KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE Do not love the world or anything in the world. 1 John 2:15 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17 The apostle John is telling us to love what has permanent value. This world is […]
COME NEAR TO GOD Come near to God and He will come near to you. – James 4:8 The idea of asking Jesus to follow along after you is not theologically sound. He is always within you, above you, beside you, behind and before – if you are a believer. The question is not whether […]
ON HUMILITY “For each of us the Baptist’s words are true: ‘He must increase and I decrease.’ He will be infinitely merciful to our repeated failures; I know no promise that He will accept a deliberate compromise. For He has, in the last resort, nothing to give us but Himself; and He can give that […]
KING JOSIAH King Josiah followed a father and grandfather who were wicked and ruled over a depraved kingdom, worshipping other gods and involved in shameless pagan practices. But Josiah looked past them back to King David and followed the ways of God. As such, he swam against the cultural current of his day. It is […]
WHO ARE YOU SERVING So that we may serve the living God. – Hebrews 9:14 Who are any of us serving at any given time? That’s good question to ask yourself every now and again. Who is Justin serving when he goes to an R-rated movie filled with wanton sex? Does he notice that Jesus […]
GRAVITATION If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. –James 4:15 I used to ask Jesus to be with me here and there, as if He were a puppy dog who followed me around. I no longer do that but pray for the gravitation to follow Him.
“I DON’T KNOW THE MAN” When Peter was confronted by a servant girl in the courtyard, he denied that he knew Jesus. “It was a denial, but it was also the truth. Peter really did not know who Jesus was, did not really know, and neither do any of us really know who Jesus is […]
HE WAS THERE WITH ME It was November 6, 2006, and my depression was so deep that tears fell on page 1287 in my Bible as I read Matthew 4:16. “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” […]
ARE YOU BLESSED? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. – Matthew 5:8 To be blessed is the ultimate well-being and spiritual joy of those who share in the salvation of the Kingdom of God. The beatitudes describe eight ways to be blessed. In the eighth verse, Jesus tells us to […]
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus. – Hebrews 3:1 Yesterday I played golf on a beautiful fall day and wanted to do well because it was probably my last round of the year. I thought about each swing before I hit the […]