Teaching Resources International

Necessity … (April 2019 Update)

April 6, 2019 by tri.org@gmail.com

Necessity … (April 2019 Update)

When I think of the cross, many terms come to my mind: unbounded love, justice, forgiveness and satisfaction. But one term stands out to me. And it is one that we rarely think about at Easter: necessity. In Luke 24, the risen Christ says to the travelers on the Emmaus Road: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” “Was it not necessary?” Jesus asks. Continue Reading »

Posted in Jim Ehrhard |

There Is a Season … (March 2019 Update)

March 9, 2019 by tri.org@gmail.com

There Is a Season … (March 2019 Update)

In our devotions, Katya and I have been reading through the Wisdom literature, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is especially challenging unless we remember that life “under the sun” is basically a life that does not account for heaven. How empty life is without accounting for God. It affects our morals, our perspective and even our joy. It also affects our patience. When we only see life “under the sun,” we see pain and suffering and injustice. And it causes stress and discouragement. But when we see life “under heaven,” then we have a proper perspective, which gives us patience, which results in joy – even in the times of suffering. Because we know that life “under the sun” is not all that there is (Eccl. 3:15-17). Continue Reading »

Posted in Jim Ehrhard, Ministry Updates |

What is Man? (February 2019 Update)

February 9, 2019 by tri.org@gmail.com

What is Man? (February 2019 Update)

“What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou dost visit him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honor” Psalm 8:4-5. A biblical (as well as rational) view of man is that man is special and unique. His is different from all the animals in so many ways it is impossible to list them all. And these differences are not merely differences in degree. They are substantial in quality and in number.

So “what is man?” In Genesis, we are told that God created man “in His own image and likeness; male and female, He created them.” What does this mean? For one, it means that God created man different from all the animals. Only man is said to be “created in the image of God.” In Genesis 9:6, God spells out the difference vividly: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” Animals may kill animals; men may kill animals; but man may not take the life of another man for one reason: he is in the image of God. As much as you may love your cat or your dog, and even though they may feel like family, they are still animals. Only man is in the image of God. And that makes him special, unique and valuable. Continue Reading »

Posted in Uncategorized |

Giving and Receiving (January 2019 Update)

January 19, 2019 by tri.org@gmail.com

Giving and Receiving (January 2019 Update)

I always remember telling my children: “Christmas is not about receiving; it’s about giving.” I hope it helped them to remember that God gave us the greatest gift of all by sending His only Son for us. That’s the message of Christmas. But reflecting on this past Christmas, I think my annual reminder to my children was not totally correct. Christmas is about giving and receiving. We emphasized the giving because we wanted our children to focus on the people they were giving to, not the presents they were receiving. But Christmas is about giving and receiving. And sometimes, receiving is the hardest part. Continue Reading »

Posted in Ministry Updates, Uncategorized |

Christmas and Sin … (December 2018 Update)

December 8, 2018 by tri.org@gmail.com

Christmas and Sin … (December 2018 Update)

When we celebrate Christmas, sin is probably the last thing we think about. After all, “’tis the season to be jolly.” Right? Yes and no. First of all, Christmas is about sin. The reason for the season is because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without a right understanding of sin as part of Christmas, we have no real reason to rejoice.

The Christmas story actually begins in Genesis. Adam and Eve lived in a God-created paradise. God gave them only one requirement – to not eat of the tree of life. Satan deceived Eve telling her that God’s word was not true. If they ate, they would surely not die. So they ate and God put Adam and Eve and the whole world under a curse that still affects us all today. Continue Reading »