Health
Good health is good. It is certainly preferable to sickness and disease. Occasionally you’ll find some concern for it in…
Anger
Anger is admittedly a volatile and dangerous emotion. But it is important to note that it is not always a sinful emotion, and it certainly isn’t always expressed in sinful ways. God gives us adequate warning that...
Superstitions
While Christians affirm that God is supernatural, we of all people should not be superstitious. Yes, we recognize that from time to time in biblical history God has spectacularly suspended natural law as a strategic way to display...
Sola Scriptura
Just before one of the strongest statements regarding the uniqueness and sufficiency of Scripture, the Bible warns us that as time marches on “evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse” (2Tim.3:13). The threat of “evil people” opposing the truth has...
Tolerance
We live in a society where the advocates of “tolerance” are increasingly intolerant. We should be careful not to miss…
Exiles
“Exiles!” There’s a word that doesn’t feel good. Consider the ache and frustration of being trapped in a foreign land…
Outlook and Attitude
It doesn’t take long to discover that the Christian life is certainly not a continuous experience of fun and laughter.…
Repent
Like a lot of preachers, Amos confessed he had no aspirations of being one. He told his critics that he…
Perspective
Solomon’s refrain that everything the world has to offer is “utterly meaningless” (Eccl.1:2) becomes easier to affirm the older one gets. It seems that with increasing age comes the increasing realization that the world is truly a rip-off...
Suffering and Trust
If we read through the God-breathed songbook of Israel we’ll find plenty of psalms which remind us that in this life God’s favored people are in no way exempt from serious pain and intense suffering. It is how the psalmists’ deal with their pain...
Let There Be Light
Sometimes the important analogies presented in the Bible are so frequently echoed in our worship, our prayers, and even our conversations, that God’s intended meaning gets lost in our minds somewhere along the way. Consider the frequent...
Unbiblical Thoughts
To grow in our understanding of God and the Christian life requires that we leave behind wrong ideas about God and the Christian life...
Responding to Trials
Modern Christians tend to misplace a good portion of their compassion. Often when they learn of someone who is struggling or hurting, regardless of the reason, they are quick to offer...
Selfish Prayers
James 4:3 diagnoses one of the most insidious problems which always undermines, and often devastates our prayer lives. The problem we’re told, is...
Dependence
Comprehending something of our real and absolute dependence on God is foundational to everything in the Christian life. It is where...
Prayer Perspective
We need to remember the greatness of the God to whom we pray. We often pray small prayers for small things because we’ve forgotten...
Real Biblical Love
“Love” may be a word we hear every day, but it’s rarely employed to describe anything resembling the virtue the Bible calls us to emulate. While there is nothing wrong with feeling good about the things, places, or people who make us feel good, the biblical concept of “love” is something entirely different...
Relativism
After recently preaching on the problem of relativism, I am reminded of just how pervasive, yet inconsistent, this way of thinking actually is. Many loudly insist that it doesn’t matter what you believe regarding religion, because, after all, “God is loving” and he wouldn’t conclude that anyone’s views about him are wrong. It doesn’t matter, they insist, if your beliefs don’t
If It Feels Good
Countless Christians have warned of the folly contained in the well-worn phrase, “If it feels good, do it!” But this warning should be applied to more than just the indulgent physical pleasures that would transgress the bounds of righteous and godly behavior. We ought also to be cautious...
Christianese
Every arena of life has its own vocabulary, whether we are talking to teammates in a sport’s league or to coworkers in our profession. Christianity is no different. Some of our specialized Christian vocabulary can be helpful, providing us with a kind of verbal shorthand for more efficient communication. But it is time we realize...
Rejoice Always
The Bible tells us to “rejoice” (Phil.4:4). While that may be expected, what comes next in that little verse is…
Spiritual Humility
Real spiritual growth requires humility. An accurate understanding of truth and its appropriate application takes place in those who humbly recognize their need for truth and change. These are the Christians who have learned to...
Receiving Correction
God’s word describes the wise person as one who is “open to reason” (Jms.3:17). The one Greek New Testament word that translates this phrase speaks to the attribute of a person who is willing to change his mind or behavior when presented with...
Body Parts
“The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,” the New Testament repeatedly tells us (cf. 1Cor.12:22). Of course, “the parts” God is trying to get us to appreciate are those people within the “body” of the church who are...
You are Rich
Some days, for any number of reasons, you may feel like you have nothing going for you. On days like that be sure to remember that as a Christian you are richer than you could ever imagine. Of course the riches I’m talking about are...
Building Bridges
Lots of Christians talk about “building bridges” with non-Christians. And I’m all for it. The problem, though, is that often once the bridge is built nothing of eternal significance is ever transported across. Intuitively many bridge builders don’t...
Parenting
Parenting is hard work. Particularly because we are called by God to direct and correct young human beings who are born sinners (Ps.51:5), by nature chafe against the instructions of God (Rom.8:7; 1Cor.2:14), and are obstinately focused on...
Work Ethic
How we work says a lot about our relationship with God. According to the Bible, Christians are to approach their employment as a service to the King of kings. We are told that regardless of who our employer might be...
Cost of Discipling
The Bible is realistic in presenting us with the costs of having a godly impact on others. God compares this work to that of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer in 2 Timothy 2:3-6. Farmers, of course, are known for...
True Truth
As many faithful defenders of the Christian faith have pointed out, the truths we speak of as Christians, are claims we assert to be “true truth”. We do not presume to be proffering religious preferences or personal values. We are boldly claiming...