Keep Your Cool
“Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything…” (Philippians 4:5–6, CSB) Last week, Paul gave us a counter-intuitive command: Rejoice in the Lord always. Even in difficult situations, we can rejoice because God is in control, and His character is love. Now the Apostle gives us another interesting […]
The Power of Praise
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) Two ladies went into a graveyard to place some flowers and walked around for a bit. Eventually, they came to a tombstone that read: “Here lies a politician and an honest man.” One lady turned to the other and said, “Too bad […]
On Behalf of the Choir
“…for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:19) What is the secret to sustaining one’s spiritual strength in order to keep on keepin’ on when things get tough? The Apostle Paul describes it […]
Be Happy or Else
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up […]
The Great Miracle
“Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity…” (Philippians 2:7, CSB) Paul is describing the incarnation of Jesus. Incarnation literally means “en-fleshment.” John says “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14, NIV) C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite thinkers, describes the […]
Blessed are the Meek?
In his same Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, he also said this: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, NIV84) Later, Jesus would describe himself with the same term: “Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in […]
The Heart of Reconciliation
“Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” (Ephesians 4:31–32) I can’t tell you how many people have come into my office over the years for prayer […]
Wall of Hostility
“For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility…He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.” (Ephesians 2:14, 16, CSB) The English word “hostile” describes an enemy and comes […]
Week of Thanksgiving
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) This is one of my favorite verses in one of my favorite passages of Scripture…and probably never more relevant than today! We are all learning a new vocabulary, aren’t we? COVID-19, Corona Virus, […]
Family of Light
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8) We live in a dark, dark world…and it is getting darker. What does it mean, then, to live as children of light? Does it mean we use our social media pulpits to condemn sin and […]
Finish the Race
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Super Bowl XXVII and the Dallas Cowboy are beating the Buffalo Bills as the game winds down. Buffalo fumbles the ball on the Dallas […]
I Believe in You
“Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.“ (Philemon 21, NIV) Paul wrote that line to a friend named Philemon. Philemon was a new Christian…but he was still working things out. There were some major issues in Philemon’s life that he hadn’t yet handed over […]
