We don’t like laws. In our fallen condition, we bristle at commands, rules, and ordinances. Just thinking about HOA guidelines makes me cringe. So when we read Psalm 119 and see how many times the Psalmist says he loves and delights in God’s laws, precepts, and statutes, we scratch our heads and wonder—why?The answer is … Continue reading He Wants Our Hearts →

It’s true for all of us—we’re drawn to power. Whether it be physical power, power over others, or any other form, we feel this inexplicable desire to either see power or exert power ourselves. I mean, this ranges from action-figures, to guys’ fascination with explosions, muscle cars, and even the political scene. Yet there is … Continue reading The Power of Life →

Have you ever been reading through an epistle and thought, “Wow. That sounds pretty arrogant, Paul.” I had this happen to me recently while reading through 2 Corinthians. In the first chapter, Paul says he had planned to visit them “so that you might twice receive a blessing” (1:15). This sounds like Paul was going … Continue reading A Purpose of Blessings →

Over the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of talk about “the mark of the beast.” This refers to some type of allegiance-pledge to the antichrist, and the phrase is introduced in Revelation 13. With so much uncertainty in the world during COVID, a lot of confusion has been propagated about this mark. … Continue reading A Mark of Allegiance →

As we close out our series on drawing near to Christ, we have one more aspect to look at. We draw near to Christ by focusing on Jesus, by turning from sin, by focusing on the good things, and finally, by serving the Lord with our time and resources. The more we invest ourselves in … Continue reading Draw Near As Stewards →

As with many parts of the Christian life, drawing near to Christ has several aspects. In the past few posts, we’ve examined focusing upon Jesus and turning away from sin. Well, rejecting sin is only part of what we are called to do. Not only are we told what to turn away from, we are … Continue reading The Other Half →

In the last post (linked below), I started looking at the concept of drawing near to Jesus. Hebrews 10:22 calls us to “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,” and one way we do that is by fixing our eyes upon Jesus. Now drawing near has several other aspects, and we’ll … Continue reading Walk In Freedom →

We often read a verse and don’t take the time to really think about what it means, or how it applies. We hear the verse so frequently, we sort of gloss right over it. But we should take a moment to pause and consider—how does this truth effect my life. Or more accurately, how should … Continue reading Choosing to Consider →

Sometimes when we’re reading a passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit directs our mind to a particular point. We may have read that passage many times before, but we had missed this insight. I had such an experience when reading Luke 15 this morning. The chapter is very familiar, containing the parables of the lost … Continue reading Made Alive →

There are times when the Lord keeps driving a point home from many different directions. When that happens, we better pay attention. This whole week, the Lord has been doing this for me with the idea of “Follow me” (John 21:19). Actually, the story began last week. I was thinking about the passage in John … Continue reading A Commanding Call →