A “Fascination” is a defined as a powerful attraction to something or someone. We too often have a great fascination with the darkness of the world and little fascination with the great light of God and his Word. One of the clearest truths in the Bible is in 1 John 1:5-7, “This is the message…

Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The key phrase in that verse is “through Christ”. It is through HIM and HIM ALONE that we can find strength to do what He commands us to do. Picture an automobile. Gasoline prices here in Atlanta have been a little…

Read these words in Isaiah 55:6-10, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon….

In Mark 6, we read the story about how Jesus used just five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand! “And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And…

One of the clearest and plainest verses in the entire Word of God is found in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  I hear a lot of people who claim to know Christ, but insist that we don’t have to obey the commandments found in the Bible.  Many people even…

When a newborn baby comes into a house, the babies parents spend money decorating the nursery a certain way, buying the baby clothes they want for their baby, and doing all kinds of things like that. However, if we could actually communicate with a newborn baby, the baby would tell you they don’t care a…

In the book of Joshua in the Old Testament, we can read about the nation of Israel and how God led them into the promised land, the land of Canaan.  As they come into the land that God had given to them, we read first about the city of Jericho and the amazing way in…

In the beginning of the book of Revelation, we read the letters to the seven churches.  In chapter 3, beginning in verse 14, we find the letter to the church at Laodicea, and we see “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! (3:15)  That…

Proverbs 3:13-18 tells us, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand;…

Our knowledge and understanding of God determines everything else in our lives…everything!  If we picture God as just a wishing well that we come to when we need something, but yet Whom we could really care less about disobeying or displeasing, then we’re not going to truly know Him.  The God of the Bible, the…

If you pay any attention to the news, you’ll see that America (and really the world) is falling apart.  It seems each day brings more and more sad and disheartening stories.  Each day I see hundreds of postings on Facebook and other online locations saying “Pray for this city…” or “Pray for America”.  And, while…

In Ephesians 5:15, Paul reminds us, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise”  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:21, “Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, But a man of understanding walks straight.” It is very important that we pay very close attention to the way we live as Christians….

We get all bent out of shape when someone pulls in front of us, goes too slow, or cuts us off in traffic. We grumble and complain when a cashier charges us .15 cents too much for an item, or short-changes us by a nickle. We yell “unfair” when we don’t get as many gifts…

I’m sure many of you have had those times in your life where you are playing with a young child and you’re playing cops and robbers or something, and they shoot you with their finger and you pretend you are dead.  Of course, they usually laugh and get into the act of pretend shooting you…

In 1984, an Avianca Airlines jet crashed into the side of a mountain, instantly killing all who were on board. When investigators found the black box, they played the recording of audio just before the crash. In the audio, one can hear the jet airplane’s warning system saying “Pull Up! Pull Up! Pull Up!”. And…

We live in a world that is full of problems and troubles. All we have to do is turn on the news or read the newspaper, and we’ll see that there is trouble all around us. And it is quite easy to allow all of these things to ruin and destroy our lives by causing…

I’ve been reading the biography of John Gibson Paton (1824 – 1907). He was a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific. The natives who lived on those islands were cannibals, who would even slay and eat their own fellow tribesmen. John lost his first wife and son, as a new…

The dictionary describes the word passion as “an intense desire or enthusiasm for something”. What we are passionate about in our lives is what controls us. Some people are passionate about the entertainment, they have to see the latest movies and television shows. Others are passionate about sports, they can’t miss a single game of…

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:12 “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be faithful to Him, no matter what it costs us and no matter how difficult the task He has…

“Do I believe God and the Bible?”  You might think that is a rather odd question to ask people who claim to be Christians.  But, truthfully, do we REALLY BELIEVE?  Do we believe when the Bible says that all who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity in hell?  Do we believe it when the Bible…

One could literally spend hours talking about Psalm 119, and all of the truths that are found there. Truths that many people seem to ignore. Look at verses 33-37; “Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law…

Joy ties right in with love. If we do not love, we cannot have real joy. If we love God and others more than ourselves, we will know Joy. Look at what Jesus said in John 15:9-11, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep…

Jesus Christ portrayed this much better than you or I could ever imagine possible. Jesus loved an unlovely world. He loved the sinful, the wicked, the poor. He loved those whom most of us would consider unworthy of our love. Jesus loved people that most people look down their noses at and detest. Yes, Jesus…

We are not just given the opportunity to love, we are commanded to love! But, how many of us really obey that commandment? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and…

When Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi to preach the Gospel, they were unjustly beaten, illegally prosecuted, and ended up in prison. We can read the story in Acts 16. All they were doing was trying to bring the good news of the Gospel to the world, and in doing so – they ran into…

Every year in Monterey, California, the Concours d’Elegance is held at the Pebble Beach Golf Course. The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the most prestigious collector car event in the world. Collectors from all over the world ship they cars to this event to be judged, in hope that they will receive on the coveted…

In John 13 and following, we read Jesus talk with his disciples right before He was to be crucified. Here, the disciples were still not sure what Jesus was doing. They expected Him to still set up His kingdom with them there and then – and they didn’t quite understand all about Him being crucified,…

The past few months have been a difficult journey for me and my family. I lost my job two weeks before Christmas. My father who has been battling cancer and other physical problems for several years, has been drawing closer to the end of his life, has been under a lot of pain and has…

If you’ve ever seen a group of marching soldiers and heard their commander yell out “About-Face”, you’ve seen them all turn completely around and face the opposite direction. That is a good example of what it means to be a Christian. We were headed one way in our life without Jesus Christ, but if we…

In the 1600’s the Puritan, Richard Baxter wrote: “If you have sincerely given yourself up to God, and consented to His covenant, show it, by turning the face of your endeavors and conversation quite another way; seek heaven more fervently and diligently than you ever sought the world or fleshly pleasures… If you are a…