Wednesday's Word

Are you living a spiritually isolated life? How many of your fellow Christians are truly aware of the major areas of difficulty and temptation in your life? How many authentic and helpful conversations have you had recently about these areas? Inside the body of Christ, which is meant to be the most honest community on earth, many of us exist in a network of surface-level relationships. We live with the delusion that we know one another, but we really don’t. We call our easygoing,... Read More

Sex — you don't have to look very far or listen very close to notice that it's being shown and discussed all over the place. If you pay any attention to your own desires and instincts, you'll quickly be reminded that you too are a sexual being. With all of this swirling around us and inside us, the church of Jesus Christ has been strangely silent. We seem to approach sex with a timidity that does not make personal, cultural, or biblical sense. Pastors are often all too... Read More

What is love? You won't find the best answer on the pages of Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster or Shakespeare. No, the best definition of love was established at an event, the most important event in human history: the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's sacrifice of love is the ultimate example of what love is and what love does. Here's a definition I like to use: 1. Love is willing self-sacrifice for the good of another that does not require reciprocation or that the... Read More

Today will be the ninth and final devotional on the topic of words. To conclude, I want to go back to an earlier verse we studied. "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45) It's absolutely true that what's already in our hearts will be revealed by what we say. But there's something else that this verse - and the overall... Read More

There are many verses in the Bible that encourage me and fill my soul with hope. But then there are other verses that scare and sober me. Proverbs 18:21 is near the top of that latter list. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" (ESV). I like how The Message summarizes it: "Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit — you choose." That verse compels me to wrap duct tape around my... Read More

When was the last time someone confronted you of sin? How did you handle it? When was the last time you needed to confront someone of their sin? Did you try to avoid it? If you're anything like me, the thought of confrontation or rebuke can be very uncomfortable. But, the concept is an essential part of God's plan for Christian community and spiritual growth. Hebrews 3:13 says, "Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened... Read More

Valentine's Day is over. That means all those advertisements for roses and chocolate-covered strawberries and pendants are over, too. At least until next year. What's the main message in those advertisements? "If you love your spouse or significant other, you'll purchase them our special item." I have no problem with that. Luella and I gift each other regularly with romantic gestures. But those gifts are signs of our affection for one another; they are not love. ... Read More

When I was a boy, my mother told me to never forget these words. More than 50 years later, clearly I haven't: "There isn't anything that comes out of the mouth of a drunk that wasn't there in the first place." We were at a family reunion, and an uncle had consumed too much alcohol and began saying sexually perverse things. Knowing the excuses that would follow, my mom took the opportunity to disciple us with street-level theology by sharing what the Lord said: ... Read More

My two oldest sons are two years apart. They’re adults now, but when they were younger, I remember an argument they had. I can’t specifically remember what the argument was about, something silly and insignificant. It was one of many, like all brothers have. What I do remember was how harsh their tone was, how their words were laden with accusation, and how their choice of vocabulary was personally damaging. Their sentences were designed to tear down, not find a solution to the... Read More

How much did you talk yesterday? Can you remember half of what you said? Some of us talk more than others, but even those of us who are considered quiet say a lot during the course of a day. From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, our existence is defined by words. Because talking is so natural, we don't pay much attention to what we're saying. But in my many years of studying the Bible and counseling people, I have come to realize the significance that God places... Read More