Thirsting Souls

Revelation 2:1-7

Paul wrote to the church in Colossae to instruct them on how new-creation character should impact their relationships. As Christians, they did not get to choose which relationships were impacted because all of them must be transformed by new-creation character. In Colossians 3:18-4:1, Paul targets the two most difficult arenas to manifest new-creation character, but he shows the beautiful ideal th...

Colossians 3 primarily consists of applications. The last few verses of the chapter place an emphasis on how new-creation character should transform your relationships, and Paull gives an interesting command to dads in verse 21. Dads, don't exasperate your kids so that they lose heart. Instead of exasperating them, show that you can listen to them, even when they reveal your character deficiencies...

Colossians 3:12-17 teaches that Christian is not only to put off the old man with its sin but also to put on new creation character. This call requires that the Christian let the Word dwell in their hearts and seek to bring glory to Christ with their entire being.

When Christ enters your life everything must change. In order to successfully live through this massive change from death to life, the Christian must put on two mindsets--the heavenly mindset and the militant mindset. Without these mindsets, sin will destroy you, and you will live your new life as if nothing has changed.

Colossians 1:24-2:5 shares a secret for having a joy that is solid rather than fragile; link your joy to advancing the cause of Christ. Those whose joy comes from advancing Christ's purposes can have a solid joy that cannot be stolen even by intense suffering

Colossians 2:6-23 teaches that there is an unprecedented fullness that believers have in Christ. Religions of the world seek to add to that fullness, and by doing so, they strip all value away. Paul encourages the believers in the church at Colossae to evaluate this poor teaching, remove its restrictions, and celebrate the fullness they have in Christ.

What happens when you orient your life around secondary issues? You end up hopelessly lost. Paul's letter to the Colossians teaches that since Christ is at the center of everything, to avoid being lost, you must orient your entire life around Him rather than secondary matters.

In Colossians 1 Paul gives us the secret to a thankful heart for all that God is doing for the church. The secret is to pray deeply for the church so that you recognize how God is at the center of it all. If you neglect to pray that way, Satan will rob you of the joy of praising God for His work in the church

In Mark 11-12 several groups try to trap Jesus as they as loaded questions. The Sadducees are among them, but their absurd question had one problem; it revealed their ignorance of the Word. Jesus' answer addresses that problem and challenges us on our quest to know the Book so we can know our God.

Jesus sends a special message to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11. Because of His nature, He enables you to overcome even death itself, and the treasure He promises richly rewards the faithfulness He requires.

John 13 tells the perplexing story of Jesus washing His disciples' feet. We are left a bit unsure of what the meaning of this act of service is, and we can easily miss the point. However, the text calls us to humble service even during moments of anguish. Christ models humble service, and you can serve like Him too.

In John 10, Jesus not-so-subtly veils a jab at the Pharisees for how they are false shepherds. Using two metaphors, Jesus contrasts Himself from these false shepherds who steal life from the sheep whereas the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Judges 6 introduces the same cycle of rebellion and oppression as the rest of the book, and we expect God to immediately save His people when they cry out to Him. However, GOd first sends a prophet to condemn them rather than a judge to deliver them. Gideon heard the prophet's preaching, and his responses to the Angel of the Lord echo the words of the prophet. Even as Gideon makes excuses, we see...

Many things in life are entirely unavoidable, but human nature is to attempt to avoid them anyway. In Matthew 2, two groups attempt to avoid the unavoidable King, but an unlikely group chooses a different option—to adore Him.

Revelation 3:1-6 holds a haunting reality. Your spiritual life can be in grave danger, and you can be totally unaware. At that moment, you are in a state of spiritual stupor, and Christ condemns this state as He addresses the church in Sardis.

Do you ever feel ashamed of the gospel or simply fearful to share it? In Romans 1:15-18, Paul reminds the church that the very nature of the gospel should embolden us to proclaim because it evidences God's power to save anyone and apply the righteousness of Christ that transforms a person's life.

Hebrews 4:14-16

The Christian life resembles an unconquerable marathon. There are twists and bends, uphill climbs, and deep valleys that all pressure the Christian to give up hope. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul writes to his young protege to teach him there are three ways to run this race, but only two of them receive eternal rewards.

Revelation 5:8-14 depicts a glorious worship scene that continually broadens until every living thing is involved in worshipping the Son. Creation's worship of the Son condemns weak and shallow worship and demands that you deepen your worship.

How can we avoid worthless worship? Let's take a lesson from the priests in Malachi 1

How do we combat unbelief and discontentment at the root?

Christians often face a cycle of ups and downs in their spiritual lives. One moment they are growing by leaps and bounds, and in an instant, they feel despair overtaking their lives. I think of these two phases as the way up and the way down. Today we look at the way down and how devastating of a cycle it truly is.

In 2 Corinthians 2:5-13, Paul addresses a difficult situation in the church. The church had failed to obey in the area of discipline, but now they had gone too far and refused to forgive. What are the consequences of refusing to forgive, and what does God expect from us in these situations?

In 2 Chronicles 2:11 King Hiram tells King Solomon that he is convinced of GOd's love for Israel because God made Solomon king. Could an unbeliever say something similar to you?