“Avoid every kind of evil.” 1 Thess 5:22 (NIV) Have you ever done something that compromised your convictions and broke the heart of God? When you look back on the experience, you still can’t believe that you did such a thing. When you get too close to the edge, you slip down the slippery slope […]
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV) God has called us to a lifestyle of moral purity. As followers of Jesus Christ, our constant assignment is to keep […]
“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:15 (NIV) Temptation has a predictable process. James gives uses the metaphor of childbirth to capture the predictable process of temptation. In his letter to the Jews who were scattered outside of Palestine, James […]
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:13-14 (NIV) God is holy and God is love. The nature of God will not […]
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Cor 10:13 (NIV) Temptation is an opportunity […]
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’” Luke 15:17 (NIV) Do you have someone in your life who is currently suffering the consequences of their poor choices? Everything within you wants to shift into rescue mode. […]
“Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” Matt 8:24 (NIV) Trials have a tendency to sneak up on us like weeds in a flowerbed. We can be living in the land of the familiar and enjoying our daily routine when […]
“As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, ‘How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.’” 1 Sam 1:12-14 (NIV) […]
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4 (NIV) Spiritual maturity may involve adversity. The child of God is not exempt from adversity. Often, God will allow adversity to enter our journey in order to move us toward spiritual maturity. God expects us to grow […]
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3 (NIV) Without a test, there is no testimony. God allows trials to come into our lives in order to prove the authenticity of our faith. We are like a […]
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NIV) View your trials from God’s perspective. Knowledge is needed to take things apart. Wisdom is needed to put things back together. When your life is coming apart, […]
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3 (NIV) Rejoice is a choice. Living in a fallen world comes at a price. The consequences of sin have rippled throughout our family tree all the way back to […]
“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” Mark 1:16-18 (NIV) If you’re not fishing, you’re […]
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And […]
“They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you […]
“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” Matt 17:1-2 (NIV) God moments are difficult to transfer. If […]
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1 (NIV) Authentic worship leads to sensitivity to God’s activity. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he encountered the holiness of God. As a […]
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they […]
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Col 3:17 (NIV) You have the power to conceal or reveal God’s glory. God reveals His glory to you as you worship Him privately and corporately. Whether you […]
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) It is possible to worship the act of worship. When you become consumed with your personal preferences […]
The condition of your heart before God affects your private and public worship. If you want to have a high level of receptivity to God’s Word, your heart must be right before God. Sin will harden your heart towards God. Sin will hinder your capacity to hear from God. “Come near to God and he […]
“‘But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.’” Matt 13:23 (NIV) There are levels of receptivity. Have you noticed how you can read the Bible during a […]
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Your intake of God’s Word will determine your level […]
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more […]
“‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’” John 15:4 (NIV) To nurture an abiding relationship with Christ involves a daily experience. Your private worship is vital to having an ongoing […]
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so […]
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Col 4:2-4 (NIV) Do you ever pray for […]
“The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 1 Tim 1:5 (NIV) Your reputation is based on what others say about you. Your character is based on what you really are when no one is looking. Nothing neutralizes your witness faster than […]
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim 3:14-15 (NIV) Make good on […]
“‘Honor your father and mother’–which is the first commandment with a promise—‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’” Eph 6:2-3 (NIV) One way to honor your parents is to learn what they know. Recently I visited my dad on the front porch of the nursing […]