If there is a secret sauce that leads to a satisfying Christian life, it is learning how to serve one another through love. There are so many things we can do with our time, but serving is the one thing that brings unexpected joy. That doesn't mean it is easy or it...

We are all created to be part of a family. Inside each of us is a need to be needed. That's why God created the church to be a place where all of the lost and hurting people could come and be accepted. He adopts us into his family when we put our faith in Christ. We...

Wouldn't it be so easy if we could reduce following Jesus down to a list of rules? "Do this." "Don't do that." Then we would know exactly what to do when we are unsure. Well, that has already been attempted, and it didn't work out too well. The Old Testament law was a...

­ What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Does it mean we have to suffer in some way? Or is there some other spiritual meaning to it? The crucified life is one where we die to the old life before we came to Christ and live as a new creation. We no longer live...

Who are you trying to please? It has been said that you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time. We can expend a lot of time and energy trying to make other people happy. As a Christian, we live for an...

Imagine a group of people that find great joy in being together, who work hard at resolving differences, with their minds are set on the same things as they live in harmony with one another. Sound enticing? That is what the church is intended to be. We are to be a...

The farmer works so that he may reap a bounty when harvest time comes. He puts the work in early and continues all the way through the harvest. To reap a bounty, he must sow accordingly. He can't expect to harvest if he hasn't planted. The same goes with our lives....

I am a big fan of TV where people have to survive in the wilderness. Whether it be survivalists, who have to find food and construct a shelter out of whatever they find or people who build off of the grid, living sustained in the wilderness is intriguing to me. They...

It is said that reputation is on the outside and integrity is on the inside. Reputation is what others see you doing, and integrity is what you do when no one is watching. As Christians, we are called to live with integrity. We know that God is always watching what we...

Sometimes God has to break through our doubt. In our mind, it doesn't make sense, and it isn't logical. We have to remember that nothing is too hard for God. If He can bring water out of rocks and life to a valley of dry bones; He certainly can bring forth a child....

Imagine if you were to discover a priceless treasure. You happen to find the treasure in jars of Clay. It was all yours and no one could take it away from you. With it comes great power and the ability to withstand anything that comes against you. Wouldn't that be...

As a believer in Jesus Christ, we have his seal of ownership upon us. That seal comes with fantastic benefits. The Apostle Paul lays three benefits that come with Christ's seal of ownership. They are the strength to stand firm, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the...

There is an old saying; "What got you here won't get you to where you need to go." It merely means that for us to go any farther, we will have to change our ways and do things differently if we want to improve and go forward. This is true for our faith as well. When...

Yesterday we saw God's blessing on Abraham for going forward. Today we see the promise to Abram for his faithfulness. Faith takes trust and time. Abraham was faithful through it all. God promised offspring that would be as many as the dust of the earth but didn't give...

Sometimes God asks us to take a step of faith. He wants to see us grow in our trust of him and for that to happen, it takes us doing something we haven't done before. We need to go forward if we are going to continue to grow. Maybe you are at that point in your life?...

Peter kept it very simple in his first sermon: "Repent and be baptized." That is the start of our daily walk and living the Spirit-filled life. This starts the transformation process of sanctification. Peter instructed the crowd in this, and three thousand were added...

The church is in need of more people who will uphold justice and speak the truth. There will be people who hate it and come against you, but there are those who need it. So many people are marginalized and oppressed. They need a voice who will speak out for them....

King David appointed Levites to minister before the Ark of the Lord. They were to extol, thank, and praise the Lord. They were to give praise to the Lord, to proclaim His name. That had to be an awesome job. To spend your whole day praising and worshiping the Lord...

It was a busy time after the resurrection. Jesus was seen by more than five hundred people. He did spend a good amount of time with the Disciples. To equip them for the job ahead they were sent in the power of the Spirit. This was his designated group to spread the...

The behavior and character of a Christian are vital. How we conduct ourselves with those around us speaks louder than our words. Our witness depends upon it. We are to lead a dignified life full of peace. Being outspoken and argumentative are counterproductive to...