It was very early in my faith walk when I looked at the Bible as sacred and important, but largely DEAD AND DORMANT in terms of being a part of my life on a daily basis. It’s a massive understatement to say that I was wrong. God’s Word is ACTIVE AND ALIVE.    “The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet,...

Wait! What? The start of football season means it’s time to study the Bible? Kind of… With American Football camps opening across the country, it’s a great time to think about how the apostle Paul uses the example of physical exercise to illustrate a great spiritual truth.    “Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both...

God’s truths are not to be shelved for the future! The Holy Spirit speaks in the PRESENT TENSE, and that’s why we are to respond immediately. Every command of Scripture calls for immediate obedience. Take a look:    “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God, as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the...

Learning to obey God takes practice under the always mounting difficulties of life and in response to more and more requests for our time, attention, and heart. Learning to obey God is not a one-time anointing. Learning to obey God is a PROCESS. Growth in Christ produces spiritual maturity that is then fueled by what the book of Hebrews led me to call “Learning Obedience.” Take a look…    “But...

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...