Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | August 21, 2013
“We do not deserve God’s love because of our sins” is almost a truism of Christianity. But is it a non-sequitur? True love is not based upon performance. So if we did deserve God’s love by not sinning, how could it be love? Love is neither deserved or undeserved. Love is unconditional because God is […]
PHall | August 21, 2013
John 7:37-38 – If anyone thirst, let him come to Me. And drink, he that believes on Me. As said the Scripture, “From deep within Him (i.e., Christ), will flow rivers of living water.” Notice the nice parallelism: thirst-come; drink-believes. And notice how the emphasis is on Jesus giving the Holy Spirit as the source […]
PHall | August 21, 2013
PHall | August 21, 2013
It is fitting Samson is a man who tells riddles (Judges 14.14), because his life is a riddle. Called a man of faith (Hb 11.32), he does not lead armies, dispense wisdom, or lead by example. The one faithful act that applies to this manly conundrum is, “gained strength after being weak” (Hb 11.34). Before […]
PHall | August 19, 2013
Samson’s prayer begins by acknowledging God’s strength, but seems self-serving in the end. “You have accomplished this great victory through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst…?” (Judges 15:18). Sounds like, “God you owe me!” Samson’s life is filled with seemingly bad decisions involving women, leading to revenge on his enemies. When divinely empowered, […]
PHall | August 15, 2013
“Please Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born” (Judges 13.8). That is the prayer of Manoah, concerning his unborn son. That must be the prayer of all parents. When the “man of God” comes again, Manoah […]
PHall | August 13, 2013
Every parent’s greatest fear is losing their children. Some lose them spiritually, which is the greatest heartache. Others lose them emotionally, when a distant grows between them. Some even lose them physically, leaving a hole forever in their lives. Whether innocent or guilty, there is a gnawing agony of remorse and the haunting question, “what […]
PHall | August 10, 2013
PHall | August 9, 2013
PHall | August 9, 2013
Love is tough, and tough love is hopeful. Israel falls into the same pattern again: sin, suffering, supplication, and salvation…except this time God says no. Sin brings suffering. “Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 10.6). Evil is defined by breaking the first commandment, and Israel breaks […]