Author: Joshua Goodling

It is such a great privilege to be able to personally know Almighty God. Just to think that God, the creator and ruler of everything even desires to have a personal relationship with us is amazing! What better relationship could we possibly find than the one He offers us? There is no better offer! Knowing…

I sometimes wonder if many people even stop and think about what they are reading when (if) they read the Bible. The entire Word of God is filled with important lessons, warnings, and yes – commandments. Take for example these verses: “Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to…

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…

In Matthew 7:13-14, we read; “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.” Genuine salvation…

In the book of Acts, we read about how Paul and Silas were wrongly thrown into prison for casting a demon out of a slave girl.  Look at Acts 16:22-24, “The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they…

Over the course of most people’s lives, they make a LOT of choices and decisions due to peer pressure. They are afraid of what others might think about them or do if they don’t make the choice everyone else wants them to make. Sadly, if we look back at our lives, we can all think…

Let’s face it, we all make lots and lots of choices and decisions each and every day of our lives. As I often tell the young people whom I speak to – every choice we make affects the rest of our life, so we need to make the right choices! Of course, obviously, the closer…

I saw a video online recently that a building owner in downtown Dallas had posted. The owner had an old building in the downtown area with an alley behind it where there were a few parking spaces that were reserved for its customers and employees. The building was located just a block or two away…

Too often in today’s world, people preach salvation without repentance. They argue that all we need to do is believe in Jesus, and forget that part of believing in Him leads us to repent of our sins and seek Him as our Saviour. True repentance involves a change of heart, it inevitably results in a…

In Luke chapter 1, we read the story foretelling of the birth of both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.  Most of the time, when reading the Bible we just simply read over the section of Scripture quickly or without really stopping to think and studying to find the actual truths behind and surrounding what…

I watched an American Pickers show on Amazon the other day. This guy had hundreds of motorcycles in over 3 different building, and thousands of spare parts and other items. He wouldn’t hardly part with anything, and he said “Motorcycles have always been my consuming passion in life!” This guy had spent thousands of dollars…

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”  And that is EXACTLY the time in which…

Many people look at prayer as basically just a way of getting what they want. They think of God sometimes as a spiritual wishing well. 1 John 5:14 reminds us, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” We so easily…

One of the biggest mistakes we make as humans is to try to fit God into our humanness and ability to understand. We argue that God can’t do this or shouldn’t do that. We say “Well, if God really loved me, He would….” or “If God really cared, this wouldn’t have happened.” J. I. Packer…

I saw a quote the other day that made me stop and think for a moment. It went like this: “Judas had the best pastor, the best leader, the best advisor, and the best counselor – yet he failed!” We can go through all the motions, say all the right things, and even do all…

All too often, we seem to treat God like He needs us and is dependent upon our help. God is Almighty and absolutely dependent upon no one or nothing! He chooses to allow us to be of service to Him in His great plans and purposes, and we should be so greatful and thankful to…

John Owen (1600’s): “Be killing Sin, or sin will be killing you.” That’s right – kill or be killed. Take your pick. “It is to be feared that very many Christians have little knowledge of the main enemy that they carry about with them in their hearts.” Alexander Whyte (1800’s): “You do not really care…

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galations 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” When…

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Even he had the same problem we all face – our flesh, temptations, and our selfish desires to deal with. And as a human,…

The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, only about .079 inches in diameter, yet it produces a tree that is about 25 feet tall on average.  It is amazing how one little seed can produce such a large tree!  Yet the same is true with sin in our lives. James tells us in…

The hymn Amazing Grace was written in 1779 by John Newton, who after years of living a wicked life found God’s grace and became a beliver in Jesus Christ. The first line of the old hymn goes like this “Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That sav’d a wretch like me!”  John Newton knew how…

Habakkuk 2:4 tells us, “…the righteous shall live by his faith”  And the Apostle Paul reminds us of that in Galatians 3:11, “…The righteous shall live by faith.” Our entire life as a Christian is dependent upon how great is our faith in God.  In fact, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6, “And without…

The Bible mentions fearing God at least 300 times in different ways, such as “Fear the Lord” and “Fear God”.  So, does that mean that we are to be afraid of Him, like we would be afraid of a ferocious tiger running toward us?  Or does that mean that we just respect Him for Who He is? Let’s…

Have you ever noticed that when you go into a grocery store, most of the items displayed around the cash register and on tables in the front are candy, pastries, donuts, etc.?  Now, there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with eating these things as long as they are not our main item of consumption.  However, if…

If I hadn’t had cancer myself 48 years ago, I wouldn’t be able to share my testimony about God like I do. Was having cancer fun? NO! Is dealing with all of the daily things I’ve had to deal with for my entire life fun? NO! But, it changed my life and made me trust God completely….

The Bible is a guidebook to guide us in how we live our life, and to instruct us in the many decisions we must make as Christians. In order to successfully fill our duties in this life, we MUST follow our guidebook! If we became lost in a dark forest or jungle and had a…

During a long flight on a stormy night, an airplane encountered a lot of turbulance, lightning strikes, and was bouncing around in the sky.  All of the passengers were terrified.  They hung on to the seats, stared out the window at the storm around them, and some even cried.  However, there was one young lady…

You may have heard of Corrie Ten Boom. She and her sister were prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. As prisoners of these cruel soldiers, they had endured great hardship and her sister had even died. It was only her great faith in God that brought her through. Some time after…

I was watching an episode of American Pickers on the internet recently. One of the pickers found an old motorcycle sitting in the corner of a large building. The motorcycle was covered in dust and halfway hidden behind a lot of other junk. When he asked the owner if he would sell it, the owner…

It blows my mind sometimes how many people who claim to follow Jesus Christ argue that there is nothing wrong with their sin, they can go on doing whatever they feel like doing.  After all, they argue, their sins are forgiven and they are free in Christ.  Many of these people tell me that the…