“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 (NIV) Think about where you sit each Sunday when you attend the worship service at your local church. Maybe you like sitting in the rear of the worship center, or maybe the front, […]
Category: Influence
“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” Luke 19:5-6 (NIV) You have a choice. You can be a thermostat and set the environment or you can be a thermometer […]
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Tim 4:12 (NIV) After being involved in a life altering Jet Ski accident and surrendering to preach at age sixteen, I remember officiating one of […]
Categories
Pointing Children to Christ
“‘And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’” Matt 18:5-6 […]
“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” Luke 19:5-6 (NIV) You have a choice. You can be a thermostat and set the environment or you can be a thermometer […]
Categories
Proclaim Without Shame
“‘If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’” Luke 9:26 (NIV) Do you conceal your Christianity? Can you be accused of being a closet Christian? Do those […]
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.” […]
“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 […]
“The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia–your faith in God has become known everywhere.” 1 Thess 1:8 (NIV) One of the features of a High School football game is the cheer squad. The cheerleaders seek to engage the fans in the stands in order to motivate them to cheer […]
“And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” 1 Thess 1:7 (NIV) Are you a model to follow? Are you reproducing the life of Christ before a watching world? God has created you, redeemed you, and empowered you to continue the ministry of Jesus on the earth. After Jesus […]
Categories
Being Imitated by Others
“You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thess 1:6 (NIV) Paul, Silas, and Timothy modeled Christ before the new believers in Thessalonica to the extent that they were motivated to imitate them. The new believers […]
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalms 68:5 (NIV) God is your heavenly Father. Long before you decided what to do with God, God decided what to do with you. God took the initiative to reconcile you to Himself through the atoning work of Jesus on […]
“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 […]
“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a “sinner.”‘” Luke 19:5-7 (NIV) […]
Categories
No Room for Shame
“‘If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’” Luke 9:26 (NIV) Do you conceal your Christianity? Can you be accused of being a closet Christian? Do those […]
Categories
The Real Party
“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.” Luke 5:29 (NIV) Jesus changed Levi’s life. Shifting from being a tax collector to being a follower of Jesus, Levi wanted to honor Jesus by hosting a banquet at his house. […]
“Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of […]
Categories
Influential (3)
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalms 68:5 (NIV) God is your heavenly Father. Long before you decided what to do with God, God decided what to do with you. God took the initiative to reconcile you to Himself through the atoning work of Jesus on […]
Categories
Influential (2)
“To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” 2 Tim 1:2 (NIV) Can you imagine having the Apostle Paul as a spiritual father? Timothy enjoyed the privilege of having Paul as an authentic spiritual father. Paul invested in Timothy’s life. It is very likely that […]
“He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.” Acts 16:1 (NIV) Timothy’s father is not mentioned by name in the Bible. We only know that his dad was a Greek. However, Timothy’s mother and grandmother […]
Categories
Reveal (2)
“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 […]
“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 […]
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Tim 4:12 (NIV) Did you know that you will multiply what you model? Now that is convicting! That means that it truly does matter how you […]
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Tim 1:5 (NIV) Would those who know you best say that you have a sincere faith? Is your faith genuine? Are you the real deal? […]
Categories
Her Children Arise
“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’” Prov 31:28-29 (NIV) What a treasure to be surrounded by godly women: my wife, my mother, my mother-in-law, my mamaw, and my mawmaw! These five women in my immediate sphere of […]
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Tim 1:5 (NIV) Today is my dad’s birthday. He is now on the spiritual path to finish well. However, when I was a child, my dad became an alcoholic which […]
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Tim 1:5 (NIV) My dad became a severe alcoholic which led to my parents’ divorce when I was seven years old. As a result, I grew […]