The Last Unopened Gift
Did you see it? You may have missed it…but it was there. Don’t feel bad; most people overlook this one, but there is still time. Today, before the new year gets here, before all the decorations are put away, before all the other gifts are set aside, open it! Romans 6:23 “For the wages of […]
Alone For Christmas
Today I have a short and simple message of encouragement and exhortation. The necessity of this message was revealed in a note I received at Christmas two years ago. ***** Hi Steve, First of all, Merry Christmas to you and your whole family. Yes, this season brings up some crumby memories, but being all alone […]
Day of Remembrance
There are only a few more days to go! Only a few more days until…until what? Why is December 25th so special? What really is this day we call Christmas? The early church did not give much thought to the birth of Jesus. Of the four Gospels only Matthew and Luke even mention His birth, […]
The First Move
In our celebration of the birth of Christ, we know the focus of Christmas should be the eternal gift given through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This season ought to irresistibly draw us nearer to God as we reflect on His wonderful gift of love. But perhaps there are times we need […]
The Gift of True Forgiveness
It’s hard to believe there are only a few more days until Christmas. Yes, as the song says: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” It really is wonderful! We are flooded with Christmas music, Christmas lights, and lots of Christmas “activities.” And although the season contains many distractions which attempt to pull us […]
Whom We Will Serve
Joshua led the people of Israel into the promised land of Canaan and helped them fight many battles. Toward the end of his life, Joshua gathered the leaders of Israel for some final encouragement: “You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the […]
Create Lasting Memorials
After the people of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years, God led them across the Jordan river into the promised land of Canaan. This was not an ordinary river crossing. God stopped the Jordan from flowing and allowed the priests to stand in the middle of the river bed, with the ark of […]
Live Daily By Faith
In the message “Proving Our Faith” we saw how our faith is revealed and strengthened as we walk through our trials. It’s not surprising that we often discuss the importance of faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). If we desire to live a life pleasing to God, we must […]
Proving Our Faith
We begin our Christian life in faith; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). And just as we begin our life in faith, so we must also continue to walk in faith; “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him” (Colossians 2:6). We are […]
The Great Cloud of Witnesses
This last weekend I ran the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, TN. This was my sixth marathon. I’ve learned a lot about running since my first marathon in 2004. In my first marathon I did not understand about training or proper pacing and I completely ran out of energy after 17 miles. This time I […]
Grace-Filled Holiness
We often speak of God’s Word as the absolute truth by which we are to live. We encourage one another to live without compromise and not to be pulled by the temptations of the world. But this type of discussion always implies a standard for Christian living; and, as much as we hate to admit […]
Ministering to Nineveh
In the message “Follow Him to Nineveh” we discussed the will of God in terms of His “general” and “specific” will. We saw that God’s Word has already given a great deal of direction which applies to every Child of God. Our Heavenly Father desires each of His Children to be “conformed to the likeness […]