In II Corinthians 13:5-6, we are instructed, “ Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” This is an important exhortation. However, I have asked many Christians and...

Christian denominations and institutions have been losing large numbers of people in recent decades. However, in the last few years, this has accelerated after national and international crises like the COVID pandemic. Though this may sound counterintuitive, this is a sign a great move of God is...

When Jesus was asked by His disciples about the signs of the end of the age, the first thing He warned them about was deception. It was a jolt when He explained some would claim that He, Jesus, was indeed the Christ, as we see in Matthew 24:4-5: “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will...

Jesus gave hope to sinners because He had come to save them. He is not coming back to destroy the world. He did not go to the cross to condemn the world, but to save it. He valued this world, including the sinners who had turned from Him, so much that He went to the cross to save them. This great...

The most famous opening line of a novel is from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities : “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” But how can any time be both the best and worst of times? A comparable biblical phrase is in Malachi 4:5: “the great and terrible day of the Lord.” How can...

It has been said that eagles are one of the few creatures that like storms. That is because eagles know if they approach an opposing wind at the right angle it will carry them higher. Trials can take us higher when we approach them the right way. In James 1:2-4 we are exhorted, “ Consider it all...

The greatest vision we can have in this life is to be like Christ. As we become like Him, we will begin to do the works He did as He continues to work in and through us. We can only do this by abiding in Him. We abide in Him by continually growing in our love for Him, and we do that by getting to...

This can be our greatest year! In the world it will be one of the most challenging, but we cannot have great victories without great battles. Challenges are coming, and we can choose their outcome in our lives by our faith, vision, and resolve, or lack thereof. Thus, for our first few Words for the...

Last week we began with Hebrews 12:26-29 and the shaking of everything that can be shaken, which we are now experiencing. Since the foundation of every republic or democratic form of government is the integrity of its elections, with each new U.S. election, American trust has been more deeply...

Hebrews 12:26-29 is a poignant portrayal of what is happening in our own times, including a hope that can keep us stable even in the most troubling times: And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This...