Brothers and sisters, think on the cross. Think on Christ and His righteousness. Think on heaven. Be amazed at the grace that has been shown you in Jesus.    There are many things that want to steal our joy and affection in Christ. There are sins and temptations that plague us more often than we’d... Continue Reading

Familiarity with heaven, as described by the word of God and believed upon in the heart, necessarily produces hope and longing. Heaven is home for the Christian who increasingly sees himself as an exile on earth.    It behooves every minister of the Gospel to not only warn his congregants that the pale horse and... Continue Reading

Mature faith is faith that continually grows in understanding and in conformity to the Christ who is revealed in the whole Bible. This faith transcends belief in the Christ of a few favorite texts and rejects any sentimental adherence to the pale shadow of the one whose prophetic, priestly, and kingly roles are revealed in... Continue Reading

When we read Scripture, we are not merely studying ancient texts. We are hearing God speak through the words He chose to use. The question is whether we will trust that God meant what He said, or whether we will insist on reshaping His Word to make it more acceptable to us.   When Christians... Continue Reading

The principle is simple. When we recognize and are willing to use whatever we have close at hand, when we move forward in faith, transformation happens.   Availability can be transformational. What was Moses’s rod became the rod of God. Moses still carried it; however, ownership changed due to availability. Some people live in frustration... Continue Reading

When the church is tempted to fashion new offices or to extend the functions of church office beyond the officers of the church, ordination provides something of a reset. Ordination presents to the church those men whom Christ has already placed into office inducting men whom Christ has called, through his church, into office.  ... Continue Reading

Moses told Israel that “the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way until you reached the Promised Land” (Deuteronomy 1:31). In Christ we have inherited the promised estate and the Lord will carry us home. He is our Dad.   Picture the young Paul growing up in Tarsus,... Continue Reading

To us who have rebelled against Him, God’s love may appear to be constraining, and so “unloving” to the modern mind, but in fact it is the deepest love of all—the love that wants us to come in from the cold and darkness of sin and bask in the glorious light of His eternal presence. ... Continue Reading

Why wait for heaven before I start to live like I’m going there? Why not live for the next life now? Why not make my life make sense in light of a holy God and our promised hope?   Lottie Moon once said regarding insufficient missionary support to China, “I wonder how these things look... Continue Reading

Muslims are right in saying that no creature should be associated with God in religious honors. However, the New Testament explains that Jesus is not merely a creature, but is the eternal, divine Son who humbled himself to share in our humanity to redeem us by his death (Philippians 2:5-8)….As Christians, we should help Muslims... Continue Reading