Worthy Words

There is a story that has been making the round social media for several years now—maybe you’ve read it too. One Sunday morning, a woman went in to wake her husband up and tell him it was time to get ready for church. His response was short and to the point, "I'm not going." "Why not?" she asked. I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "One, they don't like me, and, two, I don't like them." His wife replied, "I'll give you two good reasons why you should go to church. One, you're 54 years old, and, two…you're the pastor!" The story, though comical, reveals a fundamental truth that is equally as sad.  Scores of people choose not to be a part of the Church.  Their reasons vary.  Some folks have had a bad Church experience in their childhood. Some see the Church as a haven for hypocrites. While, still others feel like they already did their time in church as children and now believe they have earned ear...

Even if you are a Christ-follower with an exceptional character of holiness you will find it next to impossible to avoid temptation. Just remember, Jesus was tempted. When Satan’s fiery darts of temptation strike you, more times than not you will ignite like tender box of kindling into a flame of sin. But take note that when Christ was positioned for temptation, it was like striking sparks against water. Nonetheless, the Devil went about his evil work against Jesus. He continued launching darts at Christ when there was no result, how much more he will do to you because he knows what combustible stuff your heart is made of. Even if you become significantly sanctified by the Holy Spirit, expect that the Liar from Hell will still make the continued effort to light your fire. In your preoccupied lifestyle you can expect to be tempted. Even seclusion will not guard you from those inevitable trials. Jesus Christ was led away from the hurriedness of society into the seclusion of the w...

What comes to mind when you hear the word “heart?” Usually we think of things like “my achy breaky heart” or "heart medicine" or "heart surgery", in other words, that blood pumping muscle in the middle of our chest that keeps us alive. In the Bible, a person’s heart is much more than simply a vital internal organ delivering blood all the way through the body. The heart is seen as the center, the core of a person. If you conduct a search of the word “heart” in the Bible you will discover it is used 832 times. Jesus says pure hearts will see God (Mt. 5:8), and that our heart tells the mouth what to say (Mt. 12:34). Jesus also says in Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21 that the evil you do comes from your heart which breaks the heart of your loving God. Just a brief study of this word in the Bible reveals that the heart is the foundation of the decisions that you make. Those decisions either honor God or move you further from Him. That’s why the Bible emphasizes over and ...

A few weeks ago I left the hospital where I visited a friend with a life altering situation. This person spent five days in ICU and knowing that the outcome will not be joy going forward for friends and family, I drove back to the office with a dark cloud of deep sadness over my heart. There in the cab of my truck I heard a song on the radio by Brad Paisley called “Behind the Clouds”.   Here are the lyrics: When you're feeling lonely, lost and let down Seems like those dark skies are following you around And life's just one big shade of gray You wonder if you'll see the light of day Behind the clouds, the sun is shining Believe me even though you can't quite make it out You may not see the silver lining But there's a big blue sky waiting just behind the clouds I've heard it said that this too shall pass Good times or bad times, neither one lasts But thinking that your luck won't ever change Is like thinking it won't ev...