In Genesis 2:15-17 we read, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you…

I saw a news article recently about a woman who underwent sixteen surgeries to remove 6 of her ribs just so she could make her waist smaller and form her body to look more like she wanted it to. There are many people who spend thousands of dollars, undergo painful procedures, etc., just to look…

We read in Mark 4:35-41 “…When evening had come, he [Jesus] said to them [His disciples], ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were…

Think about this. Suppose I go to McDonalds, and I’m standing in line next to a news reporter. Just the fact that in this illustration I am at McDonalds would be a news item, since I don’t usually go there. So, the news reporter decides to write a news piece that “Joshua is At McDonalds”!…

We live in a world that is completely consumed with SELF (Me, Myself, I). 2 Timothy 3:2-4 warns us that these days were coming: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,…

I feel like the most dangerous and destructive problem in our churches and among people who claim to be Christians today is – many do not TRULY know God. In Jeremiah 9:24, we read: “…let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast…

You can go into any grocery store and find hundreds of boxes of sugar filled cereals for sale. Back in the mid 1900’s as people began to study the mass produced sugary products that now fill the cupboards of almost every home in America, they found that many of these products were nothing more than…

Back in the days before automobiles, there was a man and wife who lived rather far out away from all of their relatives, and they usually were only able to make the long horse and buggy ride to visit their relatives once a year at Christmas. In order for them to make this journey, they…

A few weeks ago, I wrote an email about how living the Christian life is a DAILY experience, and how we are commanded by Jesus to deny ourselves and daily follow Him. I was referring to the passage in Luke 9:23, “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny…

The entire reason Jesus Christ came to this world was to DIE for our sins. He lived a perfect sinless life, healed people, raised the dead, etc., but the REAL plan was for Him to pay the penalty for our sins by His DEATH on the cross and then His resurrection. In Matthew 16:21 Jesus…

The Bible starts out in Genesis 1:1 with these words “In the beginning, GOD…” I don’t think that is just a coincidence, because God does everything perfectly and on purpose. Not only are those four words the foundation for creation, they are also the foundation for the TRUE Christian life. In the beginning of a…

It is very easy to allow problems and difficulties in this life to get us upset with God and even with other people. And there are times when I’ve allowed myself to feel sorry for myself and become discouraged by what I have to face each day in my life and how different some things…

I believe one of the most overlooked phrases in the Bible comes in Luke 9:23, “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Note Jesus commands that if we desire to TRULY follow Him, we MUST deny ourselves. Once…

It seems I constantly hear people who have done wrong say something like, “I made a mistake!”. Oh, how often we look lightly at sin. Sin is NOT a mistake. A mistake is when something happens that we didn’t know was going to happen. When we do something we KNOW is wrong, that’s NOT a…

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Most people…

So many people want a quick-fix to everything wrong in their life. That’s the society we live in today – instant everything. However, there is no quick fix in the Christian life. Just like living a healthy life takes work and is a process, the same is true with our faith in God. People don’t…

C. T. Studd grew up in a wealthy family in the 1800’s in England. He was a cricket player for England and was destined for fame and fortune. However, he gave it all up to become a missionary to China. He is quoted as saying “Only one life ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done…

I read this illustration from Dr. Dyer, who is a motivational speaker. I don’t know anything about him, but I like the point he makes here: ———————————————————- “I was preparing to speak at an I Can Do It conference and I decided to bring an orange on stage with me as a prop for my…

In John 15, Jesus is addressing His disciples before He was to die on the cross. Judas had already been dismissed to do his wickedness of betrayal and the remaining eleven of His disciples were with Jesus. And we read in verses 1-5, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every…

We read Jesus words as He continues the Sermon on the Mount, and we come to verses 43-48 of chapter 5 in Matthew. “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 pray for those who persecute you, so…

John Owen, in the 1600’s said; “I do not understand how a man can be a true believer, in whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorrow and trouble.” J. C. Ryle, wrote about sin this way, “The Christianity which is from the Holy Spirit will always have a very deep view of the sinfulness…

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul reminds the church at Corinth – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Note especially that phrase,…

Fear is a crippling thing. Fear causes people to do some things they wouldn’t normally do and to not do some things they might have done had the circumstances been different. And one of the greatest hindrances to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is fear. People who don’t know Him are afraid of what it…

Many years ago, a wealthy Chinese businessman visited England and was fascinated by a powerful microscope and the wonders it uncovered. So he bought one and took it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day when he looked at some rice that he was planning to eat for dinner. To his…

Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” The closer we walk with Him, the more we have and find through Him and in Him. God is…

When the nation of Israel first arrived in the land of Canaan that God had promised them, they did not have a king like the other nations that were around them, they were ruled over by judges and prophets. The judges were the leaders of the nation for over 300 years, and we read about…

In Matthew 23:37 we read the words of Jesus Christ, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Jesus came to save the…

We read Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and it goes something like this. Blessed are the poor in spirit….Yes, I realize I am nothing. Blessed are they mourn….Yes, I sorrow over my sin. And so on. Then we come to verses 10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’…

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Our Lord continues His teaching with this 7th “Beatitude”. What is a “peacemaker” and how should that apply to us? When we first think of peacemakers, we sometimes think of people like those in the peace corp or those designated by…

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8) You want to TRULY know God? Have a pure heart! Look at what David wrote in Psalm 24:3-6 “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure…