We assume that if we just prayed more, the Lord would work more. It is little different to the calls to send in your ‘seed money’ so that the Lord might increase your blessings. We may not be asking the Lord to bless our bank accounts and stores of health, but we are still asking... Continue Reading

‘Brother’ or ‘Sister’ is more than a title, it is a declaration of partnership in the grace of God. We are not only co-heirs with Christ individually (Romans 8:17), but we mutually enjoy the experience of being fellow heirs with Christ. Or as Paul rejoices in, as he opens his letter to the Philippians, “you... Continue Reading

Humility is not an option. Every mouth will eventually be closed; every chest will eventually be beaten; every knee will eventually bow. Humble yourself now or be humbled by God later, but humility is coming nonetheless. Now here’s the thing – we can look at this story and learn many things. We can learn, for... Continue Reading

As you mature, there are many things you will care less and less about. But a growing leader never cares less about people and less about the mission. If you don’t care for people or the mission as much as you once did, your heart is growing numb.   Because leadership is challenging and never-ending,... Continue Reading

The justification that Paul has in mind is clearly a justification before the court of God–it is a legal declaration that a man or women is counted righteous by faith alone. The Apostle could not be any clearer. He then appeals to Genesis 15:6 for a defense of this doctrine–rooting it in the earliest of... Continue Reading

We should learn to live lives of compassion, imitating our compassionate Savior. We should move out to meet practical needs around us, just as Jesus fed the hungry crowds. These are helpful things to learn from the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Now, there are deeper realities at play here. Jesus will use this... Continue Reading

Scripture teaches us to develop what some have called an “apocalyptic spirituality” in which we so deeply sense the dawning of the age to come that we begin to realize its wonder in this present age. The Apostle Peter captures in a single phrase Scripture’s unified application of eschatology. In light of God’s plan to... Continue Reading

Many years ago a woman challenged me saying that the reason we have so many abortions in this country is that the church did not treat the death of premature children as the loss of a child.  Her statement made me look at myself as a pastor. Early in my first pastorate, a couple’s preborn... Continue Reading

The apostle Paul was a unique person in many respects. But he was not so uncommon with regard to his struggle with sin. The war Paul fought against sin and temptation was waged on the very same battlefield upon which you and I fight every moment of every day—our mind. It is against the backdrop... Continue Reading

While there is a benefit in studying the sciences, studying all things in light of the Lord broadens our understanding of reality. It gives us a lens through which to view the world. Likewise, contemplating God forces us to look beyond the material world to the spiritual forces that are at work around us. Most... Continue Reading