What can I do to improve my discipleship? I trust that these are matters all can benefit from, but I need to personalize this. I'm not simply asking, "What can I tell others to do?" but "What can I do?" Getting lost in the maze of responsibilities and thinking about what others need to do is easy. Far more difficult is the hard work of being honest with self, knowing what needs to change, and having the will to do it.

There are obvious actions and attitudes that are always on the table: more prayer, more study, more love,…

Sometimes people attempt to justify their sinful conduct on the basis of "well everyone else is doing it." If "everyone else" is dressing immodestly, what are we going to do? If "everyone else" is going to a "must see" R-rated movie, what are we going to do? If "everyone else" is lying, stealing, or cheating what are we going to do?

In the days of King Nebuchadnezzar, "everyone else" was bowing down and worshiping his golden image (see Dan. 3:1-7). But what did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego do? They said "let it be known to you, O king, that…

            “You be careful!”  “Watch out!”  “Look where you’re going!”  We’ve all heard these or similar warnings for most of our lives.  Actually, there is no area of life where the proper use of care is not necessary.  We exercise care regarding education, employment, families, our health. And well we should–caution is invaluable in life.  We need to be careful.

            Being careful in spiritual matters is especially important in that it has a bearing on our eternal destiny.  You’d think we would be especially careful about…

            “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’” (John 8:12).

            We can think about many metaphorical applications of the Light of Jesus.  There is the glory, righteousness, purity, and life of the Father and the Son.  In the literal sense, Jesus was also the source of physical light in our world, because in John 1:3 we…

            When I was just a little kid, we used to play follow the leader. There was a kid in our neighborhood who was a bully.  He ordered all us kids around, and we generally did whatever he wanted us to do. Once in a while he would mount his bike and round up all the kids in the area for a game of follow the leader. You played, whether you wanted to or not.  You didn’t dare refuse or you’d be in trouble.  So we’d get on our bikes and take out behind…

            When you read Hebrews 11, it is easy to focus on what you might consider the “great” acts of faith.  Noah prepared an ark.  Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry land.   But there is also a three-word phrase in that chapter that describes the lifestyle of Abraham, the father of the faithful: “dwelling in tents” (11:9).

            A tent back then, just like we think of it today, was a temporary shelter.  They were made of leather or animal skins or cloth. …

            I had almost gone past the poor little thing before I saw him.

            I was walking near a concrete drainage ditch when I heard him flapping furiously in the shallow water.  It was a little bird. It had somehow fallen into the ditch, gotten its wings wet and could not fly out.  Time and again it tried, but to no avail.

            I almost walked on.  Suddenly it struck me.  He can't help himself.  If I don't do…

The consideration of this question “should” be a very personal one.  We are more than a little fortunate to work and worship with a group that has many workers.  Still there is room for each of us to reflect on either what more can I do or, what can I do.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he speaks of his relationship with both Timothy and Epaphroditus.  In 2:19 beginning we read of Timothy ~ “But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy…

            Few things in life last for 40 years.  Those that do don’t always function at the same level as they once did.  This June 17-20 will feature the 40^th edition of the Southside Lectures.  They are as vibrant and effective as they were when they began in 1980.

            The number 40 is frequently used throughout the Scriptures.  Forty days and nights of rain during the flood.  Forty years of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.  Forty days that Jesus fasted before being tempted by the…

            WARNING!  We see this label everywhere.  We find it on appliances to keep people from electrocuting themselves and on coffee cups to keep people from burning themselves with the hot liquid.  The apostle Peter gave us a warning at the end of his second book to not get carried away with error or to lose our stability (2 Pet. 3:17).  These warnings are meant to be life-saving: both physically and spiritually.  Thankfully, with this warning Peter gives the solution for what we need to do in order to not get carried…