“You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers” 1 Thessalonians 2:10   Few of us today think the way Paul did. Here, he invited other believers to judge his life—to be witnesses of whether or not he was living with integrity. We’re[...]

“You have left your first love” Revelation 2:4   The early days of being a Christian are exciting. You’re eager to read the Bible, fellowship with other believers, and serve at church. But that passion and enthusiasm can cool down over time. Like the church at Ephesus, you can leave[...]

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” 1 Corinthians 2:12   One of the main reasons people give for not reading the Bible more is that it’s[...]

As a new year dawns, many are energized by the idea of a fresh start or a new bucket list. I’d like to offer a different perspective. Instead of limiting your thoughts to the coming year, what if you viewed your New Year’s resolutions with an eternal perspective? Colossians 3[...]

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” John 15:7   How do you know that you’re abiding in Christ? Jesus linked our abiding in Him with His Word abiding in us. The more you engage the Bible with your mind, the more it will guide your[...]

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4   The major difference between being an unfruitful or fruitful Christian is whether or not we abide in Christ. We tend[...]

“every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2   Pruning is the most crucial thing that happens in a vineyard. Healthy grapes cannot grow without it. In fact, a lack of sufficient pruning can cause a vineyard to fail completely. The pruning process is no[...]

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1   There’s no such thing as being at a standstill spiritually. We’re either making progress in our relationship with Jesus or we’re drifting away. As[...]

“For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…” Proverbs 24:16   We all experience failure. The question is whether we'll get up when we fall—and how? Some believers fail spiritually and never recover. They surrender to the sin in their lives as an inevitable fact. But a season of[...]