Ask, Blog, Confidence, Erik Garthe, Expectant, Knock, Motive, Need to Pray, No Longer Conformed, Prayer, Purpose, Seek, Trust
0 Comment
Jesus taught (Matthew 7:7-12) His disciples to seek God’s help: be persistent in prayer; be confident in expecting; be purposeful in serving. Every Christian who desires to serve needs to be about prayer. Failure to More →
Blog, Criticize Wisely, Discrimination, Erik Garthe, Humility, Hypocrisy, Hypocrite, Judge, Judging, Judgment, love, Mockery, No Longer Conformed, Ridicule, Truth, Wisdom, witness
0 Comment
Jesus begins Matthew 7:1-6 by stating, “Judge not.” Does that mean never make any kind of judgment? Judge not does not mean not to evaluate right from wrong: the issue is intent to condemn. Righteous judgments are More →
Anxiety, Blog, Clothing, Earthly, Erik Garthe, Eternal, Faithless, Food, Futile, Kingdom of God, Needless, No Longer Conformed, Priorities, Righteousness, Trouble, Trust, What Me Worry?, Worldly, Worry
0 Comment
Someone wrote, “Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.” People worry about things or events over which they have no control: the unexplained, the unexpected, the unreachable, the unavoidable, or the unknown. Jesus taught More →
Absolutes, Blog, Earthly Values, Erik Garthe, Eternal Values, Freeing, Good, Got Right Values?, Guidance, Lasting, Moral, No Longer Conformed, Purifying, Relative, Treasures in Heaven, Values
0 Comment
Many people think good is relative, there are no moral absolutes. Bad Thinking! It leads to every person doing what seems right to him. God’s kingdom values must dictate what is important to us. He has established More →
Attitude, Blog, Erik Garthe, Fasting, Hypocrite, No Longer Conformed, Prayer, Renewal, Repentance, Rituals, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Life, Spiritual Maturity, The Neglected One, Worship
0 Comment
A man that I met many years ago gave me this advice: “If you have trouble hearing the Lord, place both hands on the table and push.” In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus addressed fasting. Simply stated, More →
Attitude, Blog, Brokenness, Erik Garthe, Fellowship, God, Hypocrite, Motive, Motive for Praying, No Longer Conformed, Prayer, Pretenders, Protection, Provision, Purpose, Relationships, Reputation
0 Comment
Did Jesus oppose public prayer? His words in Matthew 6:5-15 address religious show business. Christianity is plagued by pretenders. There are hypocrites: “you must not be like the hypocrites,” i.e. the More →
Blog, Bragging, Character, Deception, Erik Garthe, Giving, Glory, Hypocrite, Motive, Motive for Giving, No Longer Conformed, Second Thoughts, Spiritual Disciplines, Tithing
0 Comment
A person’s character is revealed when his motives are viewed for what they really are. The issue of Matthew 6:1-4 is motive for giving. Acts of worship are to be focused on God, not on gaining More →
Attitude, Bitterness, Blog, Enemy, Erik Garthe, Gift, Give, Hard to Swallow, Injury, Kindness, love, No Longer Conformed, Obedience, Persecution, Prayer, Retaliation, Retribution, Revenge
0 Comment
The law of revenge “lex talionis” dates to the Code of Hammurabi (1800’s BC); it sought the destruction of the wrongdoer. The Mosaic Law brought the principle of limiting retribution to what was just. Retaliation was limited to More →
Blog, Deception, Erik Garthe, Integrity, No Longer Conformed, Oaths, Reliable, Reliable Words, Strength, Swear, Vows, Weakness, Words
0 Comment
The Great Wall of China is 30 feet high, 18 feet thick, and over 1500 miles long. It was built to protect against invading barbarians, but was actually less secure than expected. At least three times, invading armies More →
About Divorce, Adultery, Blog, Covenant, Divorce, Erik Garthe, Failure, Maturity, No Longer Conformed, Permanency of Marriage, Reconciliation, Selfishness, Sexual Immorality, Single
0 Comment
Marriage is a covenant that calls for maturity. Divorce is the enemy’s attack on God’s first institution, before the fall. And no-fault divorces opened the way for selfishness in today’s relationships. A successful marriage More →
