Our kids teach us a lot of lessons, don’t they? They challenge us in ways that others do not––which really just means they confront us with ourselves in a way that no one else can. One lesson I’ve been forced to learn as a parent is to hold everything with a loose hand. Continue reading “Learning to hold things loosely”
What to look for in a friend
A good friend is a rare treasure. There are some people we’re sure are trusted and dependable friends; but trouble comes and they abandon us. And there are others of whom we’re unsure who, in trouble, prove to be true to us. So what should we look for and avoid in making friends? Continue reading “What to look for in a friend”
Is Jesus precious to you?
Precious things are things we dearly prize, things we keep close, watch closely, and, in a sense cannot live without. We like many things and would not easily part with them, but precious things are things we love and can’t bear to be without. I wonder, how precious is Jesus to you? Continue reading “Is Jesus precious to you?”
The Duties of Parents and Children, Col 3.20-21
This is an excerpt from the close of my sermon yesterday on Col 3.20-21. Paul says parents are not to provoke their children and children are to obey their parents in everything. I pray it blesses your own life and the life of your family. Continue reading “The Duties of Parents and Children, Col 3.20-21”
Being zealous for God
There have always been those who object to zeal, calling it a rash and heady temper that hurts more than it helps, and a harsh and fiery spirit that blindly burns up everything in its path. It’s strange, however, that those who argue against zeal are themselves zealous. It could be their political persuasion, favorite sports team, reputation as the one who ‘never loses,’ pursuit of riches, or being ‘the best dressed’ among their peers, whatever it is, it’s safe to say that we’re all zealous about something. We all love something enough to make considerable, if not foolish, sacrifices for it. So it’s not really zeal itself which is opposed, is it? Continue reading “Being zealous for God”
What are you living for?
Each of us lives for something. We labor and strive every day and throughout our whole lives to get somewhere, to gain something, to move beyond where we are, to add to what we presently have. And whatever that thing is for which we live, it shapes our lives and deeply affects the decisions we make every day. In a real sense, it governs us. We’re enslaved to it. We’re driven by it. It preoccupies us. So what is it for you? What are you living for?
Husbands, love your wives
I preached on Col 3.19 yesterday. This is an excerpt from the close of the sermon. May it bless you, challenging you as husbands to love your wives, and challenging you as wives to pray for your husbands and to do everything in your power to make it easy for them to love you and treat you as a queen. Continue reading “Husbands, love your wives”