(1 Thess 5:18) Thanksgiving is not just a holiday, but a disposition that we should have that is directed especially toward God, because the opposite, grumbling and complaining, tears down and will destroy. However, a disposition of gratitude builds ourselves and others up and acts as a shield against discouragement, bitterness, and grumbling. So, …

(Ex 11-13) God has given us various physical things, such as ritual, tradition, and liturgy, in order to vividly remember and pass on the meaning of our identity and heritage as the redeemed people of God. For the Israelites, this was the Passover and Exodus. But for us as Christians, it is the Lord's Supper and the freedom from bondage to sin thro…

(Ex 4-12) God works all things together for his redemptive purposes, which involves demonstrating the futility of trusting in what is not god so that we can know him, the only true God, and build our life on him and his promises, which are trustworthy.

(Ex 3-4) God calls each of us to serve his purposes, which means there are no excuses to not do so. Whether we, like Moses, think we are of no account, or that we really don't know what to say, or that we may not produce results of we try, or that we do not have the skill or the ability, what matters in the end is that we are faithful to God becaus…

(Mt 7:21-27; 5:3-16)The Sermon on the Mount is a model for our attitudes and actions as Christians. It shows us that the Christian life is not merely about doing good works, but about doing the will of God, and that God expects us to do great things in the world.

A picture is worth a thousand words. The Bible gives several pictures of Hell which indicates that Hell is endless emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual anguish that comes from being eternally cast away from the presence of the Lord. But God has provided a way of escape at great cost through the Gospel, the death and resurrection of his so…

(Mt 25:14-30)Our Lord will return to settle accounts, so we need to be ready by understanding God's will for us in regard to the precious gifts and resources he has entrusted to us. They are not to simply be guarded, but put to use so that we can be productive for God, which will involve taking risks, but the reward far outweighs the risks.…

(Ex 31:12-17; Dt 5:12-15; Mt 11:28-30) The biblical instructions concerning Sabbath are instructive because it is rooted in God's creative work followed by the blessing of rest. Even though Sabbath days are not directly applicable to Christians, the need for physical and spiritual rest remains so that we can recharge outwardly and inwardly, reflect…

(Jn 4:7-38; 6:26-35) Jesus can identify the source of our true hunger and only he can fulfill in permanently when we come to him and build our lives around him according to his purposes rather than our own.

(Deut 6:1-9) As parents, we have the responsibility of godly guidance and leadership to our children. For this to happen, we need to be an authentic and honest Christian who owns up to struggles while loving God. We can then more effectively pass on the faith through being with, discussing, and setting reasonable boundaries with our children so tha…

(Eccl 4:7-12) Friendship is something that is important to God and to us. To build good and godly friendship, we need to realize that true friendship is a two-way street in which we build and cultivate friendships by being available, protective, loyal, trustworthy, honest, and considerate, while recognizing the limits of friendship when it comes to…

(2 Pet 2:17-19; Jn 8:31-36; Gal 5:13-15) We rightly value freedom highly, but must understand and define true freedom in order to maintain and make full use of it. Doing whatever you want without restraint is false freedom and leads to bondage. True freedom is every bit as much freedom "from" bondage as it is freedom "in order to" love and serve Go…

(Mt 5:13-16) In a twisted world, we are called to be as salt and light, which means we need to be fully present in the lives of people with godly influence and be visible through good works, and be invisible by directing the glory and attention to God so that people would turn their focus on God rather than us.…

(Eph 5:6-21) As stewards, God wants us to avoid wasting our time in useless, unfruitful, and ungodly things, and to make the most of our time by ordering it in good and righteous things that are honoring to him. This includes summer time, youth, retirement, and any other time of life.

(Psalm 112) In Psalm 112, God defines, upholds, and praises the ideal of manhood as one that fears God, accepts responsibility, acts courageously, and is a blessing not only to his family, but to others as well.

(Prov 31:10-31; 1 Tim 5:3; Prov 23:22-25) The Bible instructs us to honor are mother, which includes blessing her, caring for her when needed, and making her rejoice by living a righteous and godly life.

(Mt 13:1-23) In order to receive and multiply God's blessing, we must not only hear the word, but also receive it and understand it, which means there must be a passionate pursuit of the things of God in a diligent quest for understanding. This will bring an abundance of blessing. If not, the blessing will be lost completely.…

(Mt 12:22-50) When confronted with Christ, there is no such thing as a neutral or moderate position. There is only acceptance and obedience, which makes you part of God's family, or non-obedience and rebellion, which results in judgment. It is not enough to merely avoid bad to try and be reformed yet neutral about Christ. If we do not accept Christ…

(Col 1:9-12) God's desire for us is to develop and grow as a whole person. This involves a 3 part focus which includes the head (information), the heart, (formation), and the hands (transformation) so that ultimately we can know God. This process happens through the Spirit by the Bible in fellowship with the brethren. One of our ministries that con…

(Mt 12:1-21) Jesus demonstrates that he is a gentle messiah by authoritatively interpreting the law in such a way that he puts concern and compassion for people as top priority, even over ritual. This reminds us that God gives his law for our benefit and did not create us for the law, but created the law for us. This gives us an idea of what justic…