Jay Strother is a pastor in Tennessee. He says that Jesus plus anything equals a false gospel. The word “gospel” means good news. It is the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. He has come to us personally and victoriously to renovate and renew all things; he has come to … Continue reading Jesus + ____________

Mixed-up thinking results in mixed-up living. Really? Yes. Here’s why. Pretend Scenario #1: Let’s say you think that God is apathetic toward his world and his people. You think there’s a Bible verse somewhere which says: “God is apathetic.” As a result, you adopt a posture of apathy toward the world and other people. Since … Continue reading Time with God, in tune with God

In a video, J. John described an experience he had when getting his hair cut. His hairdresser had a rabbit’s foot on her keychain. He asked her why she had it. “It brings me luck.” In response, he stated: “The rabbit wasn’t lucky. How can an unlucky rabbit bring you any luck?”  He later asked … Continue reading Covering our bases

There's a famous (and historic) teaching tool which presents deep biblical truths in question and answer format. It's called the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The first entry is the most famous. Question: "What is the chief end of man?" These days, we might say it like this: What is the ultimate goal of a person's life? … Continue reading Glory, then joy

In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about spiritual maturity. There are times when someone who is new to the faith and has limited knowledge and experience needs to seek out some help from someone who is more spiritually mature than they are. There are also times when the person who is more spiritually mature needs to … Continue reading Maturity is meant to be shared

The Bible is teaching us more than we think.  Sometimes we learn things because they are told to us directly. “Love your neighbour” is just one of many examples.  We also learn things that are less obvious. We have to look a bit more closely to find them. Paul’s letters are an example. Let’s take … Continue reading Discipleship isn’t a competition

I’m captivated by Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:13-14. In fact, I’ve started to recite them as a part of my devotional time every morning:  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow … Continue reading People on the narrow path need this

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). These words of Jesus are quite famous. At first, they … Continue reading Narrow, not broad and wide

John Climacus wrote a book in the early 7th century that became very influential among Christians. It was called The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Among other things it was a book about becoming more like Jesus. In it he wrote: "Demons fear concentration as thieves fear dogs."* He put a high value on concentration. He was … Continue reading They fear concentration

In her book No Greater Love, Rebecca McLaughlin writes: “I thoroughly believe that God directs my life, but rarely does He let me see the script.”* Can I get an Amen?! Like McLaughlin, I thoroughly believe that God directs my life. Perhaps you also agree that God directs your life. When she says that God … Continue reading Rarely does he let me see the script