“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).Kevin Myers and John Maxwell coined a phrase: “win within.”* It’s meant to help us think about what’s happening inside of us. When we live by faith at our very core, that will flow outward into our words, decisions and actions. If we want to … Continue reading Win within

Max Lucado was teaching a group of people in Jerusalem. They were in an enclosed space. They were accompanied by a tour guide and some guards. His text was John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal … Continue reading The mocking voice stopped

In Matthew 16 Jesus asked his disciples about his identity. Peter answered correctly: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you … Continue reading The spiritual power of allegiance

We’ve been talking about the power of words.These days we tend to devalue them. When someone says “actions speak louder than words” they are commenting on this very trend. While our actions should certainly back up our words, words can still have incredible power on their own.In Jesus’ day his words were thought to have … Continue reading Saying it out loud

In elementary school there was a kid who did a lot of annoying things. He would slap people in the back of the head for no reason or pull a girl’s ponytail and run away.Other kids would inevitably chase him or call him names. In response he would shout out the well-known playground rebuttal: “Sticks … Continue reading A stone in his mouth for 3 years

I recently asked some young people what they thought of when they heard the word “discipline.”One of them said “hard work.” Another said: “when you get in trouble you get disciplined.” A third said “self-control.”They had good insights. I was impressed.Self-control is definitely closely related to discipline. Self-control is listed as a fruit of the … Continue reading What does it mean to be disciplined?

We’ve been talking about religious hypocrisy—in ourselves. This isn’t about being ourselves up, but about honest self-evaluation as we strive to grow and become more like Jesus.But that’s just what can happen. We beat ourselves up. The more we examine ourselves to see our sin, the more sin we see! It can be discouraging.The apostle … Continue reading Know you are loved

“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused…” (Matthew 13:14-15).Jesus often speaks against hypocrisy. It is giving lip service to faith. It is pretending, or simply going through the religious motions.So how do we guard against hypocrisy in our own … Continue reading Being mentally present

The opposite of religious hypocrisy is faithful sincerity. With God’s help we want to move from the first category to the second. Not only do we want to say we believe in Jesus, but to think and act like we believe in Jesus.An important ingredient is humility.In Mark 7 Jesus speaks with a Gentile woman. … Continue reading Humility and hypocrisy

Hypocrite.It’s a heavy, negative word. It means “pretender”—someone who says and does things which aren’t harmonious with what they say they believe. Richard Baxter says: “As fencers upon a stage differ from soldiers fighting for their lives, so hypocrites differ from serious Christians.”*In Mark 7:6 (ESV) Jesus took issue with some Pharisees who were criticizing his … Continue reading Closing the gaps