Every idol is shaped by the desires of the worshipper. Man creates a god who will approve his choices, protect his comforts, excuse his sin, and never command him to die to himself. What appears to be devotion to another is often only devotion to self wearing a religious mask. “They exchanged the glory…
The sooner we accept that death will separate us from everything we possess in this life, the sooner we will stop living as though this world were permanent. Our money, home, reputation, achievements, and possessions will all remain behind. Even the spouse we deeply love and the children we have carried in our hearts…
The Holy Spirit is not a higher experience reserved for a spiritual elite. He is God’s gift to every person who truly belongs to Christ. There are no ordinary Christians who possess Christ but remain without the Holy Spirit until they reach a second level of faith. “If anyone does not have the Spirit…
A person’s deepest desires reveal more about him than his public words. We may speak about God, doctrine, ministry, and holiness, but what continually burdens the heart exposes what we truly treasure. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). One man grieves because his reputation has been wounded.…
The moment we begin to believe that God needs us to advance His kingdom, is the moment we will no longer be useful to Him. God does not depend upon our talent, influence, platform, money, intelligence, or strength. He allows us to serve, but He is never sustained by the servants He appoints. “The…
Holy living is not merely avoiding obvious sins or appearing respectable before others. It is the sincere desire to please God in every part of life, including our thoughts, motives, words, relationships, work, and private conduct. “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2…
Many Christians keep asking God for a private message while neglecting the public Word He has already given. They want a dream, an impression, a sign, or a voice that will tell them what to do. Meanwhile, the Bible remains unopened, its commands ignored, its warnings softened, and its wisdom treated as though it…
The church does not need more Christians who borrow their convictions from the culture, shape their beliefs around popular opinion, and then search for a verse to support what they have already decided. We need believers whose minds, consciences, homes, work, relationships, worship, and public witness are governed by the Word of God. Scripture…
Much of modern Christianity has learned to speak with the vocabulary of the world while still using the name of Jesus. Ideas drawn from psychology, popular culture, business leadership, eastern spirituality, and motivational teaching are often brought into the church, given a Bible verse and presented as Christian truth. The language sounds hopeful, positive,…
Suppose ten people sin, and suppose they sin equally. The same crime, the same guilt, the same measure. Now suppose God punishes five of them and shows mercy to the other five. Has anyone been treated unjustly? Our instincts rush to say yes, but look again at what each group actually received. Five received…