Posts from 2023

The familiar hymn with the above title was written in 1831 by a religious man in Great Britan, William Bathurst. As we prepare to move from one year into the next, perhaps it would be a great time to reflect and to plan. How is your faith now as compared to this time last year? Do you find your love and trust in God to be greater? To ask, “Is my knowledge of God and His precious word deeper and…

There is not a subject in all of Scripture that will do more to cause us to love and live for God than a study of His glory. We either live to our own glory, or to the glory of another – or to the glory of God. To do the will of God to the glory of God by the grace of God is what life is all about! (cf 1 Corinthians 10:31). We’ve been studying this theme recently…

In Luke 5:1-11, the account is given of Jesus teaching multitudes of people on the shores of Galilee. At one point, He stepped into a boat belonging to Peter and continued His teaching. When finished, the Lord turned to Peter and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter’s response to Jesus was, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” These…

The devil will use temptations and troubles to worry and weaken us, but God can use them to strengthen us (see 1 Peter 5:10-12). When problems cause us to worry, the prescription is prayer. 1 Peter chapter 5 speaks of God as the Mighty Warrior-King and as Merciful Lord and Shepherd. As Warrior-King, we are to think of His mighty hand and know He will lift us up (5:6). He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us (vs. 10). Our…

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name,” (Psalm 100:4). Twice in this one verse, the Psalmist connects the thoughts of thanksgiving and praise. Enter with thanksgiving and praise; be thankful to Him and bless His name. As a country, we find that at this time of year ‘Thanksgiving’ or ‘the giving of thanks’ is on our minds as we prepare to celebrate a holiday. However, as Christians,…

That the Son of God marveled is in itself a marvel! The Lord’s work in creation, salvation, and providence ought to cause all humanity to marvel and be awe-struck! (Psalm 8; 19:1; Acts 14:17; Revelation 5:8- 14). In a world that’s too easily “amazed” in some ways and not enough in others, there’s a place for restoring the biblical doctrine of amazement. The people of God must not suffer from blindness and “awe amnesia” when it comes to contemplating the…

The Gospel is God’s power to save – Romans 1:16. The power to save is in the message, not in the messenger. We have an opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, and loved ones to hear the message of God’s word every week when we gather to worship. However, a special opportunity to hear the word of God proclaimed this coming Sunday with our special sermon series on the topic of “Living Godly In A Godless World.” It is a message…

That’s the theme of our upcoming Gospel Meeting with Carl McCann, and it will be here before we know it (October 22-25). I hope you’re praying about, inviting others to and planning to actively and faithfully participate in, this special effort. Carl is a wonderful Christian brother who will do his part and more in encouraging us to be people of greater love and godliness. “Godliness” can be defined as loving devotion to God characterized by a life of conformity…

Remember when phones were really not that smart? It still boggles the mind to think that through a ‘land line’ numbers could be dialed and voices could be heard with great clarity on opposing sides of the country and even the world. This writer is certainly not an expert on how those ‘old-fashioned’ phones worked, and certainly not on the computers in our pockets today. However, to try to explain to a young person now that all phones in the…

It’s very important to understand the rich, deep nature of the gospel. Here’s 10 basic components of the gospel according to Scripture – 1. The Gospel is an Announcement. The God of Heaven wants to Have a Relationship with Every Human Being (Luke 2:9-14; 1Timothy 2:4). 2. The Gospel is a Person – Jesus Christ. He is the long-awaited Anointed One, King and Savior (Matthew 1:18-25). 3. The Gospel is a Divine Plan / Mission To Save (Ephesians 3:9-11; 2…

Jesus promised to build His church in Matthew 16:18 and after Acts 2, the Lord’s body refers to the church He promised to build (Ephesians 1:22-23). How many churches (bodies) does Jesus have? Allow the Bible to answer the question, “Is one church as good as another?” by looking to just the times a number is given with the word ‘body’ following Acts 2. Romans 12:4-5 – For as we have many members in one body, but all the members…

(Note from Mike: This is a prayer prayed during PTP a few weeks ago. It was prayed by Sam Dilbeck, who preaches for the University congregation in San Marcos. I thought it was one of the finest prayers for our nation that I have ever heard. I sought his permission to share it with you. See last week’s article for the beginning of the prayer). Oh God and Father, Oppression also presses on your people from all sides. Selfishness and…