1 Peter 2:1-3, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander....
Bible
Memorizing and Meditating on God’s Word
Memorizing God’s Word Many Christians look on the spiritual discipline of memorizing God’s Word as...
Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves from Word of God
Every single one of us has days where we want to lay down on our bed, put our head in our pillow...
The Importance of Daily Bible Reading for Spiritual Growth
Whenever I write or speak about the need for Christians to daily read their Bible, I almost always get some form of pushback. At the heart of most of the pushback, I hear is something along the lines of how I’m making Bible reading a duty rather than a delight. I’ll...
Loving God, Asking Good Questions
In the Great Commandment, the Lord Jesus commands His people in Matthew 22:37-40 to love Him with all of their heart, mind, and strength. This command is repeated multiple times throughout the Gospels and also again by the Apostles; especially the Apostle John in the...
How to Find God’s Signature in the Bible
An Author's Signature Some authors leave marks of their authorship that have nothing to do with the point of their book. That seems to be the case, for example, with the letters of the apostle Paul. He wrote, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the...
Have You Ever (Really) Read the Bible?
You Can Be an Expert Bible Reader, and Not Really Read the Bible Probably in Jesus’s day, no one read the Bible more than the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the...
Spiritual Disciplines for Busy Men
I’ve been a Christian for almost all of my life—35 years—and yet when I see the word “Spiritual disciplines,” I cringe inwardly. Part of this discomfort is my own sinful tendency. I am, as the songwriter says, “Prone to wander.” The other part of my discomfort,...
Daily Scripture Reading: The Constant Change
Our habits form us. And I know of no ritual or habit more powerful in this world than daily Scripture reading. Throughout our lives, we will change. We are not the same person today that we were yesterday. And we will not be the same person tomorrow that we are today....
Marinating in God’s Word
It is almost summertime in Albany and in our family that means that at least once a week we enjoy cooking something on the BBQ grill. Sometimes it may be hamburgers and hot dogs, while other times it may be BBQ chicken, but our favorite is to grill chicken that has...
Know and Live God’s Word in Community with God’s People
Introduction The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is an ancient proverb that has timeless truth for our walk with God. There is an intrinsic tendency of all men and women to live by comparisons. We see some who are better off than us, and we...
Batting With the Bereans
One of the most exciting elements of spring is the beginning of baseball season. The outfield is mowed, the infield freshly groomed and the players make their way onto the field. Some players come prepared to play; others have managed to let the training program go by...
Honor the Author and the Author of the Biblical Text
The uniqueness and supernatural unity of biblical revelation demands that all of the parts be read in light of the whole for a full and adequate determination of meaning. This interpretive assertion would seem straightforward for those who believe the Bible is God’s...
Enjoying Daily Time Feasting on the Word of God
As Christians, we are called to be a people of one book, the Word of God. The Word of God is not a book of fairytales and myths. The Word of God is given to God’s people; Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 to instruct us in the Truth. The Bible is the Word of God—the...
Daily Washing Yourself in the Word
I am nearing completion of two months of daily Bible reading. A commitment I made for 2017 was to read through the Bible chronologically. Each year, I seem to get off to a great start only to get bogged down at some point in the year, often resulting in my daily Bible...