There was a famous pool in Jerusalem where the unknown and desperate waited. John tells us that they waited there believing that when an angel of the Lord stirred the water that whoever entered into the pool first would be healed. Among those that waited was one that had been ill for thirty-eight years. “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew…

Every so often it is good to be reminded of some key fundamental truths that are life-changing when you first hear them (and realize them) and ought to be life-changing every subsequent time that we hear them (and consider them).  Think for a moment:  Who did Jesus love and for whom did He give Himself? Jesus loved and gave Himself for His…

The disciples of Jesus had no idea about the nature of the kingdom Jesus had come to established. The Old Testament was filled with promises of the coming King and His kingdom, but no one on this earth understood what it would be like (1 Cor. 2:8-9). Jesus used parables to help those disciples see what was about to happen. In Matthew…

We might think we started too late in laying a foundation of practices and exemplifying Christian virtues. There are two ways we can stay on track. First, some things that you can do to lay a good foundation with your young children. Second, some habits we can make with our older children that will help orient them in the faith. Young children…

The nature of God is love (1 John 4:8).  He expects His people to be characterized by love (John 13:34-35).  Thus, anything that is not of love but is associated with hate is of the devil and not of God (1 John 3:8-15). The nature of God is peace (Phil. 4:6-9).  He expects His people to be characterized by peace (Rom. 12:14-21). …

If you were asked what influences were in your life which caused you to become the person you are today, what would you say? More specifically, let me focus the question to ask about what impacted your life spiritually to walk with the Lord. What influenced you to be a follower of God? There are the obvious answers to the question. The…

One day last year, I was hunting way back in the swamp alone. On my way back to the truck I thought I could take a short cut by jumping across a two-foot-wide ditch. It turned out to be a ten-foot-wide canal with a floating grass mat in the middle. The floating vegetation was dense enough to have ferns and bushes growing…

Being consistent is one of the hardest things for a person to do.  When a child is in school, often their behavior when the teacher is out of the room is not consistent with their behavior when the teacher is in the room.  That translates to the adult life, when behavior while the boss is out of the office is not consistent…