Often we reflect at the end of a year and look back to see where we were a year before and then look ahead to where we’d like to be one year from the present.  Such a practice has great value in self-evaluation and personal growth.  Is it possible to multiply the value of doing this? Do you remember that Y2K craze…

You’ve seen it haven’t you? Perhaps it was on TV you watched those pictures of antlered male animals vying for supremacy. Time after time their horns/antlers/heads pound against each other with reverberating sounds. Such battles seemingly go on for hours. Are you aware that there is a spiritual application of this? It is found in the writings of Ezekiel. By the time…

As Jesus neared the end of His public ministry, He began to focus His disciples even more on the gravity of those events that were on the horizon.  The serious nature of the events was not merely due to the physical suffering that our Lord would endure, but the most remarkable and most decisive event of all time was just days away…

As the end of this year approaches, another chapter in our lives will soon be history. The triumphs and mistakes will forever be written in the hearts of those who witnessed them. It should be a time of sober reflections as we begin writing another chapter in the new year. Where are you now compared to where you were at the beginning…

The Bible is filled with instructions to Christians designed to alert them of the danger they face in remaining faithful to the Lord. These warnings are not found to discourage us, but to help us think soberly about the road we travel. I found the following list and it had a profound impact on me as I read it. I hope that…

Much to their father’s dislike, my two girls are growing up in a sex-crazed world.  Think for a moment about all that surrounds each of us today. Start with today’s movies and television programming.  “Successful” movies today (from man’s standards) must contain sexual scenes, sexual innuendos, sexual jokes, etc.  Flipping channels guarantees the same, even in popular cartoons.  And if the programs…

When Paul penned his second letter to Timothy, he knew that the end was near. He told the younger preacher, “The time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim. 4:6). The final words of the great apostle teach us so much about living and dying. The time of his departure was at hand. He viewed his life as a battle to…

Some people are so predisposed in a certain direction (so inclined toward certain behavior) that it could be suggested that they are fanatic, obsessed or even addicted to it.  While various words are used in the New Testament to describe such tendencies, both toward godly and ungodly behaviors, I want to examine the use of the English phrase “given to.” Some, who…