Articles
Word
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 NIV) Jesus is the first and the final Word on God because Jesus is God. Fully God, He became fully human, so we could fully understand the fullness God. And, it’s by the...
Ways
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) You know, sometimes my way just seems better than God’s way; my understanding wiser than God’s...
Hypocrisy
“Do not judge, lest you should be judged.” (Matthew 7:1 BLB) “There are too many hypocrites in the church, so I don’t go.” That was the first sentence out of the young man’s mouth after he found out that I was a pastor. I was walking my dog and stopped to talk to a...
Advantage
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21 NIV) The Greek word translated “gain” in this verse means “advantage.” Departing from this life actually benefits followers of Christ. It means we trade the tattered tents of our earthly bodies for...
Consolation
“He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25b NIV) His bones ached. For the past several years, getting out of bed in the morning had been the most difficult part of his day. Today was no different. His old body protested the thought of getting out from...
Wonderful
“Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” (Luke 2:11 BSB) “Mary! It’s just as the Lord promised! We have a beautiful baby boy. I’ll wash him and wrap him in these strips of cloth and bring him back to you.” “Please hurry,...
Anticipation
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross . . . (Hebrews 12:2b) When I was a kid the Christmas season started around October. My younger brother, Eric, and I would break out all the department store catalogs in the house, turn right to the toy sections, and...
Living!
“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:18a NIV) “Dad, is there really no such thing as Santa Claus?” My older daughter, Amy, then six years old and in the first grade, was sitting on the living room couch looking...
Miraculous
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23 NIV) I was in the delivery room for the birth of...
Making God’s Love Real
By Darlene Franklin Zero percent variance. God’s love never changes. At all. If God pelts the earth with a meteor storm of His love, it doesn’t diminish. (Psalm 36:5 MSG) We don’t have the under or detour around His love. It fills every crook of the known and the...
Reality
“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus . . .’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your...
Blessed
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” (Luke 2:10 BSB) A few years back my younger daughter, Heather, spent her Christmas break recovering from surgery to her left leg. She was...
Perfect
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14 NIV) My son had a hard time pronouncing “v’s” and “r’s” when he was young. He was in the fourth grade by the time he could say “very” instead of “wehwy.” At his sixth...
Reaching
“Little children, let us not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18 NHEB) God sent Jesus into the world to be a sacrifice to atone for our sins (1Jn. 4:10). He sent His Son to atone for our sins so we could be at one with...
Initiator
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10 NIV) There is a basic difference in Christianity that separates it from nearly every other religion. The difference is this: most other...
Qualified
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet . . .” (Matthew 1:22 NIV) I think that sometimes God just likes showing off. Rainbows, sunsets, hummingbirds . . . atoms – they’re all prime examples of God just showing off. Sometimes, God...
Pastors and Pietism: Key to Spiritual Renewal, Part 4
Copyright © 2017 Roger Helland Are you “praying the price” for pastoral and church spiritual renewal? According to David Butts, president of Harvest Prayer Ministries, “Most surveys indicate that the average American Christian prays 3 minutes or less a day. Pastors...
Rewarded
“But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats.” (2 Peter 3:14 NIV) My little brother and I were very close growing up. We both had vivid imaginations so we played together well – for the most...
Persevere
"It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God." (Act 14:22 HCSB) He had only imagined himself as a farmer. He loved the out of doors and the smell of dirt and livestock and hay. He played with toy trucks and tractors and watched...
Touched
"Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5:34 NIV) She had heard of this teacher who spoke with authority and healed with a touch. God knows she needed a healing touch. But would he touch her? Doubtful. She was...
