Daily Bible Verse – John 3:17

¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

God is not about condemnation. I know that Satan got the rumor started a long time ago, but don’t believe it. God is not some fiendish teacher looking to flunk and embarrass his students. He is not some cantankerous judge looking to shame, humiliate, and punish all who interlope into his court, innocent or not. He is not some gossip spreading rumors about our shortcomings across the neighborhoods of heaven. No, this God wants to bless us with his salvation. He wants to dispense mercy and grace. He wants us to be his children. Yet he is also holy, righteous, awesome, and just. So when these two realities of God collide, there is only one solution: Jesus! God sent Jesus to save people of all nations and races and cultures from sin and death — yes, even us!

Prayer…

I praise you, O God, for your desire to save me. I thank you for demanding holiness from me to save me from the havoc sin causes in my life. I thank you for calling me to righteousness, so that my life will be a blessing to others and not a burden. I thank you for challenging me to have your character, so that others can see your glory in my good deeds. So please use me, Father. I know I am flawed, but I want to be one of your tools letting the lost know about your mercy and grace in Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Today’s Verse Illustrated

Comments on ‘John 3:17′:

Christmas 2011 in the books

It’s almost 2 am and I think that means Christmas 2011 is finally in the books.

My hope is that you had a great Christmas full of hope and joy with family and friends in the presence of God.

Rebecca St. James: Wait For Me

Rebecca St. James has always been a personal favorite of mine (and don’t take this the wrong way) not because of her music but instead because of THE LIGHT she shines.

Let me explain.

I was working as an independent music promoter in the Christian Music Industry back in 1996 and like everyone else in the Christian Music Industry, I was in Nash-Vegas for Gospel Music Association week and the Dove Awards. While there I made use of the bevy of Christian Music Artists looking for someone to talk too and interviewed people for radio buddy’s who couldn’t make the trip. [Read more]

Christian Persecution Expert Insists ‘Islam Needs a Reformation’

A controversial new book concludes that Muslims must change Islam or risk making it inseparable from violence and discrimination.

Islam Uncensored is written by Jeff King, who spent nine years as president of International Christian Concern, a persecution watchdog group. King argues that Americans shouldn’t mince words when it comes to Islamic extremism. He maintains that radical Islamic persecution of other major faiths has placed it among the greatest threats to world peace.

In an interview with The Christian Post, King claims that only open dialogue about Islam’s successes and failures will inspire the religion to change its dangerous elements. The problem with that approach, he posits, is that it will either get you labeled a bigot or blown up.

CP: Your new book Islam Uncensored attempts to take a no-holds-barred look at Islam. Did you conclude it was good, bad or both?

King: There’s a lot of political correctness out there and I want people to discuss Islam openly without being cowed by charges of bigotry or fear. Islam needs a reformation. It needs to be worked into modernity. It was invented by a warlord and we need to openly debate that without hate and with respect, honesty and love instead.

CP: You interviewed everyone from radical Islamists to atheists for your book. What’s the most shocking thing you discovered about Islam? [Read more]

Steven Spielberg’s ‘War Horse’: Is It a Family or War Movie?

Spoiler Alert: The following review may contain crucial elements to the movie.

Steven Spielberg‘s “War Horse” is a movie that wants to gallop but can’t take it past a trot.

On paper, it’s a film that should find the famed director confidently behind the reins and riding to critical acclaim. But in reality, “War Horse” shows Spielberg is uncertain sitting in the director’s saddle this time.

The film tells the story of Albert Narracott (played by Jeremy Irvine), a youth growing up in WWI-era England. Ensnared by his family’s poverty, our hero finds happiness caring for Joey, a horse that joins his parent’s farm. This joy is snatched away when war hostilities break out, conscripting Joey into Britain’s cavalry and forcing Albert to enlist and chase after him.

It takes off at a tedious pace, focusing too much on the Narracotts’ trials and Albert’s attempts at training his new pet. Joey joins the Narracott household when Albert’s father Ted (played by Peter Mullan) drunkenly buys the “fancy” horse rather than a bigger, stronger breed necessary for plowing the season’s turnip harvest. Determined to keep the animal, Albert convinces him and his mother Rose (played by Emily Watson) to let him try farming with Joey anyways.

What follows is beautiful but ultimately boring. For nearly an hour, Albert and Joey bond over farm work as shots of Britain’s pastoral country creep by. It’s certainly worth looking at, but there’s little drama even after the Narracotts’ landlord demands back rent on threat of eviction. The family escapes eviction, but England goes to war with Germany, and the film’s entire course is changed. [Read more]

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