Category Archives: Discipleship

The Right Kind of Meditation

We’ve been mining Psalm 1:1-3 for spiritual truth this week. So, here now is one last post on the passage. I’m calling this one “The Right Kind of Meditation.” The practice of meditation is typically associated with far-eastern religions and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Discipleship, God's Word, Preaching, Scripture, Teaching, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blessedness

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Bible Study, Character, Discipleship, Doing Good, Faithfulness, God's Word, Holiness, Money, Obedience, Persecution, Personal Holiness, Prosperity, Reward, Sanctification, Scripture, Separation, Service, The Bible, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Get to Work

Throughout the Bible, we find verses that can be broken down into two parts: your part and God’s part. Here are a few examples, all from the New King James version, with me adding in the designations “your part” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brokenness, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Ministry, Service, Submission, Work | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reunions

When I was elected President of my high school’s senior class in 1984, I thought it was an honor. What I didn’t realize was the title carried with it the lifetime task of organizing a class reunion every ten years … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discipleship, God's Work, New Year, Obedience, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Repentance, Salvation, Sanctification, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Are You Getting Better?

When my youngest son, Royce, played 5th/6th grade football, his team’s line coach was a guy named Stacy Peterson. Even though I’d gone to high school with Stacy and had loosely known him for years, we’d always run in different … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Bible Study, Change, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Giving, God's Word, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Money, New Year, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Sanctification, Service, Sports, The Bible, Witnessing, Youth | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Abraham, Ishmael, & Obedience

Most of us know the story of how God tested Abraham by asking him to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19). However, in Genesis 21:1-21 we find another story in which God asks Abraham to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Commitment, Decisions, Desires, Disappointment, Discipleship, Disobedience, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Word, Obedience, Submission, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Redefining Prosperity

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I wish my blog readership was bigger, my church had more people, my home was nicer, my salary was larger, and my bank account was more impressive. Does that shock … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Contentment, Covetousness, Desires, Disappointment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Encouragement, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Greed, Influence, Money, Personal, Priorities, Problems, Prosperity, Reward, Service, Trials | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

J.C. Penny & Chick-fil-A

For eight-and-a-half years, I pastored a non-denominational church that I started. Some Sundays, as a part of our services, I would describe an everyday situation and ask, “What would Jesus have us do in this situation?” My original plan for … Continue reading →

Posted in Adultery, Balance, Bible Study, Church, Current Events, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Faithfulness, God's Word, God's Work, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy, Marriage, Ministry, Personal, Preaching, Scripture, Sex, Sin, The Bible, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s Your Weakness?

Chuck Swindoll, in his study guide on Samson, makes an excellent point about the value of understanding one’s own weaknesses. He writes: It is important to know your strengths. But it is life-or-death essential to know your weaknesses….it was Samson’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Alcohol, Anger, Backsliding, Choices, Depravity, Discipleship, Drugs, Gambling, Gluttony, Money, Personal Holiness, Sanctification, Sex, Sin, Temptation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Problem With an Unequal Yoke

A Christian girl once told Charles Spurgeon, the legendary preacher, that she was about to marry a man who didn’t attend church or make any allegiance whatsoever to Jesus. Spurgeon, true to form, quickly reminded her of the command from … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Choices, Discernment, Discipleship, God's Will, Influence, Marriage, Personal Holiness, Sanctification, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment