A main focus of Paul’s letter to Colossae was to “present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). As he closes the letter, we able to see some of those who have been instrumental in the work of the church and the detriment that one was to the work. Paul was not a one-man band. He would be the first to tell…

Paul’s stated intent in his letter to the brethren in Colossae was to “present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). He mentions, in the context of this phrase, the means to help them grow in spiritual maturity—“proclaim Him [Jesus], admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom” (Col. 1:28). Ignoring the chapter divisions, Paul goes on to show what…

When Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, his desire was that they would be “complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). He warned the brethren there about some dangers that would keep them from that goal. Those dangers are still real today. Paul warns about the “philosophy, according to the tradition of men” (Col. 2:8-10). He says that they are “empty deception” and…

As a people of God, there are attributes that should define us all (Gal. 5:22-24). When we begin to talk about gender there are some distinct differences beyond just the science of chromosomes. Like men, there were some roles that were assigned to women from the very beginning—helper, wife, mother of all the living, daughter of the Most High (Gen. 2:20-24; 3:16;…

Would you believe that Paul told the Corinthian church to “act like men” (1 Cor. 16:13)? What does it mean to act like a man? That is a question boys are struggling with. They are given the misogynist on one end, the feminist on the other and all the confusion in between. How are boys expected to know what it means/looks like…

On November 12, 1961, Terry Jo Duperrault, age 11, was alone on a three-foot by two-foot raft in the Atlantic between the Bahamas and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The captain of the sixty-foot sailboat her family had chartered killed her parents, her siblings, his wife and scuttled the boat. She was left to die, but she quickly found refuge on the small raft.…

Leprosy is a slow and shameful death.  It is no wonder that while Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem 10 lepers from a small village cried out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). Jesus simply told them to show themselves to the priest, which is what must be done in order to be called clean again (Luke…

There are some things that you will never forget. They are woven into the fabric of your mind with sight, smell, sound and tactile memory. The good and the bad are etched onto the template of who you are. I think about this when I read, “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to…