Like the Pharisees of old, we Christians have a way of majoring in the minors—dividing over matters insignificant to vital Christian faith. I have heard of churches splitting over such petty matters as the location of the piano and the serving of meals on Sundays. What must be first in...
The Jews wanted Jesus to give them a sign to prove He was the Messiah. Jesus answered (Matthew 12:38-41) that they would be given only the sign of Jonah—that He would spend three days and nights in the grave as Jonah had in the great fish. Jesus is far greater...
Athletes used to wear training weights to help them prepare for contests. One modem example is a baseball player who swings a bat that has a heavy metal collar before he steps to the plate. No athlete would actually participate wearing the weights, however, because they would slow him down....
Most of us must confess that when things are “going our way” we feel a lot happier and are much easier to live with. “Dad must have had an easy day at the office,” little Peggy said to her visiting girlfriend. “He didn’t squeal the tires when he pulled into...
Fellowship with God must never become selfish. We must also fellowship with other Christians in the local assembly. Apparently some of the wavering believers of the early church had been absenting themselves from the church fellowship, and the writer of Hebrews urged them to quit their careless ways and not...
We worship Jesus Christ because of who He is. But there is a second reason why we worship Him. To begin with, Jesus is in heaven. He is not in the manger, in Jerusalem, on the cross, or in the tomb. He is ascended and exalted in heaven. What an...
God’s Word has life, gives life, and nourishes life. We should have appetites for the Word just like hungry newborn babes! We should want the pure Word, unadulterated, because this alone can help us grow When I was a child, I did not like to drink milk (and my father...
How many people have been robbed of peace and fulfillment because of worry! In fact, worry even has physical consequences, and, while medicine can remove the symptoms, it cannot remove the cause. Worry is an “inside job.” You can purchase “sleep” at the drugstore, but you cannot purchase “rest.” If...
It is possible to give generously but not give enthusiastically. “The preacher says I should give until it hurts,” says a miserly church member, “but for me, it hurts just to think about giving!” The Macedonian churches needed no prompting or reminding, as did the church at Corinth. They were...
We should not only love God’s people; we should also love our enemies. The recipients of Peter’s first letter were experiencing a certain amount of personal persecution because they were doing the will of God. Peter warned them that official persecution was just around the corner, so they had better...