Did you know that at the heart ofevery snowflake, there is a tiny speck of dust? Typically, they are known for their beauty and symbol of purity, but in reality, they are dirty-hearted little snowflakes. When it comes to us, is it the same? What are we at our core when we look beneath the facade or the dressing? The word, “pure,” carried the idea of “unmixed; it is a singleness of heart, as opposed to a divided heart.” In the Scriptures, the heart is used in a variety of ways. Sometimes, it is a reference to the emotions (Neh. 2:2; John 14:1). Sometimes, it is a reference to the mind (Mark 2:8 ..read more

How many passages of Scripture were written to you? How many inspired words were written to directly address your specific situation in life? The answer may surprise you. Not one word of one verse of Scripture was written directly to you, or to me, or anyone else in the 21st century. That is not to say that God does not speak to us today through His Word–He does. It is not to say that the Bible is not applicable and authoritative– it absolutely is. Scripture is the inspired, applicable, and authoritative Word of God to all places, all people, throughout all time. What it means is that every wo ..read more

In Habakkuk 2:4, the prophet declared, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.” Although this is the first time the principle is stated in these words, it is not new. It is as old as God’s dealings with man. The righteous have always and will always live by faith (Gal. 2:20). Therefore, it is important for us to understand faith, and how to develop a faith approach to living. The Beatitudes can help us because they give us basic information about the person who lives a life of faith. Let’s consider the fourth, which describes those who are merci ..read more

Hebrews 13:8 stands as one of the most memorable passages in the book–“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” It is common to hear this verse quoted in reference to the unchanging nature of Christ, but while that may be a true principle, it does not exhaust the full meaning of the passage. Contextually, the writer has in mind not just the immutability of the Savior, but the immutability of the Savior’s Word. Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians on the brink of apostasy. Thus the first 10 chapters of the book rebuked them and reminded them of the superiority Christ and th ..read more

To close out the great exaltation of Jesus Christ in Colossians 1, Paul turns his attention to the place of preachers in the great mystery (or plan) of God. The work of Paul, and by implication, preachers today, was to put the church first (vs. 24), to serve God’s plan as ministers (vs. 25-27), to preach (vs. 28), and to labor (vs. 29). It is through this labor that human beings become “perfect in Christ” (vs. 28). Focus on Colossians 1:28 and notice four things about Gospel preaching: First, see the attention of the message: Christ. The “Whom” goes back one verse where we clearly see the ante ..read more

Understanding that discouragement to one degree or another is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ in the lives of Christians or those outside of Christ, what can we do to help one another? As a foundation upon which to build, let us first be clear that it is not optional whether we help one another through times of discouragement. Paul stated clearly in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” When we see a brother or sister hurting and experiencing times of discouragement in their lives, as members of the family of God, we must do what we can to help bear the ..read more

Christians can get locked into the mentality that faith should always trump discouragement, and that anytime a Christian is struggling mentally or emotionally they must be lacking the appropriate level of trust in God. In their view, Christians should not get discouraged. The truth is that the probability that a child of God will experience periods of discouragement is just one mishap or disappointment away. Rather than pretend that Christians are immune to discouragement, let’s consider what help the Bible offers to Christians when they become discouraged. The Bible is a fountain of knowledge ..read more

There is no earthshaking revelation in the recognition that discouragements come. They come in A.D. 2024 and have likewise in every year since the world was created (unless Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden for an extended period before they fell). In some of the lives of our biblical heroes, discouragements not only came but they were frequent and powerful. David’s manifold tears made his “bed to swim” (Ps. 6:6). On one occasion [likely on more that one, but only one is recorded for us], David desired to know the cause of his discouragement; he asked, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul ..read more

First Kings 19 has always puzzled me. It would be hard to imagine a greater victory over false religion than what Elijah accomplished in the previous chapter. The saturated altar being completely consumed by fire and the execution of 450 prophets of Baal brought the people to their knees shouting, “The Lord, He is God!” It was a great moment in the prophet’s fight against idolatry in the land of Israel, yet it was not to last. Once Jezebel received word of the event she issued a death warrant for Elijah and so “he arose and ran for his life” (1 Kings 19:3). What a dramatic turn of events. How ..read more

I am reminded of the story of the man that approached a little league baseball game one hot, sunny afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy kept his gaze on the field and responded, “Eighteen to nothing—we’re behind.” “Woah,” said the man, “I’ll bet you’re discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!” Discouragement is a state of mind and heart that repeatedly looks at circumstances and says, “this is not the way I expected or wanted things to go!” It can be a result of unmet expectations, repeated failur ..read more