Let us test and examine our ways and return to the Lord! (Lamentations 3:40, ESV). I was recently asked about the major lessons I’ve learned as a pastor for 49 years. Great question! I answered. . . Every pastor and all Christians will go through three significant tests. The test of faith, the test of spiritual […]
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Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, NIV). Dealing with difficult times, we can either walk in the flesh or be filled with the Spirit. We might say after a tense moment, “I need a drink,” but have we said during trials, “I need to
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Most Saturdays, I write an Interruption on a Psalm with the number of the Psalm included in the title. Today’s Interruption should be titled Psalms on Saturday ~ Psalm 39. But there’s a fascinating verse in this psalm. . . Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no
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Mercy withholds what we deserve, and grace gives us what we don’t deserve. Grace and mercy reveal the fullness of God’s love. In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul pens one of the great practical living chapters in the Bible. This chapter has three sections. The first starts with mercy when Paul says, “By the mercies
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I memorized Romans 12 (NASB) in 1974, and the chapter became a mainstay in my life. Let’s read it today. (Go ahead, I’ll wait.) The chapter has three sections. The first begins with the word “mercy.” The second “grace,” and the third “love.” A scholar said. . . When considering Romans 12, remember that mercy
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Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3, ESV). One of my favorite phrases during morning devotions is, “God is Great!” When considering God, the word “great” must be used. One of my favorite songs, written by Chris Tomlin, is “How Great is our God!” For inspiration, watch this
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Let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him (Romans 12:2, CEV). Doing and thinking the same yields the same results. The Panama Canal, considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, illustrates failure from doing the same,
But let each one test his own work (Galatians 6:4, ESV). Christianity is a relationship, not religion. Our relationship with Jesus isn’t ultimately about keeping a set of rules, not breaking one of the Ten Commandments, or keeping the faith to go to heaven. Nothing wrong with rules, commandments, and heaven — but if they become
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Bookends — commonly used in reference to a beginning and an ending! We find bookends in the Bible with Genesis (the beginning) and the Book of Revelation (the ending). But we also see bookends in Psalm 1 and Psalm 150. Take a few minutes to read Psalm 1 (only six verses) and Psalm 150 (again,
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God wants to speak to us. Are we listening? Christianity is a relationship, and great relationships have good communication. To make sure that we hear Him, God has provided the most miraculous method of conversation in the history of the world. Don’t think email, Facebook™, or LinkedIn™ – think the Bible! The Bible has 66
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