He is Risen! What a special day to be reminded of the hope and help for our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Remember that before the hope and help of the resurrection came the dark and gloomy days of the crucifixion. Yet without the crucifixion there would be no hope and help to offer other. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”… READ MORE

We live in a world that has developed into a lovers of themselves, over lovers of God. To change, we must begin by evaluating how we are to review the accuracy of our perceptions, and to build a view of ourselves based on the clear teaching of the Word of God. We must then change our perception of ourselves in light of that revelation. Sometimes we judge ourselves to be inadequate in a particular area in which the Bible does not require us to be superior. As a young person entering my junior year of high school, I was about 4’8″ and wanted to be the star center of our high school basketball team. Unfortunately, my desire and the coaches assessment did not match. It was not a sin for me to be “short, and unathletic,” yet I judged myself to be deficient. My judgment of my personal value was based upon a “flaw” that was not my fault, nor was it a true definition of who I was. My problem was that I was overvaluing size and athleticism. As we make value judgments, we need to face those things that are true but not sinful about ourselves, and realize … READ MORE

As a young man I struggled with the idea of going into vocational ministry. My struggle was, I never heard the voice of God, and I did not “feel” worthy of a “call of God” Yet, it seemed to me that going into vocational ministry was the direction God wanted me to head. I desperately wanted to have a vision, or for the Lord to speak to me in “a still small voice!” As I pursued the scripture to understand this mysterious “Call of God” speakers talked about, I was hoping for some type of Pauline experience. Unfortunately, it never came! So how do I know what God wants me to do in life? As I searched through the scripture, one of the key things I learned was that in order to serve the Lord, I must be a “follower of Jesus Christ!” If we are not first of all a follower of Christ, nothing we do in the service of the kingdom will matter. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Paul writes, “I … READ MORE