I saw a news article where a celebrity was quoted as saying they dabbled in born-again Christianity for a while, but it just didn’t work out for them. And it seems there are thousands who “dabble” in it as well, however the truth is – authentic Christianity is not something you can dabble in. As…

When the Apostle Paul was writing to the church at Colosse, he told them he was praying for them, that God would give them knowledge and understanding in living the Christian life.  Look at Colossians 1:10, “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing…

Jesus’ message when He began His earthly ministry was Repent!  “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 4:17)  And some of His last words to His disciples before He returned to heaven were, “…repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name…

When discussing genuine salvation, John MacArthur writes, “If you came to Jesus Christ thinking all you had to do was believe but didn’t have to confess your sin or be willing to cut yourself off from the evil of this world, you have missed the point of salvation…if you are really saved, you will make…

I was walking up the steps to my condo the other day and noticed something move quickly across one of the steps and then stop up against one of the railings. As I looked closer it was a frog, one of those ones that can turn different colors to hide itself, like camouflage. The frog…

They don’t have them much in today’s world with all our new technologies and stuff, but a lof of places used to have carbon copy forms and sheets. Basically you had two or three pieces of paper with a carbon sheet between each sheet of paper. So, whatever you wrote on the top sheet would…

Let’s say we are in Atlanta, and we make a decision that we want to go to Miami. So, we pack all of our bags, fill the car with gas, and tell all of our friends and neighbors, “I’m going to Miami!”. Then, we get on Interstate 75 and head north. We will end up…

One of the greatest tragedies of the church today is, we have lulled ourselves to sleep.  We no longer see the sinfulness of sin, and we say “whatever” when someone tries to refocus our attention on God.  We see no problem with entertaining ourselves with the cares and pleasures and values of this world around…

One of the keys to true happiness is found in the book of Proverbs. Chapter 16, verse 20 says; “He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” Psalm 34:8 states; “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth…

Let’s suppose we went down to the local car dealership and purchased a brand new car.  Then, after we read the manual and saw how expensive it is to purchase gasoline and oil and stuff to keep our car running, we decided to just push the car everywhere ourselves, that would kind of defeat the…

I often see people cry and get upset over losing a piece of jewelry or breaking a dish that they valued, but in reality those are just material possessions.  However, I seldom in todays world see people cry and get upset over sin that is breaking their fellowship with God.  I think part of the…

In the early 1900’s A. W. Tozer wrote, “We have learned to live with unholiness in our churches, and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a church meeting, where the only attraction is God. One can only…

In the book of Revelation, we read what are commonly called “letters to the churches”. In these, God warns these churches or groups of believers about what they are lacking in their relationship with Him. In chapter 4, a letter is written to the church at Ephesus and it says, “I know your works, your…

In the area I live, it seems there are always new workout gyms and fitness centers opening.  Some are quite small and in shopping centers, and others are huge and expensive.  The thing about fitness centers and gyms is they don’t do much good if we don’t visit them.  We can sign up for a…

Each year at this time, retail stores all over the country stock their shelves and racks with fancy baskets, plastic eggs, chocolate bunnies, and brightly colored dresses, hats, and suits, as millions of people prepare to celebrate the Easter holiday. Easter, like Christmas, has become a huge affair, with egg hunts, visits from and to…

Jesus Christ asked His disciples a question in Matthew 16:15, “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” It wasn’t that He didn’t know what they truly thought about Him, it was because He wanted THEM to reveal to themselves what they thought about Him. A lot of times we say,…

We read of the death of Abraham in Genesis 25:8, “Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.”  He was 175 when he died, but notice how it says he was “satisfied with life”.  He was satisfied because…

Last week, we watched as a terrible event unfolded before our eyes. As a result, seventeen people lost their lives and many more were injured both physically and emotionally. And one of the sad things is, this was not a once in a lifetime event in today’s world. Life shattering events like this seem to…

I am reading the biography of Frank Drowns, who was a missionary in South America for over thirty years. In 1948, he and his new wife packed up their few earthly belongings and set off to live amongst and preach the Gospel to native tribes in the jungles of Ecuador. Reaching these tribes who had…

We read the history of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, and it is there so that we can learn from it. We can learn how awesome and amazing God is, and we can learn how deadly and powerful sin is. We can see how time and time again, the nation of Isreal…

When the nation of Israel was journeying from Egypt to the promised land, they got discouraged, they forgot God’s blessings, and they let the doubts and fears get the best of them. When they finally reached the Jordan river and were about to cross over into what God had told them all along would be…

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,…

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” As our hearts and minds are focused on God and His amazing power and love for us, we can make it through even the most difficult of…

So many people in today’s “Christian” world have a skewed understanding of God’s grace in our lives. A Bible study leader at a “Christian” college stated that not only was God’s command to be holy not actually intended to be obeyed but also, since our sins are covered by Jesus’ death on the cross, we…

I remember a movie from the 1980’s where 2 guys go to spend a weekend at their boss’s fancy beach house. Only they find out when they arrive that he is dead! But, since they want to enjoy the pleasures of the beach house and it’s lifestyle, they pretend he is still alive, and spend…

In Exodus 32:9-10, we read: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.’”  And we can…

Jesus told His disciples 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.’” Those are the requirements to being a true follower of Jesus Christ. It is definitely not easy, that’s why Jesus also told them, “For…

We find the model prayer found in Matthew 6, which is often referred to as “the Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus starts out teaching the disciples how to pray by instructing them, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9) The first phrase, “Our Father in heaven” is to remind us…

The Gospel of John was written as an evangelistic book, through the leading of the Holy Spirit. You’ll not find the story of Jesus’ birth nor information about His early life as you find in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John 20:30-31 tells us why John was written, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the…

John began his Gospel with those great words, “In the beginning was the Word…” And after affirming the truth that Jesus Christ (the Word) was truly God and the One through Whom everything that has been created was created, he continues his evangelistic Gospel by declaring, “In him was life, and the life was the…