Adopting Christ's AttitudeR.C. SproulPhilippians 2:5–9“Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being f...  Read More

Luke 9:57-62As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, "II will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father."  But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; ...  Read More

A Passage To Ponder: Luke 9:57-62Martin Luther is reputed to have once said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”Or as Tennessee preacher, Greg Nance expressed it, “We need to ask ourselves, am I just tagging along or truly following Jesus?The essence of discipleship is following Jesus. It calls for commitment. Requires dedication. Demands loyalty. ...  Read More

Seeking the LostLuke 15:1–32LUKE 15:1–32'I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (v. 7).Generally speaking, a dog owner will search high and low for his pet if he finds that his animal is missing. He might walk through his neighborhood yelling out the name of his dog in hopes that it will come running....  Read More

PragmatismLuke 14:25–33LUKE 14:25–33“Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (v. 28).While most of the philosophies that have shaped American culture are European in origin, pragmatism is at least one worldview that was born in the United States. Its assumptions lie at the heart of postmodernism, that catch-all ter...  Read More

Planning to GrowLUKE 14:25–33“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (v. 28)Ideally, we learn at a young age the importance of setting goals in order to reach a desired end. We begin to save money in order to be able to buy certain things. The setting of deadlines for ourselves, we soon find out, is necessary ...  Read More

A Plan for GrowthLUKE 14:25–33“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (vv. 27–28).The goal of reflecting the image of God more truly and consistently cannot be achieved through passivity. Paul tells us that we must work out our salvat...  Read More

Luke 14:25-35Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does ...  Read More

KEY TAKEAWAY: Prayer is the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do.“In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God....  Read More

KEY TAKEAWAY: The purpose of prayer is not to give orders to God; the purpose is to get orders from God.“Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the ...  Read More

KEY TAKEAWAY: Going back to places of spiritual significance can help us find our way forward again.“I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what He will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint.”‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭HCSB‬‬https://bible.com/bible/72/hab.2.1.HCSB1. In the ancient world, watchmen would stand at the ground posts on top of t...  Read More

KEY TAKEAWAY: Agreeing with someone in prayer is like getting your prayer notarized.“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.””‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1...  Read More