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Several years ago I wrote several stories , one for each part of the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The story on goodness gave me pause. The idea of goodness is not foreign, but to define it was difficult for me. I’m talking about the biblical definition. If you recall, Jesus said, “There is only One good.” (Luke 18:19) What did He mean by that?

There are two Greek words for good. Agathos (ag-ath-os’), a primary word meaning intrinsic benefit or well; kalos (kal-os'),…  ( Click for more )

In my house this year, we had a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. You know, rather small and insignificant looking with only 70 lights and a few red bells for decoration. It is a live tree, though, green and straight, not leaning over, or withered looking. We were just too sick this year to drag out all the decorations or to do much shopping. However, in your living room or somewhere in your house there may be a green tree standing tall and draped with beautiful, tinkling jewels of light and glory.

I didn’t hear much conversation this year about Holiday tree versus Christmas…  ( Click for more )

I was concentrating so hard on my work that I never noticed it was getting harder for me to breathe. I rose to grab a cup of coffee and was shocked that my head swam so much I staggered. Suddenly chills ran over me and I knew that the bug going around was not satisfied with just taking up residence in my chest, but had to have my head, too.

I didn’t have time to get sick. So many things had to be done, work had to be fed into the pipeline so others could do their job. So I sucked it up and kept plodding along. Never mind that it took twice as long to do what I…  ( Click for more )

Little, sweet baby feet. Mary will soon cover them with her hand, warming them against the night chill. She has treasured in her heart all the words spoken about her first born Son. Things like, "The angel was so glorious, shouting out praises to God on High and the Good News! The Messiah is born! Our long awaited Savior, the Lord, is born!" And word went out publically, through the bright streets of Bethelehem. The star shining down on the child. The little feet, toes curled against the chill, wiggled in His mother's hand. Eight day old, tiny feet with…  ( Click for more )

Something I had not thought about before is those wicked kings that show up in Jesus’ lineage. Matthew Henry points out that grace does not run in the blood. Here’s what he says:

Some observe what a mixture there was of good and bad in the succession of these kings; as for instance (Matthew 1:7-8), wicked Roboam begat wicked Abia; wicked Abia begat good Asa; good Asa begat good Josaphat; good Josaphat begat wicked Joram. Grace does not run in the blood, neither does reigning sin. God's grace is his own, and he gives or withholds it as he pleases.

Often…  ( Click for more )

But let all who put their trust in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever, because You cover them. And let those who love Your name be joyful in You. Psalm 5:11

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:23-24

The Psalm was written and sung long after God had performed many miracles: …  ( Click for more )

...I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." 2Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. (Revelation 4:1-3)

Then a voice like a trumpet called out, “Come up here!”

I ask you, who…  ( Click for more )

Luke 15:8 Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma does not light a lamp and sweep the house, and look carefully until she finds it? 9 And finding it, she calls together the friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I lost.

The drachmas, in Jesus time, was equivalent to the Roman denarii and was worth about 18 cents, so ten coins was worth about $2 or approximately ten days wages. James Merritt told his congregation back in March of 2002 that these ten coins this woman possessed were her engagement ring and…  ( Click for more )

GOD smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill off everything living as I've just done. (Genesis href="http://www.studylight.org/desk/index.cgi?q1=Gen+8:21&t1=_msg">Genesis 8:21 MSG)

Noah was offering the sacrifices that God had told him to bring with him into the ark. Not only were there two of every kind of unclean animal and creepy crawlies in the ark, but there were also seven pairs of clean animals and creepers …  ( Click for more )

There was a story told long ago about a certain wealthy man. He had so much wealth he struggled to remain alive because he did not want to leave behind his wealth when he died. When that fatal day finally came, the angels came for him, and he begged and pleaded to bring at least some of his gold with him to Heaven. The angel tried to explain to him that naked he came into the world and naked he would leave. But, his gold had never let him down. He had always been able to open locked doors with it and to build bridges to foreign lands with it. So after vigorous pleading,…  ( Click for more )

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” (Scott, 1808).

Frankly, we are all guilty. (James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.) The question remains though: Should public officials, pastors, and ministerial staff be held to a higher standard? Is there any lie that is okay for any of these guys to tell?

Let’s take a look at a few examples…

Corrie Ten Boom tells of a family who were hiding Jews from the Nazis. The grandmother of the household was so nervous…  ( Click for more )

I always know when the music swells and the snow starts falling the movie is over, and the couple, entwined in each other’s arms will live happily ever after. However, for the two hours (or hour and a half depending on commercials) before this special moment the couple have waged a battle of the sexes or have montage-d through a breathy song or two to fall in love. They look deeply into each other’s eyes and suddenly realize that life is unbearable if the other is not around. They seem to know this because we need another montage and breathy song to tell us they…  ( Click for more )

My daughter wailed, "I wish God would quit strengthening me. I'm so tired of all these trails and tribulations!" That was several years ago. She has since matured greatly in the Lord. I am amazed at how much in such a short space of time.

Then someone asked me to send them "that thing from that Baptist church where that shooting took place." It took a minute for me to remember what "that thing" was... and where it was. When I found it, I read it again and tears just poured down my cheeks. It was then that I realized there are many, many blessings…  ( Click for more )

You know you rock along really well for a long time not doing anything stupid. You don't get all puffed up about it, but you feel really responsible because you haven't locked your keys in the car in years, you haven't locked yourself out of the house in months, and you haven't spilled your dinner on your shirt in days.

Then you do something really stupid like wash your cell phone... in the washing machine... with bleach.

I never took out the insurance on my phone because I've had one for years and years and I've never dropped it in the sink, or on concrete, or in the…  ( Click for more )

(An excerpt from my new workbook that is a companion to my book "Refreshment in Refuge")

Our battles begin and end in the mind… Freedom of will is the same as freedom of choice. We choose who we love, where we live, what we eat, how we react to our trials and tribulations. We choose not us suffer consequences so we obey our parents. We choose to believe God exists and believe His Word, or we can choose not to believe. As in the passage from Joshua, "Choose you this day whom you will sever, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." …  ( Click for more )

How can it possibly be all right for any person to sin and then to blame someone else for the sin?

How can it possibly be all right for any person to sin against another person causing havoc, chaos, hurt, and heartbreak?

It is not. It never will be all right.

God never said it was all right. This is precisely why He sent His Son to die on the cross. It was to reconcile Him to us, His creation. No sin can enter into His presence. We have to be covered by the blood of Christ so that the sin is atoned and we are reconciled.

That does not make sin all right.…  ( Click for more )

I remember when gasoline was 35 cents a gallon during a price war in the late 1960s. (Yes, I know that dates me! Although, I am not as old as dirt.) That was long before Esso had to change its name to Exxon. I can still hear my dad say, “Fill’er up.” We’d get the full treatment. It was why they were called service stations rather than gas stations. My dad worked at one of those while he went to A&E school—Airplane and Engine mechanic school. He was very familiar with Christian service.

Service is much more than checking the oil level…  ( Click for more )

Isaiah 58 hold dear words of promise: If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your gloom shall be as the noon day. The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many…  ( Click for more )

I wrote a column 7 Crowns of the Believers, which became one of the most viewed articles on my own website. I'm not sure why so many people have been curious about the crowns. I noticed on Amazon there are not that many books about the believers' crowns, so I did a lot more research on the subject. I was astounded at what I found. I wrote a book which will be published soon (and I do hope you'll consider buying it!). There are more than seven crowns. I am sharing an excerpt from my book with you today...

Crown of Insolence

Chapter Six

No discussion of crowns is…  ( Click for more )

There are about as many interpretations of the End Times as there are Christians in the world.

To me, it seems like people decide to pick and choose scriptures that only pertain to their own view rather than encompassing the entire Bible (including the old Testament as well as the New Testament). The trouble with incorporating the Old with the New is that the OT prophets would prophesy near happenings and far off happenings almost in the same breath. The only way to tell the difference is to know ancient history really well, or know and trust the work of some archeologists. Even…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever wondered why Moses asked God, "What name shall I give the Israelites when they ask?" Perhaps it is simply that names connotated character or aspects of a person. " And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:14 YHWH -- self sufficient, I AM, no beginning, no end, eternal, infinite, forever. LORD God. A lesson that not only the Israelites and Egyptians needed to hear. Several places we find YHWH written before the word 'ĕlôhı̂ym…  ( Click for more )

I'm cheating a bit here today. I've lifted the ending of this column from my blog from last month. However, in studying this week's Sunday school lesson (we are studying Ezekiel), I noticed something spectacular. I hate flashbacks, but I must back up two weeks to give you the whole picture. I am expounding my study on the Crowns of the Believers to put it in book form. In my study I ran across an online discussion of Bible archeology where the Believers were in stark contrast to the Human Reasonist camp. The general consensus of that camp is that we should not necessarily believe…  ( Click for more )

So often Jesus’ lineage is studied with great emphasis given to the long line of men listed in the begats. There are only four women listed: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, and Bathsheba. In this list are a Canaanite harlot from Jericho, a Canaanite woman, a Moabite, and an adulteress.

I have to wonder why these women were singled out to be mentioned. What could possibly be so different about them that they needed mentioning when not even Sarah was mentioned or Isaac’s wife, Rebecca? I do not think it is solely because of their sin. Although, I do believe that God has reminded…  ( Click for more )

Could we take a minute here and look at the Lampstand at Ephesus?

The New English Bible translation says in Revelation 1:20 "Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and of the seven lamps of gold: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lamps are the seven churches."

Then Revelation 2:5 says: "But I have this against you: you have lost your early love. Think from what a height you have fallen; repent, and do as you once did. Otherwise, if you do not repent, I shall come to you and…  ( Click for more )