Look to the Wellbeing of Others and Not Focus on Ourselves In Isaiah 39 we read a prophecy given to King Hezekiah by Isaiah. This occurs after Hezekiah does something foolish. He graciously receives envoys from the powerful behemoth, Babylon. Not only does he show off his nation’s wealth, he also provides his enemies one […]
Mentoring Can Help Us Grow in Our Faith and Increase Our Impact People sometimes ask me to mentor them. I’m honored that they ask. I want to say yes. Instead, I decline as respectfully as I can. Why? It’s because God hasn’t called me to be a mentor—at least not in the traditional sense. He’s […]
The Nation of Judah Calls Out to God and He Routes Their Enemy Here’s a story that shows why we should rely on the Lord God. King Abijah is the grandson of King Solomon and the great grandson of King David. Civil war during the reign of Abijah’s father, Rehoboam, splits the nation of Israel […]
The website of this urban church says they’re a multi-racial, multi-socio-economic relational community, where the homeless worship and support one another. I anticipate meeting people of other races and expect a service relevant to its inner-city neighborhood. Consider these seven discussion questions about Church 68. 1. As we approach the building, others carry crockpots. Looks […]
Consider the Example of the Early Church and Then Follow It We’ve already talked about the three main ways Jesus changed our perspectives for following him when he fulfilled the Old Testament prophets. The early church applied this by meeting in homes, serving as priests, and helping those in need. As Jesus’s priests they minister […]
Will We Follow Through When the Pressure’s Off? God’s chosen people toil as slaves in Egypt. He tasks Moses with getting them out. So far things aren’t going so well. God has sent seven plagues to get the Pharaoh’s attention, without achieving the people’s release. Plague number eight is on its way: Locusts. An army […]
After Job’s so-called friends fail so miserably to comfort him in his time of need, after they criticize and malign him, God steps in. God puts them in their place for what they said and affirms that Job has spoken truth. Then God tells the friends to prepare a sacrifice and to ask Job to […]
Celebrating the New Year Just as I often make a post for Christmas, I do the same for New Year’s Day. These posts usually address making New Year’s resolutions. But instead of resolutions, why not work to make this year your best year yet. With God’s help, you can. Here are some of my past […]
Make Our Thoughts Obedient to Jesus Paul tells the church in Corinth to capture every thought and make it obedient to Jesus. Likewise, Proverbs advises us to guard our thoughts (Proverbs 4:23). (Some translations say to guard our hearts, putting a different twist on the same concept). This is often hard to do—but not impossible. […]
We Must Be Willing to Share Our Concerns If We Hope to Receive Help One of my newsletter subscribers emailed me with a question. He wants to do what the Bible says about loving one another (such as in 1 John 3:11). He’s willing to sacrifice to meet the needs of his brothers and sisters […]