“Trust in the Lord, and do good, dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).  Here we have a pathway to blessing. Trust in the Lord is faith in God despite your circumstances. Doing good is obedience. Dwelling in the land is living for God where He has placed you, while you rest in Him and serve Him. Delighting in the Lord is finding your chief joy in life in God alone, above all else. The result is God giving you the desires of your heart. This is not what you would selfishly desi ..read more

People are by nature very religious. They think that by doing things for God they will obtain favor with Him. The Old Testament required many different sacrifices of those under the Mosaic Covenant. The aroma of those sacrifices often permeated the air surrounding the altar. Barring blatant hypocrisy, surely the participants must have walked away feeling good about what they had done, just as people today feel good about doing things for others. Not that it’s wrong to God good for others in the name of Jesus, the Bible is clear that the Christian life is a life of sacrificial service. But all ..read more

 On the last Sunday of 2024 I preached a message which I titled, “Do You Need A Course Correction?” Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths”.  As we head out on old or new paths the Lord takes us on in 2025, will we stay on the path of righteousness (a godly path)?  Are you on that path right now? Do you need a course correction because you are deviating from the godly path? A slight deviation from the path can lead one astray and have serious negative con ..read more

" In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake” ( Psalm 31:1-3:16). Listen to the heart of the Psalmist as he prays here in Psalm 31. He starts with full confidence in the Lord in whom he has placed his trust. He then asks God to deliver him. The word deliver means “ to lead to a pl ..read more

 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24).  We serve many people in the course of our lives who often show no gratitude for our service, or quickly forget it. That is not the case with our service to Jesus. He knows all that we have done by serving others in His name and serving Him with joyful hearts. He will reward our faithful service. While you wait for His rewards, don’t forget to thank the people who serve you.  Keep pressin ..read more

  “He (the Lord) does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 147:10,11). “In ancient times the strength of the horse and the legs of a man refer to an army of cavalry and infantry. A king might boast in his powerful army on horseback or his swift foot soldiers who  are well-trained for battle. What, or who, are you relying on for strength in the spiritual battles you fight? God wants us to be mindful that we cannot trust in the natural resourc ..read more

  “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another” (Isaiah 48:10-11). If you are not going through a hard time now, you can be certain there is one coming your way. Life makes no exceptions when it comes to trials. God’s purpose in these trials is not to weary us, wear us out, or weaken us. His purpose is to help us grow spiritually stronger. Even when he was suffering great persecution for pre ..read more

 Life has an innumerable number of ways to disappoint us. I can never count the times I have been disappointed in my life. Disappointment I have brought upon myself by bad choices, disappointments I have incurred by the actions of others, and disappointments because life does not treat us fairly. Why should we expect it to? We live among fallen men and women in a cursed world. Sinners will do what sinners do. Sometimes things go our way, but many times they do not. In  the course of  my pastoral ministry for 34 years I have seen the heartaches, the tears, the sorrows, and the de ..read more

 The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is the fictional account of an older devil giving his advice to his nephew Wormwood, who is not yet worldly wise enough to secure the damnation of an ordinary young man named "the patient". Wormwood needs his devilish methods and tactics polished up if he is to useful in Satan's kingdom, because he is not skilled enough about the nature of temptation and how to take humans away from God. The Screwtape Letters is a classic on the subtle strategy of spiritual deception and warfare. One of the things that I read recently which caught my attention is Screw ..read more

 Proverbs 4:10 Listen, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. 11 I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; And if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. How many times has good advice been ignored in your life, and what was the outcome? Sometimes, a single bad decision has tragic consequences. Sometimes, it is a matter of lif ..read more