OCTOBER IS PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH The prophet Jeremiah spoke on the Lords behalf against those prophets in Judah who were promising peace and safety when the Lord was warning against coming judgment. Here it took the form of a rhetorical question that begs a negative response. No, none of them have been in the Lords

TO TRULY KNOW THYSELF ONE MUST KNOW GOD Jeremiah cried out to God, proclaiming Him as the One who tests and sees the mind and heart of man. Jeremiah was under constant attack by his brethren for the prophecies the Lord gave him to preach. His plea to the Lord was that his enemies motives

LIVING TO PLEASE GOD The apostle Paul urged the Thessalonian believers to live in a way that pleased God. He followed his urging with several practical instructions on how they might live a holy life. Yet his instruction was based on the reality of their faith in Christ. For the key to living a life

THOSE WHO BEAR THE NAME REJOICE IN THE WORD! The prophet Jeremiah didnt just hear Gods Word, he internalized it. He devoured Gods Word as a man whose soul was famished for God. In spite of those who persecuted him for believing and proclaiming Gods Word, his heart rejoiced in receiving it. The Bible is

GODS ENCOURAGEMENT TO DECLARE THE GOSPEL Paul and Silas had been severely mistreated and jailed in the nearby city of Philippi before coming to Thessalonica. Yet that did not cause them to be timid in sharing the Gospel. For God gave them courage to declare His Good News to them boldly. When weve been hurt

YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN British poet, William Ernest Henley, concluded his poem Invictus with these words: I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. His words capture the essence of what sin is. For sin, at its core, is an attitude of rebellion against Gods lordship. Sin puts

DOES THE PEACE OF CHRIST RULE YOUR HEART? Paul said that we are to let the peace of Christ rule. The Greek word translated rule is brabeuetō. It literally means to umpire, arbitrate, to let make the call. When difficult circumstances come that bring anxiety, we are to let the peace of Christ act as

ITS ABOUT RELATIONSHIP NOT RULES Paul warned the believers in Colossae that asceticism, while it gives the appearance of wisdom, offers no help in conquering evil desires. In fact, following a list of rules might cause a deeper longing for the thing denied. At the very least, it can lead to a kind of spiritual

THE GOAL OF DISCIPLESHIP IS CHRISTLIKENESS Pauls goal for the Colossians and for everyone to whom he preached is here revealed: that he might present them to God as perfect (fully mature, finished, complete) in Christ. He did not stop at just introducing people to Christ. No, Paul used every faculty available to him, warning

LIFES MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION ANSWERED Most philosophers would say that the most important question is an existential one: What is the meaning of existence? More specifically, Who am I and what is my purpose? Or as the French would say, what is the raison dêtre? (reason for being). In Pauls letter to the Colossians, this