The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind. The word transform is the same as transfigure in Matthew 17:2. It has come into the English language as the word metamorphosis, which describes a change from within. The world wants to change your mind, so...
The Christian is a citizen of two worlds, the earthly and the heavenly. He must render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. Because he is a citizen of two worlds, the Christian must learn how to walk by faith in a...
While preaching for a week at a summer conference, I noticed that my rechargeable razor was losing power. One morning, in fact, it operated so slowly that I was convinced it was broken. By evening it had picked up speed again. A few minutes’ investigation revealed the problem: I had...
Today's thought: The most important book to the Christian is the Bible. Paul was thankful that the saints in Thessalonica had the right spiritual attitudes toward the Word of God. This helped them endure in the hour of suffering. They did not receive it as the word of men; they...
“We have some neighbors who believe a false gospel,” a church member told his pastor. “Do you have some literature I can give them?” The pastor opened his Bible to 2 Corinthians 3:2, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men” (NASB). He said,...
As the Chief Shepherd, Christ alone can assess a person’s ministry and give him or her the proper reward. Some who appear to be first may end up last when the Lord examines each worker’s ministry. Today a Christian worker may labor for many different kinds of rewards. Some work...
Chastening is a Greek word that means “child training, instruction, discipline.” A Greek boy was expected to “work out” in the gymnasium until he reached his maturity. It was part of his preparation for adult life. Trials of the Christian life are viewed in Hebrews 12:5-13 as spiritual discipline that...
When you trust Jesus Christ, He frees you from the guilt and punishment brought by sin. But He also frees you from the bondage of sin’s power, so that you can walk in the freedom of your new life. He sets you free from the fear of death. He delivers...
We who are parents know that our children (especially teenagers) do not like to hear us say, “Now, back when I was a kid….”But this is an important part of training a family. It is a wonderful thing when a “spiritual father” can encourage and help his “children” out of...
Timothy knew the meaning of sacrifice and service, but God rewarded him for his faithfulness. To begin with, Timothy had the joy of helping others. There were hardships and difficulties, but there were also victories and blessings. Because Timothy was faithful over a few things, God rewarded him with many...