Devotionals, Bible studies and posts to deepen our faith in Christ. Also check out our self-published books.
Did Jesus Die for Everyone?
That Jesus did not die for everyone is a statement I recently heard in a Calvinist/Reformed church, and it is apparently making its rounds in similar churches. Let me suggest from the beginning that this is an extremely problematic statement which is made out of...
Study of 1 John, Part 12
This is the final post in the series on 1 John. Much of chapter 5 has been covered in previous posts. We will just focus on 1 John 5:16-17 in this post. However, the words in these two verses can be confusing, so we will attempt to uncover what John is writing to us....
Study of 1 John, Part 11
1 John 4:7-21 is all about love – the love God has for the world in sending Christ to be the propitiation for sin and the love we can have for God through Christ. We have previously dealt quite a bit with love in 1 John, so the focus of this post will be 1 John 4:18,...
Study of 1 John, Part 10
There are false teachers in the world, and unfortunately, there are people in the world who inflict damage upon others. However, this is no excuse for not following Christ and committing our lives to Christ in obedience and righteousness. R.A. Torrey wrote along these...
Study of 1 John, Part 9
Love of others and obedience to God are central in the remaining verses of 1 John 3. They are presented as proofs of our abiding in Christ. In verse 11, John recites the second greatest commandment, that we should love each other. Matthew 22:39 He also says “from the...
Christmas Special: The Great Light of Christ!
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. Isaiah 9:2 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on...
Study of 1 John, Part 7
John now shifts his message toward false teaching and truth. We will see this again in 1 John 4:1, where he makes it our obligation to weed out the false from the true. I believe it is safe to say that 1 John 2:18-29 was written as an obligation. We are to know the...
Study of 1 John, Part 8
Chapter 3 opens with the love of God, the imitation of Christ, and that we are children of God. Chapter 3 also picks up where chapter 2 leaves off. Verses 28 and 29 of chapter 2 exhort us to abide in Christ and practice righteousness. The outcome is explained in verse...
Study of 1 John, Part 6
In the previous post, verses 10 and 15 were reviewed together. If you did not notice, the teachings of these two verses are complete opposites. Verse 10 is an exhortation to love the brethren, while verse 15 exhorts against loving the world. Curiously, however, the...
Study of 1 John, Part 5
Verses 10 and 15 of 1 John 2 introduce us to the theme of love in the book of 1 John. We’ll take this post to discuss the word “love,” and it will help us understand love once we run into it in future posts. We will also backtrack just a bit to explain the greater...
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BOOKS
Expository Bible study on Ephesians 5:22-33 on a Biblical marriage. Rather than a self-help resource, this book is aimed at deepening your relationship with Christ.
Catechism to help intentionally teach important concepts of Christianity to children and new believers. The focus is on tracing Christ throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
Devotional book for December 1st through December 25th. As we prepare our hearts during the traditional advent season, let us also prepare for the second coming of Christ.
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R. Joseph Ritter, Jr. CFP® EA is an independent tax professional, financial planner and owner of Somerset Tax Partners LLC. He is the founder and president of Zacchaeus Financial Counseling, Inc., a non-profit organization serving the financial planning and financial counseling needs of lower and middle income households. Joe is also a consecrated Conference Deacon in the New South Conference of the Free Methodist Church USA. Joe received his Master’s Degree in World Mission and Evangelism from Asbury Theological Seminary. His non-profit leadership and Christian ministry includes such past positions as Pastor, Director of Outreach, volunteer Chaplain with Transport for Christ International, co-founder of Community Chaplains Association, and Financial Aid Director at Kentucky Mountain Bible College. He is the author of Having An E5 Marriage; 25 Days of Christmas Devotional; Jacob’s Testimony: A Catechism Teaching the Praises, Strength and Wondrous Works of the Lord; and You’re Called to the Ministry. Now What?
Joe has been married for over 20 years and has four children. He enjoys writing as a hobby … as well as carpentry and automotive mechanics.