START THE NEW YEAR ON THE RIGHT FOOT - You will stand before God soon enough so keeping idols out of your heart is essential. It's like dusting under the bed. You never do it for the last time. You must keep your heart clear and clean. It’s not a single, accomplished act. This won’t work by sheer inner house cleaning. Look much to Jesus. Let Him fascinate you this year. Give the power of divine grace much growing room as you fill your vision with the goodness and greatness of Christ for your deepest needs.

ORDINARY PEOPLE MEETING AN AWESOME GOD - Don’t shy away from looking forward to the Second Coming and eternal reward for faithfulness to Christ. Paul says the only reason an athlete runs is reward, and the only reason a farmer plants is harvest. Timothy is to face whatever life dishes out with this eternal view in mind.

START THE NEW YEAR ON THE RIGHT FOOT - I suspect that the greatest dangers you will face in 2012 to your own spiritual well-being will be the love of money and the fascination with new teachings. And the writer of Hebrews has a precious answer to both. It isn’t a threat. It’s a beautiful promise - “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Take this promise up into your heart and use it as a shield against both greed and heresy. It will guard your heart and mind until Jesus comes - the very same Jesus - to take you eternally unto Himself in glory.

RECLAIMING CHRISTMAS TRUTH - We are reminded over and over that our need isn’t just information, but saving from something larger than ourselves that seems to hold us down; sin. We are constantly being told that education will turn the tide - that we will do the right thing once we know the right thing, but we don't, we need to be ransomed from it because we can't change ourselves. No amount of teaching, or preaching, or church-going, or penance-paying, or alms giving, or carol singing will pay the ransom for our release from sin’s power. No religious instructor or prophet can ransom our lives. This is the relevance of Christmas. This is where Jesus Christ stands alone as our greatest and only Hope. Only He paid the ransom acceptable to God the Father and only He can release the chains that bind us.

RECLAIMING CHRISTMAS TRUTH - Hear this call to fight the darkness with all your might. You only think your rejection of Christ is your own decision. But the Bible says that’s not so. Repent. Come to the light. See for yourself the glory of God in the face of His Son, Jesus Christ this Christmas season.

ORDINARY PEOPLE MEETING AN AWESOME GOD - If Timothy wants to develop faith and strength in the congregation he must develop it himself. He must not only plan and start with enthusiasm, but continue and persevere in his ministry. His ability to endure without getting sidetracked is the real "saving" (the fullness of the work of God) in the lives of both himself and the church.

RECLAIMING CHRISTMAS TRUTH - Today we look at how two descendants, Solomon and the coming Messiah are being tied together - one a sinner and one not. They both are involved in very different ways, in building the house of God. These are strong, irreversible words of promise that terrified Herod. They will come to pass in fuller ways than we can even picture right now.

ORDINARY PEOPLE MEETING AN AWESOME GOD - Why is Thomas so important in the development of our own faith in Jesus? Because while nothing worthwhile of spiritual substance will flourish in our hearts apart from faith in our Lord, faith is never to be confused with mere wishful thinking or gullibility. Faith, to be sure, presses into truth that can never be measured in the glass vials in a laboratory. But the Resurrected body of Christ isn’t a fairy tale like Snow White. Faith rests down on historic reality, not emotional states or magical wishes.

TITUS: VERSE BY VERSE - Paul wants to emphasize general spiritual principles that are so important and inclusive they must be ingrained into the hearts of all who want to follow Jesus and inherit eternal life. In fact, Paul is about to articulate three principles, apart from which, the Christian life is an impossibility. That’s how important these principles are.

TITUS: VERSE BY VERSE - Why would I deny myself worldly desires and replace them with eternal desires? If this world is where we belong, worldly desires make perfect sense. If this world is our real, permanent dwelling place, then these desires are the path to maximum fulfillment. As a Christian, until I see myself as belonging to another kingdom and heading for a different destination, and actually preparing myself for another future altogether, I will never muster the will power to renounce worldly desires and grab hold of an eternal focus.