Worthy Words

How can a Christ-follower be certain that they are growing spiritually? “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in … our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8 NLT) Some of the most effective Christ-followers I have known are people without dramatic talents and special abilities, or even exciting personalities — still God has used them in a marvelous way. This is because they are becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. They have the kind of character and conduct that God can trust with his blessings. They are fruitful because they are faithful. They are effective because they are growing in their Christ-following experience. These beautiful qualities...

Many times people are puzzled at what approach to take when studying the Bible. Questions are asked as to what study helps are needed to gain a deeper comprehension of God’s Word. My response to that is this; “The Bible” —extra helps are not the first step solution. Let me offer here my personal advise if you are developing an appetite for the Word. “Your words were found and I ate them and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16 ESV) READ THE BIBLE! That’s it! Read it. When we read the Word it will answer the question that is always raised by believers—“What does the Bible say? Reading it solves this problem, but not just casual reading, I’m talking about reading the Bible in order to gain and increase comprehension. START by reading the Old Testament (39 books) twenty minutes a day, in a year you will have read the entire OT. This is not as hard as you might think—especially if you’re hungry. NEXT read the New Testament with a greater ...

Mother’s Day is a special time of praise for the ones who gave us life and pointed us to the future. In fact I know eight women who have given birth since the last Mother’s Day, six of which were boys and two of those boys are my grandsons. But I want to speak for just a moment to those who aren't moms, or to those who are moms but your children are no longer nearby. Paul coined a phrase in Romans 16 about a woman that had been important to him. She was the mother of his friend, Rufus, who was (most likely) the son of Simon of Cyrene — the man who was compelled to carry the cross of Christ during his walk to Calvary. Paul says of her, "Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me." (Romans 16:13) Dear ladies you have the opportunity to be "like a mother" to certain persons in your life. I'm talking about giving them the kind of care that no one else is giving them, to look after tho...

Many Christ-followers come to realize over the course of time that the path of righteousness is not a quick trail to peace, endless sunshine, birds singing, and an overall perfect existence of blissful happiness. In every effort to grow in God’s Word and in its great truths bringing heavenly light into the believers world there erupts seasonal sessions of storms and disasters. This turbulence of darkness that creeps over our lives like large clouds blocking the sun often keeps us from seeing the light much less walking in it. Scripture proclaims with repetitive resolve that the Christ-following life is a vivid display of perfect days and peace. Here are but a few examples; “But the path of the just is like the shining sun that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). “Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:17). When one’s path has been green and grand in the land of grace it becomes unsettling when the glory of the green gives way...