
The core of gospel living is the mind of Christ: self-emptying humility and sacrificial service. This mindset must shape all of life. It means counting others more significant than yourself and doing all things without grumbling. We are called to follow the example of Christ, which leads to true greatness, and to be living examples…

[Note: This is Part 3 of a 6-part series looking at Paul’s letter to the Philippians.] In the previous post, we saw that gospel living begins with a shared mission, deep prayer, and love that overflows. Paul’s opening words revealed his deep partnership with the Philippians and his prayer that their love would abound with…

Paul’s letter to the Philippians emphasizes gospel living through shared mission, deep prayer, and overflowing love amidst suffering and joy.

[Note: This is Part 1 of a 6-part series looking at Paul’s letter to the Philippians.] In our current culture, it’s quite rare to write actual letters. It’s too easy to send a text message, instant message, DM, or one of any number of “instant” options. In the time of the apostle Paul, however, letters…

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) I rarely write what might be called “holiday posts,” with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas. With the division and chaos troubling the United States, this seemed an appropriate time to do otherwise…

For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23) The church in America recently entered a new reality. The era of Roe is over, many say. Supporters and opponents blasted…

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will…
In January 2019, I wrote a post that was triggered by New York’s abortion law that legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks (see “The Slaughter of the Innocents: Then and Now”). A year and a half later, I find it necessary to revisit this issue–this time to talk about a law and its implications on…

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of…

We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. In this post, we’ll look at what it cost some to follow Jesus. Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. Then when a woman…

We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. Today, we’re going to look at what happens when one begin to lose hope. John’s disciples informed him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples and sent them to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to…

We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. Today, we’ll finish our discussion of Luke 6 by looking at the second half of Luke 6:17-49. There we read: [Jesus said,] “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you…

We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. Today, we’re going to look at the first half of Luke 6:17-49. There we read: Then [Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place. And a large number of his disciples had gathered along with a vast multitude from all…

We’ve seen so far that Jesus was not what the people of Israel expected in a Messiah. He talked about being sent to the Gentiles after all! Now, we’re going to see that Jesus wasn’t quite the “observant Jew” that the Pharisees thought He should be. On a Sabbath, while he was going through the…