Lack of integrity creates a leadership vacuum that’s difficult to overcome. Leaders are only as strong as their personal integrity will allow. We may see examples on the contrary, but in the long term, this stands true for all time. In 2 Samuel 12:27-28, the commander of the army makes an alarming challenge to David, […]
During a recent conversation, the topic of sin came up. This person was quite focused on living a holy life and abstaining from sin at all costs. That’s good. But his emphasis was so heavy on the individual, that I asked, “won’t that attempt move one toward perfectionism and eventually pride?” That evening, I read […]
It seems that greater the pain, the greater the intimacy with the Lord. At least, that’s my experience. As we experience more struggles, we tend to lean on God more than at other times. His peace floods our hearts and we experience his presence more. As we cry out to him, we naturally spend more […]
Maybe He wept because of the death of Lazarus. That’s what most think, and on the surface it seems to make sense. Sort of. I see this differently, as Jesus already knew he was going to resurrect Lazarus from the dead. Thus I cannot imagine him crying because he missed his friend. Because soon he […]
Protecting what we believe becomes a priority. Sometimes we are ready to “put up a fight” of various types for what we believe. But we may have friends, family, and other believers who believe differently. That creates a problem. The root of the problem is that our beliefs become so important to us that they […]
What’s in a name? For many people, nothing. But for the ancients, it was a treasure of value. For all of us, it’s a given name. Our parents or other relatives might have chosen our name. They might have thought it sounded good, cute, unique, or it rhymed with names of other children. Or, they […]
The story of Gideon is intriguing when you observe the multiple obstacles facing this man who was the one choice above all others in Israel. Was this the best God could find? At the time of his calling, Gideon objected doubting how God could be with Israel when all the negative things are happening […]
Of course, you should stand up for your rights. But to what extent? To avenge is to take action in hopes of gaining justice. But retaliation is to respond in kind, often negatively and quickly. Moab was a neighboring nation to Israel. They’ve been enemies and Israel faced the brunt of their attacks in various […]
The story of the talents is often misunderstood. In our modern times we refer to talents as abilities in music, arts, sports, etc. But the ancient use of the word talent was a unit of measure, specifically for weight. Thus, when that master gave “talents” to his servants, he was giving gold, silver, or other […]
It’s simple and complicated at the same time. In my earliest years, it was the Good News Bible for regular reading, and the KJV was my “church” bible. Later, in 1983 I tried the NIV for one week, and was hooked. Although I’ve used multiple translations, the NIV remained my primary bible. Then, when the […]