created to love Him...

We live in a similar time to that of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea who proclaimed this message throughout Israel:  "There is no truth or knowledge of God in the land," (Hosea 4:1). Our culture does not know God. Some may know facts about God or be able to answer Bible trivia. But our culture does not have an intimate, living knowledge of God that dwells in the depths of who they are.  Similarly, the church is following suit. The Body of Christ as a whole is Biblically illiterate, but worse, is God illiterate. Corey Russell, in his book Pursuit of the Holy, says this: "The greatest problem for the church in this nation is not a sin problem as we would typically think of sin. Rather, it is the subject of God - who He is, what He's like, and who we are to Him. Our mandate is to know Him intimately, yet we do not understand who He is. We show up at church one day a week, throw our money into a bucket and listen to what the man or woman of God has heard lately. We woul...

It 's "pride" month.  So...I've been spending every day this month so far looking at what God's Word says about "pride," reminding myself of His truth. The Bible has much to say about pride. Not one of those things is positive. The Jesus-follower has no room for pride, should have no place in it, no connection at all. So to have an entire month out of our year devoted to "pride," setting aside what this month boasts of even, is mind boggling to see any Jesus believer supporting it. The basis of "Pride Month" is the celebration of self, celebration of the identity one embraces. Self is exalted above the good of any other person or being. Self is worshiped. This is the core of pride, all pride. Self worship over God worship.  I'm thinking much about our culture, as I'm sure most of you are, too. I'm thinking of it's direction. I'm thinking of how worldly and unwise it is in its pursuits and thinking. The surface self...