Category: Jesus

3/11/2025 2 Comments

Mindlock

They were college roommates with a friendship that brought laughter and fun to almost everyone who entered their orbit. Now, 44 years later, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, they bash each other on social media with barely concealed contempt. Whoever said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” was internally dishonest. Negative words do more than upset, they create resentment, rifts, and land littered with destroyed relationships.

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12/24/2024 0 Comments

Insignificant

He was born in a lowly place—a smelly stable in a manger, nursed among unclean animals because his parents were required by edict to register in an obscure village—Bethlehem, the town Micah, the prophet, foretold (Micah 5:2). His father, Joseph, nearly in secret divorced the unborn Child’s mother, Mary, until an angel intervened and informed him that she conceived through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:19,20). Joseph was a humble carpenter, whose trade he would pass on to his Boy, raised in the Galilean town of Nazareth. “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Nathanael asked him. ‘Come and see,’ Philip answered” (John 1:46).

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12/17/2024 1 Comment

Miracles: We Have Never Seen Anything Like This!

Roberta was Stacy’s laundry mat owner and insurance agent in Mexico City. Needing to renew her insurance policy, Stacy scheduled a meeting with Roberta and was prompted by the Holy Spirit that she was to share the gospel with the result that Roberta would be saved. When they met, Roberta confessed, “Sometimes I sit at a stoplight and wonder, God, how can I know You?” That gave Stacy an opening to share the gospel. Roberta responded, “You’re telling me I can walk out of here forgiven for everything I’ve ever done?” Stacy answered, “Yes—everything.” Roberta reacted incredulously, “Even an abortion?”
“Yes, even an abortion.”
“I want that because I’ve gone to a church for 18 years, and the leaders told me that was not possible.” Roberta then prayed and asked for forgiveness for her sins and for Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of her life.

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12/10/2024 0 Comments

Omnipotent

There are two unsolvable problems all humans face: sin and death. The reality of sin is the inability of any person to refrain from doing something wrong or evil, whether it be lying, stealing, cheating, etc. The reality of death is we all age and eventually die. The beauty of Christianity is that it solves both of those problems.

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11/19/2024 0 Comments

Hidden Things

Jesus performed many miracles in the cities He walked, which should have authenticated His message, and yet most of those He encountered would not repent of their sins. Their hardheartedness kept them from recognizing the hand of God’s Son at work and connecting their need to listen to Him. He criticized them for their attitude and warned them of God’s impending judgment (Matthew 11:20-24).

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10/10/2024 0 Comments

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931—August 13, 1995) was a Hall of Fame Center Field player for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. [1] During his illustrious career, he was a 3x Most Valuable Player (MVP), Gold Glove winner, Batting and Triple Crown (batting average, home runs, and runs batted in) winner, and Major League Player of the Year. Mantle played in the All-Star game 16 times. He was part of seven World Series-winning teams. He is considered one of Baseball’s best players and sluggers. He is the only player to hit 150 home runs as a left and right-handed batter.[2]

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10/3/2024 0 Comments

Peerless

In Isaiah chapter 45, God communicates to King Cyrus nine times that He has no peer; there is no other God. This message extends far beyond a pagan king; it applies to all people.

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9/5/2024 1 Comment

Too Much Pain

What is spiritual dishonesty? Could it be when I refuse to tell the Lord what I honestly think or feel? Might it involve minimizing pain before others to project hollow strength? If the fear of what people can think of me, if the truth is told, exceeds the actuality of my condition, I’ve robbed them and myself of what it means to be genuine. In perpetuating falsehood, no one is bettered, nor can healing occur. I wonder if the means to honesty is too much pain—something Job can help us grasp.

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6/30/2024 0 Comments

Transformation

Do you remember the Transformers film series where cars transform into robots with various combative skills? Well, that is nothing compared to what will finally happen when we who love Jesus complete our change to the image and glory that is the Lord’s. The Apostle Paul gives us a preview of what will come in his letter to the Corinthians.

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6/23/2024 2 Comments

Bad Company

Judas Iscariot had a great life going. Selected by Jesus, the world’s only perfect leader, he joined a team of eleven others to follow God’s Son. We don’t know much about Judas, but John 12:4-6 is revealing.
Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.
Was Judas a rebellious, immoral man? Or was he a confused follower who occasionally stole money for his pursuits? Why would he betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver when he could have prolonged their time together and continued his successful pilfering?

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3/10/2024 3 Comments

Are You Prepared?

After hearing Jesus speak about the destruction of the temple buildings, His disciples asked Him what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). He shared with them the signs of the end times and what it would be like before His arrival.

An undeniable unsettledness grips the hearts of entire populations concerning these days. One must hardly look to see that all is not well on Earth. But rather than mope or cast blame, why not cope within a different frame—the frame of preparation? Zach Clinton, author of Even If, asked thousands of men attending the Ignite Men’s Impact Weekend at Thomas Road Baptist Church two questions. “Can you sleep through the storm because you have prepared? Are you training for the trial you are not in?”

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2/17/2024 1 Comment

How Does a Little Child . . . ?

My father caught me in some forgotten misbehavior when I was a little child. He explained that when we did things wrong, that was called sin, and sin displeased God. I knew about God because we prayed to Him each meal, and Dad, at that time in Naha, Okinawa, always started his day off by reading his Bible, praying, and drinking his coffee. Dad explained that if we told God that we were sorry for our sins and placed our trust in His Son, Jesus, Jesus would forgive us, and we could look forward to living with Him in heaven someday. He asked me if I would like to do that. Of course, I don’t remember his exact words or direction because that was over 60 years ago, but I remember confessing what I had done was wrong and eagerly wanting Jesus to come into my heart.

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1/7/2024 0 Comments

Three Consequences of Sin and a Great Danger

Recently, I spoke with Jackson,* a sailor who was part of my ministry over three decades ago. He called to apologize over a series of texts that frankly were spawned from frustration and anger over racial issues he was troubled by. During our conversation, he linked his bondage to pornography to his father, who beat his wife, Jackson, and his older brother. His justification troubled me, and he permitted me to speak candidly.

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11/20/2023 1 Comment

Karma

Brita angrily kicked the wandering Cocker Spaniel, who dared to enter her front yard. Her neighbor, Betty, viewed the mean action with disgust. Two weeks later, when Brita broke her leg after slipping off her front porch, Betty noted to her husband with some satisfaction, “That’s karma. She’s getting what she deserved.”

Karma is a Hindu concept that views one’s actions as bringing upon themselves good or bad results either in their present life or in a reincarnation. It is a cosmic reward or punishment principle based on a person’s deeds. In The Logic of God, Ravi Zacharias explained, “Hinduism has two nonnegotiable beliefs: karma and reincarnation. No Hindu will trade these away.”

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10/10/2023 0 Comments

Pressure is a Privilege

The guest speaker on Sunday said, “Pressure is a privilege.” That got my attention. What?! Is pressure really a privilege? Pressure causes stress. Stress can be debilitating both physically and mentally. Pressure is synonymous with anxiety, burden, and difficulty—three words hardly appealing. So, how in the world is pressure a privilege?

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9/16/2023 1 Comment

No Love for His Brother

Meditation
Luke 15:28-30—"Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’”

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9/9/2023 1 Comment

Bent Over

Meditation
Luke 13:10—11--As He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

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7/26/2023 1 Comment

Dried Up

The earth is tilting? What?
Pumping groundwater appears to have a greater consequence than ever previously thought. But now—thanks to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters--we can see that, in less than two decades, Earth has tilted 31.5 inches as a result of pumping groundwater. This equates to .24 inches of sea level rise.[1]
I’m unsure of the science of tying the earth’s tilt to pumping groundwater, but I know God is sometimes the primary cause of disasters and climate change.

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6/5/2023 1 Comment

Drinking the Living Water

If you have ever hiked in the mountains, you know that the higher you climb, the purer the water source will be. But as the streams flow downward, they become part of the forest, and now purification tablets are needed to protect against giardia parasites which can cause giardiasis. Continuing downward, the stream merges with other streams and becomes a river. More pollutants are added as waste flows into the river from drainage systems, and people throw their trash, dump chemicals, etc., into the water. So what is my point?

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3/31/2023 1 Comment

The Power of Care

Do you feel like a caring Creator guards your life, or are you feeling incredibly vulnerable and unsafe? When we know Jesus, at least three important facts should kick into gear. First, we understand from Psalm 139:16 that “Your [God’s] eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” There is nothing accidental about our lives—we were purposefully designed. Second, we know from John 3:16, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Faith in Jesus brings us a redeemed life with God that will forever unfold. But we must understand a third critical fact to negotiate life joyfully.

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