Closer to Christ

Humility and pride are polar opposites. Pride exalts self at the expense of God and others. Humility exalts God and others at the expense of self. Pride is the essential vice, for it increases one’s hunger for all other sins. Humility increases one’s hunger for the forgiveness and healing found in Christ. The one who is proud demands to be served. The one who is humble is not content unless servin...

Humility and pride are polar opposites. Pride exalts self at the expense of God and others. Humility exalts God and others at the expense of self. Pride is the essential vice, for it increases one’s hunger for all other sins. Humility increases one’s hunger for the forgiveness and healing found in Christ. The one who is proud demands to be served. The one who is humble is not content unless servin...

So often it may seem that all is lost. A cancer diagnosis, a relapse into addiction, the revelation of the unfaithfulness of a spouse, just the nightly news of the horrors and atrocities taking place throughout the world—it would appear the evil has this world by the throat and there is no hope of any real and lasting change. But nothing could be further from the truth. Through the cross and his r...

So often it may seem that all is lost. A cancer diagnosis, a relapse into addiction, the revelation of the unfaithfulness of a spouse, just the nightly news of the horrors and atrocities taking place throughout the world—it would appear the evil has this world by the throat and there is no hope of any real and lasting change. But nothing could be further from the truth. Through the cross and his r...

When the fires of the trials of life burn hard and long, our strength, our patience, our ability to endure, even our motivation begins to fade. Arrogance and pride can sneak in when things are going well for us. Or we can become cynical and embittered toward our struggles and difficulties. Where do we find the strength and the ability to finish strong and to finish well?  

Godliness is a God-centered life. It grows, not through the pursuit of a process, but through the presence of a person. Jesus Christ is the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16). His presence in your life is your hope of becoming the person God calls you to be. Christ in you [is] the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Contentment is finding joy in what God has given to you. The opposite of contentme...

What do you live for? God wants us to think big. Do we live for ourselves? Our desires? Our ambitions? Do we live for our career? Our relationships? Our family? Our friends? We live for the One who died for us. We live to glorify him. We live to give witness to his love to the people he has placed in our lives. In so doing we find fulfillment, meaning and joy because this is what we were created f...

What do you live for? God wants us to think big. Do we live for ourselves? Our desires? Our ambitions? Do we live for our career? Our relationships? Our family? Our friends? We live for the One who died for us. We live to glorify him. We live to give witness to his love to the people he has placed in our lives. In so doing we find fulfillment, meaning and joy because this is what we were created f...

Being in a place of leadership—even in the church--is challenging. A congregation is made up of diverse people: different backgrounds, personalities, preferences-- different lenses through which we see the world. There is no way that church leaders can make every member happy all the time. Leadership in the church is to one degree or another a ministry of love offered above and beyond an already b...

In his second letter to Timothy Paul writes: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God’s Word is true. God’s Word is practical. God’s Word is sufficient. God’s Word provides principles that are enduring from generation to generation, yet each age and...

A 5k, a marathon, a Tough Mudder, tryouts for your school team—we recognize the importance of preparing well for these types of events. In many cases it can be a “do or die” situation. Preparing well requires a plan, commitment, tenacity and self-discipline. The race of life is also a do or die situation. And life is much more a marathon than a 5K. The apostle Paul encourages us today to establish...

A 5k, a marathon, a Tough Mudder, tryouts for your school team—we recognize the importance of preparing well for these types of events. In many cases it can be a “do or die” situation. Preparing well requires a plan, commitment, tenacity and self-discipline. The race of life is also a do or die situation. And life is much more a marathon than a 5K. The apostle Paul encourages us today to establish...

It’s easy to hide weaknesses when everything is going well. But what about when the pressure is on? When we experience the pressure that life can bring, what truth will that pressure reveal? Pressure can not only reveal to us the truth about ourselves, but can also reveal the truth about God to us, and to others. 

Our church body and many others are wrestling right now with a shortage of ministry workers to meet the needs of the local church. Why are there fewer men and women going into full-time ministry work? There are, of course, many factors. Your present pastors recall the culture surrounding them when they were young and considering pursuing full-time ministry. There was great respect for this pursuit...

The household of faith is built on the reality that God has designed the members of his household be complementarily diverse. That’s a mouthful. It means that God created us all with unique gifts, skills, talents, and predispositions. This diversity provides all that is required to meet the complex needs of the household of faith, individuals, families, churches, and communities. It is a perfect d...

The household of faith is built on the reality that God has designed the members of his household be complementarily diverse. That’s a mouthful. It means that God created us all with unique gifts, skills, talents, and predispositions. This diversity provides all that is required to meet the complex needs of the household of faith, individuals, families, churches, and communities. It is a perfect d...

As the presidential election draws closer, people’s fear is tangible. Some of this fear is rational. Much of this fear is not. Our future does not rest in the hands of the man who will be elected as our next president. Our future rests in the hands of the One who created and rules over all things. Our future rests in the hands of the One who understands the ungodly, sinful nature that resides in a...

What do you see when you look in the mirror. A vast majority of people do not like what they see. And we are not talking first and foremost about appearance. We are talking about the man and woman underneath. The mistakes we have made, the people we have hurt, our failings and failures, our disappointments and regrets. If this is what see, we are not seeing what God sees. We are focused instead on...

Many of us grew up with a healthy amount of fear when it came to our fathers or other male leaders, principals and police officers, for example. Certainly, there was benefit in this fear. We put ourselves and others in danger of great harm when we choose to break the rules. In the same way, it is healthy to fear God. His law is real, not just a suggestion. Yet, the Bible says that the law is “not...

Many of us grew up with a healthy amount of fear when it came to our fathers or other male leaders, principals and police officers, for example. Certainly, there was benefit in this fear. We put ourselves and others in danger of great harm when we choose to break the rules. In the same way, it is healthy to fear God. His law is real, not just a suggestion. Yet, the Bible says that the law is “not...

"I just want to be happy." The challenge with that sentiment is understanding what it truly means to be happy. Am I happy when I feel good? Am I happy when everything is going my way in life? A part of us recognizes that these kinds of approaches to happiness are shallow, that true happiness has to have more depth to it. Throughout the Scriptures we are told that true happiness is realized more an...

"I just want to be happy." The challenge with that sentiment is understanding what it truly means to be happy. Am I happy when I feel good? Am I happy when everything is going my way in life? A part of us recognizes that these kinds of approaches to happiness are shallow, that true happiness has to have more depth to it. Throughout the Scriptures we are told that true happiness is realized more an...

After a long day of work, you have earned the right to sit down in your favorite chair, put your feet up, and watch your favorite program. After a hard week on the job, you have earned the opportunity to relax a bit that weekend. After doing your job well for many months, you have earned those two weeks of vacation at the beach. This is how everyone thinks: rest is something you earn through hard...