When we consider God’s glory and hope, we want to boast about it!
No one wants to be around a braggart. So why does Paul tell us again and again to boast?
These five elements will enrich your weekend worship services
Can we take some steps to add variety—and meaning—that will keep worship from becoming meaningless routine?
We see God’s work and receive his help, so why try to go it alone?
Why think we are wise enough and strong enough to handle some of life and only lean on God in occasional moments of weakness?
The enemy will seek harm for us, but God is ever present to help
The devil has been chasing after believers in God since the beginning of time. And throughout all the ages, God has remained attentive to the pleas of his people.
Even a wise king couldn’t avoid the downfall of compartmentalizing
Solomon prayed for wisdom, and God gave it to him. Unfortunately, however, he eventually failed to use it in every area of his life.
When generations listen to each other, the wisdom can last a lifetime
Whatever your age and your position in work, in church, or in the community, I pray you will listen and accept instruction so you and I can continue to gain wisdom for the future.
Giving to others equals lending to God: a mandate for generosity
God doesn’t need us to loan him anything. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. What God does expect is that our transformation by the power of the gospel will include a change in how we see and use all of the resources we have.
How we can, and why we should, embrace our everyday powerlessness
A favorite repost from 2021.
It may be just one thing, but I suspect it is more like one life
Some talk about our service as our “for such a time as this” moment. Maybe it would be wiser simply to think of each moment as a one God can use to accomplish his purpose through us.
There’s so much I cannot do, but there’s one thing all of us can do
The list of things I cannot do would be very long. That’s probably true for you, too. But we can relax with the good news of what God tells every one of us can do.
A psalm for the suffering: It’s OK to ask God the hard questions
I was 28 or 29 when I first memorized and prayed these verses. And through many seasons of suffering since then, I have come back to them again and again.
Why we should be careful when we’re tempted to bet on our own horse
Owners can bet on their own horses. Athletes can feel confident about their own strength. Leaders can assume past successes guarantee future fortune. Solomon has a warning for all of them.
Just as Paul was grateful for his readers, I am thankful for you
Paul said of his readers that because of their faith in Jesus, the gospel was being proclaimed throughout the world. I know this is true of my readers, too.
The most important way to think of yourself and introduce yourself
When we think of how we typically introduce ourselves, we’re struck by how Paul described himself to those he was writing.
An example of transformation, and a pause to consider our own
The transformation of our lives is a long, slow arc of change, and we must be diligent to allow God’s work of transformation to continue. We want to end our lives like the transformed Paul.
His groaning, our rejoicing that he has entered the house of God
Eddie walked into a place God had prepared for him. And he was reunited with many he loved and thousands more he never knew he had influenced for good and for God.
Three lessons from Psalm 3 about God’s activity in our lives
We can learn many things from David. Three practical, helpful lessons are all together in Psalm 3.
Remembering a friend: calling out to God and called home by him
Eddie knew the Lord, and as a man of faith who spent his whole career in Christian higher education, he no doubt had read and prayed this passage many times in seasons of difficulty.
Doing it yourself has advantages, but it comes with consequences
A favorite repost from 2021.