Radical or Conservative?

“Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lords’s battles.” (1 Timothy 1:18 NLT) There is a war going on in our world today, not simply literal wars where human life and property are at risk, butContinue reading “Radical or Conservative?”

Loving Truth

“Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give Myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your truth.” (John 17:17-19 NLT) Truth isn’t as obscure asContinue reading “Loving Truth”

A Holiness Issue

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14 NLT) Holiness isn’t something we accomplish or achieve, it’s more like a pathway on which the Lord leads us when we confess our sin and express our desireContinue reading “A Holiness Issue”

What Causes Your Joy to Grow?

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” (Matthew 13:44 NLT) Every morning, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ who live in the shadowsContinue reading “What Causes Your Joy to Grow?”

How Do You Respond to Life’s Challenges?

“When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.” (2 Corinthians 7:5 NLT) My wife and I attended a marriage conference a few weeks ago and part of the process was to take a personality inventory. TheContinue reading “How Do You Respond to Life’s Challenges?”

The Pain of the Empty Seat

“As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation – a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.” 2Continue reading “The Pain of the Empty Seat”

No Regrets

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow.” (2 Corinthians 7:10a NLT) As you view your life, what do you most regret? Was it something you did that you now wish you hadn’t done? Or wasContinue reading “No Regrets”

Holiness Lives

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – trulyContinue reading “Holiness Lives”

Have You Been Raised from the Dead?

“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” (Romans 6:4 NLT) What comes first to your mind when you think of resurrection? As a rule, it seems, we tend toContinue reading “Have You Been Raised from the Dead?”