Too caught up in debates
Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. – Psalm 82:3 Ask yourself this tough question: “As a Christian, who or what do you spend most of your time defending? Jesus? The Bible?” Sometimes I wonder if we get too caught up in debates and issues. […]
The things good leaders do
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. – Joshua 24:15 One of the things good leaders do is figure out a plan and follow through on that plan. Most would call this determination or resolve. When we lack determination, we lack drive and we become lazy. Resolve gives us the ability […]
Some things can’t co-exist
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Oil and water. Similar poles of a magnet. Light and darkness. The natural laws in physics teach us that some things are just not designed to “coexist.” They oppose. They resist. They repel and dispel. […]
Greed is most interesting
Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. – Jonah 2:8 Colossians 3:5 gives us a list of idols: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. When these things become the driving forces of our lives, they become the centerpiece instead of our relationship with Jesus Himself. Greed is […]
Humbly put Christ at the center
For those who exalt they will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. – Matthew 23:12 Who do we praise? That is a loaded and uncomfortable question. Often times, our praise and focus is on what is at the center of our lives. It could be our jobs, our kids, family and […]
A mundane response
Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today” – Hebrews 3:13a Today is all we have with those that we love. And the frequency of it can facilitate a mundane response. Does your wife, kids, co-workers see you as someone who encourages them? Can they point to a moment yesterday where you […]
Manufacture an example
Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12b When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, he was writing a young pastor of a new church. It was a lot to ask of a young man who was probably overwhelmed with all of […]
Don’t have the manpower
For the battle is not yours, but God’s. – 2 Chronicles 20:15c It’s like a scene out of a movie. A giant army is advancing and the people of Judah don’t have the manpower or the weapons to defend themselves. The king gathers the people to the temple to ask the Lord what to do. […]
Solely fix your gaze
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us… – Hebrews 12:1c I’ve never been able to run for an extended period of time and not wanted to give up. To me running and perseverance go hand in hand. There are times (perhaps today) you will want to give up. Stop running. Stop […]
Coming up with a fix
Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth. – Psalm 46:10 The art of listening is one of the toughest things to learn and do. I catch myself looking at people speaking but my mind is not focused on them. […]