What does it mean to praise the Lord?
Psalm 117:1–2 says, “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.” Paul quotes this verse in Romans 15:8–13. Praising the Lord is certainly something all people should do. So what exactly does it mean…
Does God expect us to have blind faith?
The phrase “blind faith” means different things to different people, and, sadly, many people use it as a negative, disparaging term to describe anyone who believes in God. A dictionary definition of blind faith is “belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination.” But is this the kind of faith God desires us to have? More…
Why should we worship God?
There are endless reasons to worship God, but at the heart of the matter lies this truth: worshipping God is the supreme purpose for which humans were created (Psalm 29:1–2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 1:3–6; Philippians 2:9–11). You and I were made to worship God. The central function of the Church is to glorify and…
Is it wrong to feel disappointment with God?
Disappointment with God is not necessarily wrong or sinful; rather, it is a part of the human condition. The word disappointment means “a feeling of dissatisfaction when one’s hopes, desires, and expectations fail to come to pass.” When God somehow fails to satisfy our hopes or does not live up to our expectations, disappointment inevitably…
What does it mean to believe in God?
Simply put, to believe in God is to possess confidence in Him. To believe in God includes an acknowledgement of His existence, of course, but true belief in God is more than that. Theism is a great place to start, but it’s not the goal of the journey. To believe in God is necessary to…
How can I get to know God better?
Everyone knows that God exists. “God has made it plain” that He is real, “for since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20). Some try to suppress the knowledge of God;…
What is God’s perfect will?
We often want God to give us specifics about His will for our lives—where to work, where to live, whom to marry, what car to buy, etc. These decisions are important and need to be made with godly wisdom and prayer, and some worry that, if they make a wrong decision in such matters, they…
What does it mean to honor God?
Revelation 4:10–11 describes a scene in heaven: “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and . . . lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.’” The words translated “glory” and “honor” are closely related and…
What does the Bible mean when it refers to the knowledge of God?
Each occurrence of the phrase knowledge of God in the Bible must be studied within its own context. Sometimes the author might be referring to God’s knowledge (Romans 11:33), while other times he may be referring to our knowledge of God (Romans 1:28). We will focus on the second sense, which is the most common.…
What is the difference between God’s sovereign will and God’s revealed will?
Human will is fairly straightforward: when we want something to happen, we “will” for it to take place; when we do something, we have shown our “will” in the matter. God’s will is a little more complex. In fact, theologians see three different aspects of God’s will in the Bible: His sovereign (decretive) will, His…