One of the chief problems Timothy faced in Ephesus was the presence of false teachers who advocated a form of spiritual elitism that assumed people need a kind special access to connect with and understand God.  WRONG! Spiritual elitism emphasizes the well-being of a select few, but followers of Christ seek everything good for everyone. That’s why Paul encouraged Timothy to tell the Ephesians...

It’s easy to think that if only we had a little more money it would solve all sorts of problems, right? Just a little more, that’s all. There is extreme danger in DESIRING to be rich because it always leads to sin. It’s a matter of the heart. Here’s how the Apostle Paul put it to Timothy:    “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many foolish...

It was early in my faith walk when I was consumed by mastering the CONTENTMENT CHASE and doing everything I could to get my hands on the world’s “goodie bag.” The chase started with mansions and sports cars and watches and vacations. It ended in emptiness. And then God helped me switch the channel with this blessing from the Apostle Paul: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy...

All of us are waging a war with time and, because of how much is at stake, God is watching intently to see how it turns out. For us. For our families. For the people who need to hear the Gospel of Christ. The time battle restarts every day with the rising sun and marches forward inexorably toward its closing bell and a brief respite through the night before greeting us with yet another high-stakes...

It was early in my faith walk when I was chasing money and success when the primary goal was to seek physical and emotional comfort. And then God sent me yet another rebuke through the Apostle Paul… “The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear.”...

This morning I was reading 2 Timothy and realized that early in my faith walk I had held firmly onto my success-mad goals…my achievements…my things. In the process I missed out on what God wanted me to hold firmly—my love of his Word; my faith in Christ; and my God-given gifts. Here’s how the Apostle Paul put it to Timothy: “Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to...

Early in my faith walk I thought the Bible was nothing more than a passive summary of God’s truths. I had no idea it was actually an active and inspired roadmap to find our purpose in life. God set me straight with this . . .    “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person...

It was early in my faith walk and telling others about Jesus was the last thing on my “to-do list” as a striving aspirant to success and wealth. And then God tossed this in my path: It was early in my faith walk and telling others about Jesus was the last thing on my “to-do list” as a striving aspirant to success and wealth. But that’s why God tossed this in my path:    “Be wise in...

It takes real guts and Christ-like character to admit when we’ve made a mistake. And it takes even more effort to avoid making the same mistake again. But that is exactly what God wants us to do on both counts. Extracting the learning from the mistake and making sure it doesn’t happen again is not automatic. That’s why I go through the following three steps with God after evaluating what triggered...

The very essence of a believer’s life is having the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Take a look at how Paul puts it: “But you do not live as your human nature tells you to; instead, you live as the Spirit tells you to—if, in fact, God’s Spirit lives in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” Romans 8:9    The more God’s Word transforms our life, the more...