Every true believer in Christ will produce fruit of some kind, in some measure. Jesus makes that very clear in John 15, where He declares, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away…” (v. 2) Then He describes what becomes of such a branch in v. 6, “If anyone does not…
Ever since the earliest days of the church, she has faced the threat of false teachers who love to see God’s people deviate into error. The short, one-chapter book of Jude addresses this problem in the first century, and there are abiding principles we need to grasp and practice in the twenty-first century. Contemporary American…
What Peter has said would come indeed has: In these “last days” scoffers abound who live according to the dictates of their own pleasure and laugh at the very idea that Jesus Christ will come again—after all, He’s been gone for nearly 2,000 years! In their scoffing folly, they fail to see that God is…
Peter’s first letter was written to Christians going through trying times, largely at the hands of others hostile to their Christian perspective and manner of life. When someone gives us a hard time, it’s easy to become consumed with desires for personal revenge or for their physical harm. And then it’s not long before those…
On the one hand, for us to experience God’s gift of salvation is quite easy because it takes no work. In contrast to every other religion in the world, the Christian doctrine of salvation requires no amount of good works in order to be saved, for “by the works of the law shall no flesh…
One of the hallmarks of a Christian overwhelmed by God’s grace is a generous, giving spirit—and it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has a great deal to give! I’m blessed to serve as pastor of a people who are generous, yet I don’t think anyone in the church could be classified as wealthy. Our…
When it comes to God’s Word, how would you describe your “passion level”? Just how interested are you in getting anything from it? There are some professing Christians who, if they were honest, would have to confess they really don’t have any desire to know God’s Word any better than their current shallow understanding. Others…
The book of Esther is one of the most unique books of Scripture, for the name of the Lord doesn’t appear in any form and there are no explicit acts of piety to be found within its ten chapters. Yes, at one point, Esther calls for a fast, but we must infer that coupled with…
Being aware of the dual realities that (1) in this world Christians are going to face a measure of tribulation and troubled times, and (2) the end of this world as we know it is nearer than ever, how should Christians live? In 1 Peter 4, the inspired apostle first challenges us to be alert…
A few years ago, I inherited a small, thin hard-cover devotional book, Devotions and Prayers of John Calvin. So, the material in each 2-page spread (devotional thoughts on 1 page, a prayer on the other) is about 500 years old. Calvin wrote in French, and the text was translated into English—when, I don’t know, but…