Some Christians endure much hardship in their workplace—from their boss, coworkers, clientele, etc. It breaks my heart to hear of the mistreatments that many have experienced. Can I remind you what happened to Jacob? Well, he worked for his father-in-law. That might have been a recipe for trouble from the beginning. It started out well, but things changed. Laban’s “countenance…was not favorable to him as before” (Gen.…

As one reads through Scripture, it is quite apparent that widows have a special place in the heart of God. At Mount Sinai, one of the laws given to Israel was, “You shall not afflict any widow…If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot” (Ex.…

What is the purpose of your life? What is the purpose of the church? We affectionately refer to our congregation as “PBL”—an abbreviation for, “Palm Beach Lakes.” But, truly, “PBL” represents the purpose for all of us. Our purpose is to “Please God.” Like Jesus (John 8:29), we need to “make it our aim…to be well pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:9) in all that we…

In the Star Wars saga, Anakin Skywalker struggled between two masters – his Jedi Master and his Sith Master, Emperor Palpatine. For a time, he tried to serve both the Dark Side and the Light Side (i.e., the Force). Ultimately, he yielded to Darth Sidious, being deceived that it would save his wife, Padme. That proved to be his ruin. Obviously, this is fiction. But,…

Don’t you love new beginnings? Fresh starts? There is none GREATER than when one obeys the gospel and becomes a child of God. We often call the moment when someone is “baptized into Christ” (Gal. 3:27), “The GREATEST decision of his/her life,” because it is. When one dies to sin and is buried into His death, there is no event GREATER than being “raised” to “walk…

Sometimes, it appears, Christians seem to go through their days without doing a whole lot, in an active sense, for the Lord. There seems to be a mindset of something like this, “I’m a good Christian. I don’t do anything really bad. I’m a good person overall. That’s what it means for me to be a Christian.” But, is that what it means to be a…

Paul commended the Christians in Thessalonica, shortly after they had been converted to Christ. For what? He praised them for “how you turned to God from idols…” (1 Thess. 2:9). At one time, they had worshiped pieces of stone or wood, and maybe were even the ones who fashioned those pieces of stone or wood into some kind of image (Isa. 44:10). They were literally…

Who are “the best of the best”? Commander Mike Metcalf, in Top Gun, told the pilots, “Gentlemen, you are the top 1% of all naval aviators – the elite, the best of the best.” Chief Zed, in Men in Black, told the recruits, “You’re all here because you’re the best of the best.” Of course, all of that is fiction. In the real world, who are…