However, we have to open our hearts to Him. May He do His perfect work in our hearts, as we trust Him to deal with other people’s hearts…

  • Scripture Sabbath Challenge—Luke 13:1–5

    Let us always keep our eyes on God’s will for our own lives, seeking to minister to the victims when life is not fair, and to repent of the sins that infect our own souls.