When I was a kid, I did a lot of stupid things. It’s almost amazing I lived through childhood. Sometimes I was just plain dumb. So, I wonder when I get to heaven if I will look back and say “I sure was a dumb Christian?” That might just happen to all of us. Why didn’t I pray more instead of griping? Why was I not more faithful in reading God’s word? Why was I not more faithful to church; I sure was a dumb Christian.Now, Isaiah 65 says that we w...

God delights in helping us grow in the priceless grace of thanksgiving and gratitude. Sometimes we go through difficult seasons, and when we do, the Bible instructs us to still praise our Lord—maybe not for the problems, but certainly in the problems. Just as Paul would learn to glory in his infirmities, many of us have been assigned the same lesson. However, more often than not, I have discovered that God uses blessing and pleasure to provoke us to a spirit of thanksgiving....

For many years America had a unique blend of wealth and worship that puzzled the rest of the world. Moslem nations had the worship, but failed to achieve the wealth. Countries that were Buddhist also had the worship, but they to lacked the wealth. Predominately Catholic nations celebrated their worship, but failed to attain the wealth. Atheist nations worshipped the state, but they also lacked the wealth. What was it about America? Were wealth and worship l...

What comes out of your mouth, when you do not get your way, reveals your theology of suffering and theology of God, which shows your Christian maturity. Jesus was correct when He said that what comes out of our mouths explains what is happening in our hearts (Luke 6:45). There is a strong temptation in all of us to grumble and complain about life events.What about you? How do you respond to trials? There are some things you can count on, and personal suffering is one of those things. It is pa...

I know I am behind the times, but I love my paper Bible. I understand that with each passing month, the world is becoming more digital, and I suspect that sticking with my paper Bible might be a bit backward. Actually, I’ve tried my hand at reading the Bible on a computer or laptop. The digital media offered quick clicks to study notes and commentaries, as well as the ability to copy and paste for other uses.But these devices seemed to wear on me over time. Whether it was eyes or ...

We live in a day in which understatement is an endangered species. There is no shortage of embellishment and exaggeration. Every advertisement you see or hear will likely tell you their product or service is better than that of any other. Think about political ads. Each candidate will quickly tell you how much better they are than any other candidate. Apparently, everything is bigger and better than the last.When Christ is our security, we learn to be content with our lives ...

When Martin Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms in 1521 and asked to recant his teaching, he replied: “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience would be neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand, I can do no other.”Luther said, my conscience is captive to the word of God. What is the condition of your conscience? Paul tells us that it we should alwa...

I had many teachers when I was a kid including; my parents, my grandparents, school teachers, Sunday School teachers, neighbors I looked up to, the parents of my friends, and even my bosses. The interesting thing was that they all basically taught me the same things. I am not saying that my Sunday School teachers taught me the exact same lessons as my school teachers, I am just saying that the fundamentals were the same.My basic training that was consistent across all aspects of m...

“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;” (Genesis 3:17-18)“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22)Whenever som...

One of Jesus’s most repeated sayings in the Gospels is some version of this: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:23). If we’re wise, we’ll listen carefully to whatever Jesus says, especially what He says repeatedly. According to Mark 4:22-25, the extent to which we listen, is the extent to which more will be added to us. For to the one who listens, more insight will be given, but from the one who refuses to listen, even what insight he has will be taken away.Do you understand...