Category: Discipleship
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Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out…
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For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”…
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Two years ago I posted a blog (We Interrupt This Program…., 11/5/18) “on the eve of one of the most watched elections in US history, at a time when the country is more divided than ever” On the eve of the US Presidential election, those words seem even more accurate–and more ominous. What is most…
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Most of us in the church are familiar with Hebrews 11, the so-called “Hall of Fame of Faith.” Many of us can recite at least portions of the great events mentioned. And countless sermons and messages have been preached on faith from this passage. This post is not intended to add to that collection. Rather,…
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Many years ago, the Christian artist Mark Schultz came out with a song entitled “He’s My Son.” It’s a powerful song about the desperate cry of a father’s heart. Though some see it as a sad song, unworthy of a Christian listening to it, it captured my heart. Songs of honesty always have. This is…
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In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had…
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Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as…
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They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed.Can He also give bread or provide meat for His people?” (Psalm 78:18-20) When we look at the history of Israel–how God chose them, delivered them, and…
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Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jer. 2:12-13). Have you ever stopped and thought about just how foolish…
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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2). We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive…
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I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20-21). What is necessary for true biblical change to occur? In our last…
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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:37-40). In…
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Today we begin a series about growing in Christ. It’s common for believers to reach a point where they ask, “Is that all there is? Am I missing something?” It’s my firm conviction, after 25+ years of walking with Christ, that they are indeed missing something. Not salvation. They are genuine believers who want to…
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From the title of this post, you “might” conclude that you’re going to read about an encouragement to give to missions. Well, giving to missions is of course needed! “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never…
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What happens when our faith is shaken? Those around us seem to be enjoying the blessings of God, yet He seems deathly silent to us. We struggle with questions about why He isn’t answering our prayers, healing our bodies or hearts, or just not speaking to us. We feel like we have been given the…
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Last week’s post (On Faith: Part 1) drew a broad outline of what faith means. This week we are going to begin looking at biblical faith. What does the Bible say about faith? In our discussions in this and other posts, we want to be careful not to go beyond what is written. Defining true…
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There is a lot of talk about faith these days, both inside and outside the church. We speak of, “having faith,” “having enough faith,” “faith-based [instruction, care, etc.],” and others. It seems that much of the general population believes that faith is an okay word to talk about. It also seems that working definition of…
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Allow me to introduce you to my friend Billy Charles (not his real name, but we’ll get to that later). Billy has been in my life as long as I can remember. I can’t think of a time when he wasn’t there. Billy is the kind of friend that many people have. He’s very spiritual.…
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If you’ve been in church or read the Bible for any length of time, you’re probably acquainted with the story of Joseph, the boy with the coat of many colors (Gen. 37, 39-50). As children, that’s sometimes the only thing we remember about him. But as we read more of the story, we find that…
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Several years ago, I took part in an Easter Outreach with a local church. For several hours, we drove through local neighborhoods delivering a potted plant and asking people if we could pray for them. No donation, no “hey, come to my church” speeches. We just wanted to bless the folks of our neighborhoods. The…
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In this first installment of #MissionMonday, we are going to think about the goal of the church (making disciples) and the place of social media. in that process. I often wonder what Paul and the other apostles would have thought of our world today, with it’s great technology. Judging by what they wrote, I have…
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Today, we are going to look at an oft-asked question by Christians: What can/can’t I do as a believer? It’s an important question, especially in the ‘post-modern’ time in which we live. Everything is relative, we are told. Situational ethics is not only condoned but encouraged. The Bible, however, takes a far different few from…
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Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men (Matt. 2:16). In the…
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There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all (Col. 3:11) We have heard a…
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Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matt. 5:11-12). It’s no secret that Christians are being persecuted around the…