Forgive As He Forgave
It seems like sooner or later everyone gets mistreated and hurt. Many times the actions against us are unintentional, but other times they can be extremely malicious. Suddenly, this hurt begins to invade every other area of our life. We carry a heavy burden which we know we don’t deserve – and which we certainly […]
Build All For His Glory
The last two messages have considered how we ought to use a different set of priorities in forming our goals and plans. Our goal should be to fully submit to our Heavenly Father, and our plans must always remain under His control. We also saw that a life submitted to God is full of opportunity […]
Cancer Update – The Journey Continues
Last January our twelve year old daughter was diagnosed with an advanced stage of ovarian cancer. The next few months were a blur of doctor visits, surgeries, chemotherapy, and lots of…closeness. I’m not yet able to be thankful for our season of cancer treatment, but now, a full year after the end of treatment, I […]
Great Expectations
In the message “Careful Thought To Our Ways” we saw how God is the Director of our steps and how we must carefully (and prayerfully) develop goals and plans which glorify His name. And though our true goal should always be to fully release our life to God and worship Him for all eternity, each […]
Careful Thought To Our Ways
The motivational speakers of our day want us to set great goals for our life: “Where do you want to be in two, five, or ten years? What type of lifestyle do you want when you retire?” We are encouraged to set goals slightly beyond our reach, and then instructed how to create a plan […]
God Makes It Grow
Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church to correct several problems. The Corinthian’s needed instruction in marriage, Christian freedom, worship, and various issues which tended to cause division. He rebuked the church for quarreling about whom they followed: “You are still worldly… For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow […]
Strong, Courageous, and Humble
Joshua was Moses’ field commander in the fight against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:9) and his assistant when the Law was given at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:13). After initially exploring the land of Canaan, Joshua was one of only two men to advise the Israelites to trust God and enter the promised land (Numbers 14:6-9). When […]
Enter His Rest
In the last two messages, we’ve considered the glory of the Lord. We saw how we are now God’s Temple and are to “reflect the Lord’s glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) into the world as we are transformed into the likeness of Christ. It is a great honor to be in the presence of the Lord […]
Ever-Increasing Glory
In the message “Dedicate His Temple” we saw that through the forgiveness of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are now God’s Temple; “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). And as with the Temple during the reign of King […]
Dedicate His Temple
The Old Testament adds wonderful richness to our faith. In the very first verse of the Bible we read “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). By reflecting on this wonderful truth we can better understand the words of Jesus that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Throughout the Old Testament […]
Opportunity of Our Words
Every day we are given the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Every time we open our mouth to speak, we send forth words which have an effect on those around us. Our words, which come “out of the overflow of the heart” (Matthew 12:34), will either cause a positive or negative reaction…our […]
Always Rejoice
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul gives an exhortation to “Rejoice in the Lord always – and again I say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Paul had been arrested and sent to Rome to await trial. He spent his days and nights under house arrest chained to a Roman soldier, but was still able to say, […]