Posts by R.L. Wilson

The word translated “debts” in some translations and “trespasses” in others, is the Greek word opheilema. Jon Bloom writes at desiringgod.org, “Nearly all of the most credible English translations over time have translated the Greek words, opheilēma/opheiletēs, as “debts/debtors.” And that’s because in the New Testament and the Septuagint, these words almost always convey the meaning of…

[Author’s note: While writing the article on “Thy will be done,” I struggled to keep the focus on God’s will, rather than “God’s will for me.” Several of the books I am reading while writing this series seem to entwine the two thoughts. So, since that topic is clearly important to many believers, it seemed…

In a recent conversation with a dear friend I made the comment, “I love God’s timing, don’t you?” (Oh, I need to be much more careful about what I say!) But here’s the thing. Most of the time, I really don’t love God’s timing. I want immediate answers to prayer! And I want that answer to be…

One morning I was kidding around with one of my coworkers, and I made the comment that I was “fresh out of grace this morning.” Unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact context; perhaps that would be “funnier” if I could. But it made me think about what my life would be like if I was…

Where, exactly is heaven? We don’t exactly know. God does not tell us. We do know that the Bible uses “up” language in reference to the dwelling place of God (see, e.g., Gen. 11:7; Psa. 14:2; John 3:13; Acts 1:9-11), but since “heaven” can also refer to the firmament—the sky, the atmosphere above us (Gen. 1:6)—it would not be…

The Lord’s Prayer has been repeated hundreds, if not thousands of times throughout the lifetime of many Christians. But, if you’re anything like me, you haven’t spent much time really thinking about what you are saying.

There can be no doubt that prayer is important in the true believer’s life. In fact, Martin Luther King, Jr. is supposed to have said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

What does it mean to “engage” in prayer? The dictionary says to engage is to: 1. Occupy, attract, or involve (someone’s interest or attention); 2. Participate or become involved in.

At my high school we had what we called the Junior-Senior banquet, a Christian school’s version of prom. Each year the Juniors would come up with an elaborate theme and do all the work of putting on the banquet for the Seniors – all the decoration, menu, program, everything.

As I understand it, belly botany is when you get right down to ground level, on your belly, and carefully observe what you see in your immediate area—maybe only a 2-foot square.