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December 31, 2009
There is something special that happens when God's people come together for worship. Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).
One of the ways we express our worship ...
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December 30, 2009
"Fellowship" is a great word that Christians often use. But do we know what fellowship originally meant in the early church? The word "fellowship" used in Acts 2 is the Greek word koinonia. It is a difficult word to translate into English because o...
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December 29, 2009
The first-century church believed in the preaching and teaching of the Bible. And if you want to be close to God, then you have to love the Word of God, because God will speak to His people through His Word.
Show me a person who is studying the...
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December 28, 2009
If you were in a restaurant with some friends and said, "Now, I have a secret I want to share with you. I don't want you to share this with anyone else, . . . " you can be sure they would start leaning forward. The people seated at the tables nearby would...
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December 26, 2009
One of the biggest trends in the automotive industry during the late 1990s and the first part of this century was the sport utility vehicle, or SUV. Maybe they became popular because we baby boomers didn't want to acknowledge that we had reached middle ag...
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December 25, 2009
Immanuel: God is with us—God came to us. What a staggering thought. It is really the essence of the Christian faith and the Christian life. All other religious ideologies essentially tell you that you must do something: Do this, and you will find...
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December 24, 2009
The very word "Christmas" has been emptied of its meaning, drug through the gutter, and given back to us, minus its power. Some prefer to use the more politically correct terminology at this time of year, like "Happy Holidays," "Merry Xmas," or even "Happ...
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December 23, 2009
I have always believed in the promise of Christmas. There is something very special, wonderful, even magical (in the best use of that word) at this time of year. And that goes back to my earliest childhood.
With Christmas, we have a sense of wo...
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December 22, 2009
At this time of the year, we say, "Merry Christmas." I prefer that to "Happy Holidays," but I don't get confrontational about it. Instead, I want to be gracious. After all, Christmas isn't always a happy time for everyone. For someone who has lost their j...
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December 21, 2009
When the first Christmas came, when Jesus was born, most people missed it. Of course, there were no telltale signs like reindeer on front lawns. No Christmas songs had been written. There were no colorful, twinkling lights or sales at the downtown market....
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December 19, 2009
Over the years, the legendary Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog has featured some pretty extravagant gifts.
The 1963 catalog offered his-and-her submarines for $18,000. In the 1964 catalog, you could buy a hot air balloon for $6,000. In 1967, the...
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December 18, 2009
In Luke 5 we find the story of Jesus using a floating pulpit of sorts. The crowds were pressing in on Him to such an extent that He asked Peter if He could borrow his boat to speak to them. Peter agreed, and so Jesus launched out a little from the shore a...
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December 17, 2009
There are a number of analogies in the Bible that illustrate how we belong to God. For instance, we are called the bride of Christ. We are also compared to sheep that belong to a shepherd. Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep (see...
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December 16, 2009
Jesus once said to His disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side." So they boarded their boat and began cruising across the Sea of Galilee, a very large, freshwater lake known for storms that arrive quickly and without warning. And sure enough, a st...
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December 15, 2009
Sometimes people think they will have smooth sailing as long as they are in the will of God. But that wasn't true of the apostle Paul. He seemed to face every kind of adversity imaginable, from enemies who tried to destroy him to physical suffering to bei...
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December 14, 2009
People have asked me for the one thing they could say to their unbelieving friends to make them become Christians. They want to know the one truth that no one can resist. But I have no such truth—nor does anyone else. There is nothing I can say or y...
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December 12, 2009
Christmas, for many, is the happiest time of the year. But, for some people, it can be one of the hardest times of the year.
Maybe it is because they have false expectations. Or maybe it reminds them of a loved one who has died, or a divorce or...
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December 11, 2009
Where is the easiest place to get a hardened heart? In church. The same truth that will set one person free can cause another person to become more hardened against the things of God.
It really depends on how you listen and respond when you are...
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December 10, 2009
Sometimes when Christians share the gospel, I think they unnecessarily offend their listeners. They insult them. But that is not necessary. There is already a built-in offense in the essential message of the gospel. Let's not add to that. It has been said...
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December 9, 2009
Almost is an interesting word, one that we sometimes use when we are delaying something, when we are not quite ready to commit. Maybe you've been in a restaurant where the menu is the size of a small phone book. When the server arrived at your table and a...
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December 8, 2009
We tend to think of life on earth as the real thing and heaven as the surreal thing. But it is actually the opposite. Heaven is the real thing. That is why C. S. Lewis referred to our time on earth as "the shadowlands."
Heaven is the ultimate f...
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December 7, 2009
One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." God spoke these words to the Jewish people during their captivity in Babylon...
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December 5, 2009
It seems as if everything is turned upside-down in our culture today. Think about it: Good has become bad and bad has become good. This is even true of the slang expressions we use today.
Back when I was a kid, words like "far out" and "groovy"...
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December 4, 2009
When it is all said and done, what God wants from us is not success as much as faithfulness. Results and fruit are His work. Faithfulness and obedience are ours.
God had a future for the apostle Paul, even when he had been arrested and thrown i...
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December 3, 2009
If you could know everything about your future, would you want to? If you could know about every bad thing that anyone said about you, would you want to have that information in your head? I wouldn't. I think it would be quite disillusioning.
A...
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December 2, 2009
Have you ever been discouraged? Are you facing discouragement right now? Have you ever felt as though your life were a failure? Have you been frightened about the future? Or do you feel that life is not fair?
Even the apostle Paul was discourag...
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December 1, 2009
When you are very young, you are usually preoccupied with what you are getting for Christmas. But as you get older, you start learning the joy of giving, and you actually find that it is indeed more of a blessing to give than it is to receive.
...
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November 30, 2009
The apostle Paul saw himself as a watchman, someone who would be positioned on the wall of a city to keep watch for the enemy or any other danger that was approaching. A watchman would then run and warn people about what he saw. Paul told the Ephesian eld...
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November 28, 2009
A while ago, a group of seminary students were given the task of organizing the Ten Commandments in their perceived order of importance.
Interestingly, these students felt that the sixth commandment—"You shall not murder"—should be ...
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November 27, 2009
We make our plans, but God always will have His way. There is nothing wrong with making a plan for tomorrow or next month or next year. But just keep in mind that God may change your plans. He is in control of your life. We are told in Jeremiah 10:23, "I ...
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November 26, 2009
In Acts 16 we find a beautiful story of two men who glorified God in the midst of some discouraging circumstances.
Paul and Silas had been arrested in Philippi for preaching the gospel. After being beaten with wooden rods, they were thrown into...
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November 25, 2009
I remember the first time I said, "Praise the Lord!" It seemed like a very awkward phrase to utter. All of my Christian friends would say it, and I thought, I am going to say that now. I consciously thought about it first. But I had a hard time get...
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November 24, 2009
The apostle Paul's heart was stirred for the people of Athens. He cared. But then he took action. The Bible tells us, "Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happen...
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November 23, 2009
Have you ever looked at the way our culture is going, especially what our youth are buying into, and found that it made you angry? Did you know there is a place for righteous anger? Even Jesus, who was God among us, was angry. We know that He displayed an...
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November 21, 2009
Sometimes, worship and thanksgiving can be a sacrifice. That may be because we are down or depressed or things aren't going all that well for us. Maybe hardship or tragedy has struck our lives in some way and we don't want to thank God.
Yet the...
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November 20, 2009
The story is told of an inspector who worked for the counterfeit department of Scotland Yard. His job was to detect the false currency from the real. When asked if he spent a lot of time handling and examining counterfeit money, he said no. He spent so mu...
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November 19, 2009
In Luke 17, Jesus told a parable about servants who were given a task to fulfill. At the end of the story, Jesus said, "And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say...
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November 18, 2009
When people say they enjoy running, it makes no sense to me. I don't enjoy any kind of exercise, but I do it—reluctantly and under protest. My favorite part of a workout is when it is done. I have met people who talk about a runner's high, which, I ...
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November 17, 2009
The analogy of running was one the apostle Paul favored in his writings. He often compared the believer to a runner in a race. For example, he wrote that we need to run in the race of life to win: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but...
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November 16, 2009
Back in the 1950s and 60s, there was a lot of talk about the future. There seemed to be a utopian dream here in America in which we thought things in the future would be better and that technology would solve our problems.
Well, we have lived l...
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November 14, 2009
Is there a certain sin that seems to have a foothold in your life? And does it almost seem as though the sin is getting more and more powerful each month, each year, and tragically, each decade?
Do you wonder if you ever will gain victory over ...
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November 13, 2009
Sometimes I am asked what I think about Christians drinking alcohol. Do I think that is a good idea? I think it is a dangerous thing for a Christian to drink, because the thing with drinking is that if you drink, there is a possibility you can get drunk. ...
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November 12, 2009
Many people today have essentially believed a watered-down gospel that deletes the message of repentance. They believe in an all-caring, nonjudgmental God who requires no repentance or a change in their lifestyle. They will say things like, "I believe in ...
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November 11, 2009
There are people today who say, "I am a Christian," but they are out getting drunk. They say, "I am a Christian," but they are having premarital sex or being unfaithful to their husband or wife. They say, "I am a Christian," but in their business, they li...
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November 10, 2009
What do you think of when you hear the word "repent"? Maybe you think of someone wearing a sandwich board with flames on it who is yelling, "Repent!" It's a word we don't hear very much today.
You might be surprised to know that the first word ...
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November 9, 2009
Sometimes people on road crews are not very popular. I appreciate the work these crews do, but it seems they always do it at the worst time, like during rush hour. What I have never understood is why they have to close lanes miles before the work site. Th...
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November 7, 2009
I have had the privilege of visiting, on a number of occasions, the Yad Vashem in Israel and The Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.
Every time I walk through these buildings, look at the exhibits, and revisit that horrible period in human his...
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November 6, 2009
Far too often we are isolating ourselves from our culture rather than infiltrating it. We would prefer to remain in our Christian subculture when, in reality, we should want to invade our world with the message of Jesus Christ.
In Mark's Gospel...
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November 5, 2009
The Bible describes a time in Israel's history when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6). But I also think that is a good description of our time. Rather than living by a set of absolute standards like the Ten Commandments, many peo...
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November 4, 2009
When the Israelites were poised to enter the Promised Land, God warned them about forgetting Him in their prosperity. Prior to this point, Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Every day they would come out of their tents and find manna wait...
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November 3, 2009
Some people believe that as Christians, we are exempt from human suffering. They think that bad things happen to unbelievers, but not to Christians. But inexplicable things happen to godly people. Christians get cancer. Christians die in auto accidents. C...
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November 2, 2009
Without question the greatest life to live is the Christian life, because God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and, worst of all, headed for a certain judgment and then turns it around and transforms it. He forgives all our sin, removes our guilt, an...
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October 31, 2009
Jesus said that one of the signs of the last days would be an explosion of religious deception, culminating in the arrival of the ultimate deceiver, the Antichrist. He warned, "For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive m...
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October 30, 2009
God promises that He will give us a peace that surpasses understanding, but not necessarily a peace that always will give us understanding.
You may be facing a personal crisis right now. Maybe it is a lack of employment. Maybe it is a foreclosu...
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October 29, 2009
At the beginning of Acts 12, we find a seemingly all-powerful Herod wreaking havoc on the church. He had on his side the power of government, the sword, and the threat of prison. But the church had on their side the Creator of the universe and the secret ...
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October 28, 2009
Some people say that when you pray, you must have faith, and if you have even a doubt, then your prayer won't be answered. But that is simply not true.
How much faith did Lazarus have when Jesus raised him from the dead? None. How about the pe...
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October 27, 2009
The early church prayed with passion and persistence. When Peter was thrown into prison, "constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church" (Acts 12:5). Another way to translate the word "constant" would be "earnest." It is the same word used to d...
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October 26, 2009
In Acts 12, we find the early church facing a pretty bleak scenario. They were in a situation where, if God did not come through, it would be a complete disaster. We don't like situations like that, because we like to have a backup plan. Then we like to h...
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October 24, 2009
I understand why some people are, to some degree, averse to the gifts of the Spirit, because there has been so much abuse in this area.
Often, the people who claim to be using these gifts behave in rather strange ways. We look at this flamboyan...
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October 23, 2009
Even Jesus, when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, recoiled from what was ahead. He prayed, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me." Jesus, who was sinless and perfect and holy, was looking into the abyss of all the wicked things of ...
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October 22, 2009
My mother was married and divorced seven times. I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with several of my mother's husbands, including Oscar Laurie, the man who adopted me. He came to faith in Christ, and I was very thankful for that. However, there wa...
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October 21, 2009
About 40 years ago there was a guy named Charles, known by his friends as Chuck. Chuck, who felt called to teach God's Word in an understandable way, became the pastor of a little church in Orange County, California known as Calvary Chapel.
Mea...
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October 20, 2009
There are certain words that don't go together and certain words that do. "Yes, Lord"—that works nicely. "How, Lord?"—that is fine. "When, Lord?" or even "Why, Lord?" work too. But if you are a Christian, you should never say, "No, Lord" or "N...
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October 19, 2009
Acts 10 records the story of a man named Cornelius, a centurion who lived in Caesarea. Caesarea was a Roman outpost in Israel, named after Caesar. As a Roman military officer who commanded a group of 100 soldiers, Cornelius would have been taught to worsh...
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October 17, 2009
There are times when we pray about something maybe once, perhaps twice, even three times, and if we don't receive an answer in the affirmative, then we give up and assume that it must not be God's will.
But Jesus taught His disciples "that they...
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October 16, 2009
It is very easy to rail against someone who is caught up in a certain sin until you personally know them. It is easy to say that certain things are a sin until you know someone who is trapped by that sin. Maybe you have a close friend, even a family membe...
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October 15, 2009
We wonder about the fate of people who have never heard the gospel—would God send them to hell? To me this indicates an incorrect view of God, because the idea is that God would somehow want to send someone to hell, or at the very least, wouldn't ca...
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October 14, 2009
I find it ironic that those who tell us we need to be tolerant are very intolerant of the gospel. In fact, the most intolerant people seem to be those who are always telling you to be tolerant. I have heard the complaint that Christians are so intolerant,...
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October 13, 2009
Acts 9 tells us that after Saul's conversion, the church had peace. Why could they heave a sigh of relief? Because Saul had stopped hunting them down, arresting them, and throwing them into prison. But for as long as he lived, the world never had peace ag...
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October 12, 2009
Acts 9 tells us that it was Barnabas who brought the newly converted Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem. The name Barnabas means "son of encouragement," and his actions reveal that he was an encouraging guy. We all know a Barnabas—the one who always ...
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October 10, 2009
Is a Christian entitled to self-defense? If that is the case, how does that work with the teaching of Jesus that we are to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile?
Should a true follower of Jesus be a complete pacifist? Or can a Christian ac...
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October 9, 2009
You would think that upon returning to Jerusalem after his conversion that Paul would have been greeted as a hero: "Can you believe it? Our worst enemy has now become a follower of Jesus! Isn't this glorious? Isn't this wonderful? God has saved the notori...
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October 8, 2009
One can understand the reticence of Ananias, the follower of Christ whom God instructed to go and visit Saul within days of his conversion. Saul of Tarsus, after all, was the hunter of believers, the killer of Christians.
Ananias even questione...
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October 7, 2009
Stephen was a young man with a lot of promise. Chosen to be a deacon in the church, he soon was preaching the gospel, and people were coming to faith. That is what got him into trouble when he was brought before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was like Israe...
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October 6, 2009
We read a lot about Peter, James, and John in the Gospels, but we don't know that much about Andrew. The brother of Peter, Andrew didn't get a lot of ink in the New Testament. But what we do read about him is significant. Andrew is primarily known as the ...
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October 5, 2009
We hear the word "hero" thrown around a lot today. If a person is a great athlete, adept at a certain sport, we will call him or her a sports hero. There is a computer game called "Guitar Hero." And then there is the sandwich we call a hero. We hear the w...
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October 3, 2009
In the book of 1 Kings, we find one of the greatest stories ever told: the story of Elijah. This great prophet burst onto the pages of biblical history, seemingly out of nowhere, with a message from God.
He entered the court of King Ahab and Qu...
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October 2, 2009
We love the exciting aspects of the Christian life—except for the suffering. But Paul wrote, "Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).
If you want to be used by God, then ...
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October 1, 2009
There are three things we see in the life of the newly converted Saul—the apostle Paul—that should characterize every follower of Jesus.
First, Paul was praying. Acts 9 tells us that God instructed a certain follower of Chris...
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September 30, 2009
Even before Saul was a part of the kingdom of God, he was working for it unwittingly. By attacking Christians, he caused them to spread out geographically. If he had not done this, it is entirely possible that the believers would have remained in a holy h...
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September 29, 2009
I am always amazed at how people who claim to be believers can be filled with hate and be so critical and mean-spirited. When we become Christians, we are to be characterized by our love. Sure, we can correct one another and reprove one another. Sure, we ...
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September 28, 2009
Does it ever seem to you as though God could not save certain people— people you know, but can't imagine their being a follower of Jesus? Here is what we need to remember: No one is beyond the reach of God. Sometimes the people we think are far away...
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September 26, 2009
A verse that we often quote, especially when our kids are going astray, is Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (NKJV).
...
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September 25, 2009
Being an effective communicator of the gospel requires a willingness to reach out to people who are different from you. We tend to want to hang around people who look like us, who talk like us, and who are just like us. But how willing are we to leave our...
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September 24, 2009
You cannot really find an instance in the New Testament of anyone who came to faith apart from another person's involvement. Although there are exceptions, this is how most people become Christians.
Take for example, the Philippian jailer, whos...
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September 23, 2009
Have you ever led someone to Christ? If not, why not? Maybe you think that God can never use you in this way, that you're just not gifted in that regard, and it is only for a privileged few to lead others to Christ. But if this were the case, why was the ...
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September 22, 2009
The Bible tells the story of a man who had everything this world says one should have to feel happy and fulfilled: power, wealth, influence, and fame. But along with that came an emptiness that sent him on a search for God. As secretary of the treasury fo...
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September 21, 2009
One Saturday morning I was up very early because of jet lag, so I went out for a walk. Much to my delight, I saw a beautiful rainbow. I pulled out my phone to snap a quick picture, but the rainbow was barely visible in the photo. The further I walked, the...
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September 19, 2009
Why are we always drawn to that which is forbidden?
All we need is for someone to say, "Whatever you do, don't look there," and we will look there. We hear, "Whatever you do, don't go in there," and we will go in there.
Try saying to...
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September 18, 2009
If you haven't felt the joy of the Lord in your life, if you have been feeling spiritually dry, or if your faith doesn't feel all that real to you right now, then let me ask you something: When is the last time you shared your faith with someone? When is ...
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September 17, 2009
I want to let you in on a little secret: I think it is fun to serve God. Now, I am not saying that it isn't hard to serve Him. I am not saying that it isn't challenging. I am not saying there aren't times when it is depleting. But I am saying that I deriv...
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September 16, 2009
I have found that if you want to be used by God, you have to be willing to do the little things first. When I went to Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa and volunteered my services to Pastor Chuck Smith, I was 19 years old (and I did have hair). I said, "Pastor...
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September 15, 2009
In the days when the early church was growing by leaps and bounds, when miracles were being performed, when many were being saved, people started complaining. Doesn't that sound like today?
You see, the devil tried to stop the church through pe...
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September 14, 2009
Stephen, the first martyr of the church, died at an early age. Some might look at the way he died and think, What a waste! But in the words of Jim Elliot, another young martyr for the faith, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what...
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September 12, 2009
This may sound strange, but the time to put up your guard as a Christian is when things are going well.
When we are facing times of crisis, we are usually looking to the Lord. When a hardship hits, when a difficulty comes, we say, "God, if you ...
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September 11, 2009
Today people are thinking about what to do to prolong their lives, whether it is through stem cell research, cloning, cryonics, or the latest potion or lotion. I find myself laughing at some of the things I see advertised with the implication they will he...
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September 10, 2009
A French proverb says, "Forty is the old age of youth and fifty is the youth of old age." So according to the French, I am still a young person, relatively speaking.
However, my wife and I went to a movie theater the other day, where I noticed ...
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September 9, 2009
Remember the group Milli Vanilli? They enjoyed great success until it was revealed that they did not sing on their own records. Everyone found out that Milli Vanilli didn't really do what they said they did. Milli Vanilli had to face the music.
...
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September 8, 2009
Jesus told a story known as the parable of the wheat and tares. In this particular story, He talked about a farmer who planted a crop of wheat. And during the night his enemy, probably a competitor, came along and sowed tares, or weeds, among the wheat....
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September 7, 2009
Acts 5 tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a husband and wife who lied to the Holy Spirit. By lying to the Holy Spirit, they were pretending to be something they were not. Ananias and Sapphira wanted others to think they were more devoted to God than...
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September 5, 2009
Not too long ago, I read that violence on television is at an all-time high. Then, of course, there is all the sexual perversion that is depicted.
In addition to all that, it seems like people are going out of their way to get God out of our cu...
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September 4, 2009
From time to time, I am asked about the meaning of "the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit," because Jesus said it was an unpardonable sin. He said, "Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgi...
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September 3, 2009
Sometimes we may think of the Holy Spirit as being more of an "it" than a Him. But Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is God, and He c...
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September 2, 2009
The British preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "Satan never kicks a dead horse." The idea being that he will only attack someone who is a threat to him. If you were to say to me, "Greg, I can't remember the last time that I was persecuted or the last time I ...
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September 1, 2009
I happen to be bald, and I am not happy about it. When I began to lose my hair in my 30s, I started finding imaginative ways to try and postpone the inevitable. While I am reluctant to admit this (but I actually put it in print in my book, Lost Boy...
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August 31, 2009
When Peter and John were brought before the religious leaders of their day, it was a source of amazement that ordinary fishermen were so well-versed in the Scriptures and, more importantly, in the understanding of them. They appeared to have more understa...
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August 29, 2009
Life is filled with choices—dozens, hundreds, even thousands of choices each and every day.
Maybe you are at a fork in the road of your life where you are facing an important choice right now. Perhaps it is a decision regarding a relation...
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August 28, 2009
Sometimes we will take a step of faith if there is a backup plan, if there is a safety net. While there is a place for caution, a place for prudence, and even a place for seeking the counsel of those who have lived longer than we have. But having said tha...
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August 27, 2009
I had a conversation awhile back with a young woman who was having an affair with a married man. This woman professed to be a Christian, so I asked her, "Do you consider yourself a Christian?"
"Yes I do," she said.
Then I asked, "Do ...
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August 26, 2009
I remember the first time we took our granddaughter Stella to Disneyland. It is so fun to go to Disneyland with kids, because when you go with adults, it is a different experience altogether. We tend to start whining right off the bat. Either the lines ar...
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August 25, 2009
There is a direct connection between worship and witness. We are being watched by the outside world. And the outside world marvels when a Christian can praise God when they are going through hardship. It is a powerful testimony.
Sometimes that ...
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August 24, 2009
There are times when we are not in the mood to praise God. But did the first-century believers always feel like praising God? They were harassed. They were beaten. They were mocked. And that was all before breakfast. Yet they worshipped the Lord nonethele...
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August 22, 2009
When young Joseph woke up in prison that morning, he had no idea that his situation was about to change . . . literally overnight. He started the day like any other day, with no idea what was ahead. But after two long years, he was ready.
Back ...
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August 21, 2009
Two elements we should see in worship today are reverence and joy. Both are important. In the early church, there was an open joy that the believers expressed in their worship of the Lord (see Acts 2:46). But there also was reverence. Acts 2:43 says that ...
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August 20, 2009
Christians tend to throw around the word "fellowship" a lot, as in, "Let's have some fellowship," or "We'll be meeting in the Fellowship Hall." But what does this word really mean?
When Acts 2:42 says the early believers "continued steadfastly ...
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August 19, 2009
God can be known—that is the message of the church. And God can be known and made known through preaching. Preaching is God's primary way of reaching lost people. We are to declare a known God to a world that does not know Him.
That is no...
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August 18, 2009
It could have been a real temptation for the early church to say, "We want to experience Pentecost every day. We want more supernatural phenomenon." Instead, we find them reveling in the Word of God.
What is true of a church is also true of ind...
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August 17, 2009
My objective never has been to have a large church; it always has been to have a biblical church and a strong church. The growth is up to God.
Not every church is going to be a large church, but every church should be a growing church. On that ...
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August 15, 2009
When I am interviewed by reporters about Harvest Crusades, the question I am asked more than any other is, "Why do you do this? Why do you put all of this effort into these events?"
It is a lot of work to do these events. We do them out of our ...
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August 14, 2009
I am amazed, as I travel around the world, at how there is a special bond I find with other followers of Jesus Christ. It transcends all other ties, even nationalities. I will sit down with people from different countries, and although we may see the worl...
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August 13, 2009
We are living in a time now that is described as postmodern. And in church circles, there is a lot of talk about how to reach the postmodern generation. But the gospel doesn't change, whether it is for the ancient culture, the modern culture, the premoder...
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August 12, 2009
Every now and then someone comes along and claims that believers can have a great new experience with the Holy Spirit, such as laughing uncontrollably or making animal noises. And my response is, "Excuse me, where is that in the Bible?" Because if I can't...
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August 11, 2009
In the Christian life we often try in our own strength to do what God has called us to do. We think, I've got to keep God's commandments and resist temptation and love my spouse and. . . . It is hard stuff.
But when we say, "Lord I can't...
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August 10, 2009
There are people today who are always studying Bible prophecy, trying to figure out the date of Christ's return or claiming to have discovered some special Bible codes, hidden codes that no one has ever seen before.
While I am a student of Bibl...
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August 8, 2009
In the Old Testament, we see that God appeared to different people in different ways. To Abraham, the traveler, God came as a traveler. To Joshua, the military commander, God came as the Commander of the Lord's armies. And to the fighting, conniving, and ...
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August 7, 2009
Christianity is not a feel-good belief system that asks you to accept some misguided fairy tale. It is based on reliable and documented evidence of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thereby justifying His claims and promises. Granted ther...
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August 6, 2009
We think things are bad in the 21st century and indeed they are, but the world of the first century was a challenging place for Christians to share the gospel. They lived under the jurisdiction of the godless and powerful Roman Empire. Immorality was ramp...
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August 5, 2009
Some today are telling us that the most important thing the church should be focusing on is global warming. That is the priority we are to have, they say. But there is another kind of warming the church should focus on preventing, and that is people spend...
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August 4, 2009
I have been preaching for a fairly long time now and have seen a number of generations come and go: the Boomers, the Busters, and Generations X, Y, and Z. And one thing that has not changed over the years is my emphasis on the teaching of the Bible and th...
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August 3, 2009
My life was dramatically impacted by the power of the gospel in a single day. Yet the people who reached me were, in my opinion back then, some of the lamest people on the face of the earth. I thought you couldn't be any lamer than a Christian who actuall...
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August 1, 2009
Many great men of God stand out to us as we read the Bible.
There was Moses, the great lawgiver who received the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai. There was Joshua, the powerful military leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Lan...
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July 31, 2009
While I am not in the ranks of great anglers and seasoned fishermen, I have fished a few times. I know that I need to use different kinds of bait for different kinds of situations, because different types of bait are required to catch different types of f...
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July 30, 2009
Have you ever been in a store or restaurant where a baby is screaming so loudly that people are practically running away with their hands over their ears?
Meanwhile, the baby's mother is sitting there as though nothing is happening. She has man...
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July 29, 2009
Acts 8 tells us that Philip went to Samaria. We may read that in passing and not think much of it. But it actually brings out an important point.
Philip went to where people were. Here was a man overcoming his natural prejudice to bring the gos...
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July 28, 2009
There are four things we should know about every person on this earth. No matter how successful they are, how unsuccessful they are, how famous they are, how beautiful and handsome they are, or how unattractive and plain they may be, everyone shares these...
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July 27, 2009
There are critics of mass evangelism, or crusade evangelism, who say it is not effective. They say it is much better to share the gospel one-on-one, because trying to gather them in large stadiums is really not an effective way to reach people.
...
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July 25, 2009
On February 1, 2003, our nation was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Space Shuttle Columbia as the spacecraft disintegrated just 16 minutes away from home, killing all seven of its crewmembers.
In the days following, as we learned ...
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July 24, 2009
A Bible that is falling apart is usually the sign of a life that isn't. I like to see beat-up, marked-up Bibles that are coming apart because that is a good sign.
I think there ought to be a Bible especially for preachers, which I have mentione...
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July 23, 2009
Temptation is definitely going to come your way and mine. But when we know the Word of God, we can deflect the blows that come against us and strike out offensively.
For example, the devil will come to us when we have sinned and say, "You faile...
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July 22, 2009
The one piece of armor that is both offensive and defensive is the sword.
When I go into battle, I don't beat my enemy with my shield or try to defeat him with my belt or chase him down with my sandal or throw my helmet at him. I pull my sword ...
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July 21, 2009
Like the pain we feel when we step on a sharp piece of glass, guilt is our moral warning system.
Guilt is not necessarily a bad thing, because it is a reaction to something in our lives that is not right. But sometimes the devil can use guilt ...
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July 20, 2009
Do you ever get sick and tired of being ripped off by the devil? Does it seem that in your Christian life, you take one step forward and two steps back? Have you ever felt condemned for your sin and wanted to just give up?
If so, listen up. I h...
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July 18, 2009
We all will face giants at one time or another in our lives. By giants, I am speaking of what seem to be insurmountable problems and issues. We try to fell these giants, but often they seem to only grow stronger with the passing of time.
It cou...
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July 17, 2009
In the Garden of Eden, the serpent was clever. When he wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he was crafty.
I point this out because we need to know what his strategies are. He has not changed them one bit. Just look at his attacks a...
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July 16, 2009
As a pastor, I often hear the question, "Where did the devil come from?" Sometimes, it is phrased this way: "How could a God of love create someone as horrible as the devil?"
We just can't understand why God would make such a creature.
...
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July 15, 2009
It's a subject most of us would like to avoid, and for good reason. Yet at the same time, I think it is important for us to know the truth about this mysterious creature known as Satan, Lucifer, or the devil.
On one hand, many seem to have an e...
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July 14, 2009
Balaam, essentially a prophet for hire, was on his way to do something that was against the will of God.
As he was riding his donkey to do what God had told him not to do, an angel of the Lord, holding a sword, intervened. Balaam didn't see the...
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July 13, 2009
One of the best-known and most-loved stories of the Bible is that of Daniel in the lion's den, a story of angelic intervention in the life of one of God's most faithful servants.
Because of Daniel's faithfulness to the Lord and his honesty and ...
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July 11, 2009
Does God still speak to people today? Does He actually have a master plan for your life and mine? If so, how do we discover it? How can we know the will of God?
The answer to first question is yes. God still speaks to people today. But let me a...
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July 10, 2009
We don't know how many times angels have been working behind the scenes in our lives, how many times they have delivered us, or how many times they have intervened on our behalf. But we do know that God has given us a wonderful promise: that He will send ...
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July 9, 2009
Make no mistake about it: angels are actively involved in the lives of the people of God, and in the affairs of men in general.
One of the reasons we may not be personally aware of the presence of angels in our lives is that they are doing thei...
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July 8, 2009
Years ago, a Time magazine poll showed that 69 percent of American adults said they believed in the existence of angels, and 32 percent claimed to have felt an angelic presence at some time in their life.
Even more surprising, the number...
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July 7, 2009
There are two good ways that we can be light for the world. We can let our light shine by doing good works, and we can let our light shine by proclaiming the gospel.
Jesus told us to be conspicuous Christians when He said,
...
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July 6, 2009
In the ancient world, salt was used as a preservative. It still is today—ham, corned beef, olives, pickles, and even anchovies are preserved in brine, a saltwater solution. The purpose of the salt is to stop the food from spoiling, to prevent its co...
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July 3, 2009
It is my belief that one of the reasons for the great success of the United States of America over our 200-plus years can be found in our origins, the fact that our founding fathers built this country on a belief in Scripture and in the Ten Commandments....
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July 2, 2009
If God knows what we need before we ask Him, why should we even bother to pray? If God is going to do what He wants to do and He knows what He is going to do, why even bother praying?
First, we should pray because Jesus told us to. Do we need a...
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July 1, 2009
When Jesus was on Earth, He didn't empty himself of His divine attributes, but accepted the limitations of humanity.
For example, we know that Jesus became weary like we do. On one occasion, as He came to Samaria, we read that He was weary (se...
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June 30, 2009
A while ago, I was having problems with my German shepherd whenever we went for a walk. If another dog came anywhere near him, he would go crazy and lunge out at the dog, even if it wasn't bothering him.
When I shared this with the people who ga...
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June 29, 2009
If you're married, then you remember when you first met your wife or husband-to-be, and how you probably had the feeling of butterflies in your stomach and even a loss of appetite. You felt nervous when he or she was around. You wanted to make the best im...
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June 27, 2009
Talk about the perfect job. Adam had it made in the shade. His job, so to speak, was to discover all that God had created in the Garden of Eden.
Scripture says that Adam was there to tend it, but this doesn't mean Adam was a gardener, per se. I...
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June 26, 2009
I'm glad the Bible compares the Christian life not to only running a race, but also to walking a walk.
Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run an...
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June 25, 2009
When I was in high school, I was in track and field. I always noticed that I ran faster when a pretty girl was watching me, because I wanted to impress the pretty girl.
But there is a better motivation than that for running this race of life. T...
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June 24, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Greg's Blog. To read Pastor Greg's latest blog entry, click here.
In the wrap-up...
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June 23, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Greg's Blog. To read Pastor Greg's latest blog entry, click here.
Some people be...
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June 22, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Greg's Blog. To read Pastor Greg's latest blog entry, click here.
Without question, ...
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June 20, 2009
It has been said that more have been killed by food than by poison. The second best can often be the worst enemy of the best.
That is what Jesus was talking about in the Parable of the Sower when He said, "Now the ones that fell among thorns ar...
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June 19, 2009
Have you ever been deeply concerned about something or someone, but you didn't know what to pray? "What can I say," you wonder. "I don't know how to articulate this."
But did you know that sometimes some of the best prayers are the shortest and...
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June 18, 2009
I have been amazed at what God can do in a person's life as he or she looks into His Word.
I have spoken to teenagers who have told me, "Here is what the Lord showed me in the Word of God today. . . ." As I listened, I discovered it was deep. I...
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June 17, 2009
Remember the day the Holy Spirit shined His light in your heart and showed you that you were a sinner? You thought you were an okay person, but suddenly the Holy Spirit began to convict you of your sin.
It was the Holy Spirit who brought about ...
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June 16, 2009
When we know people who are not believers, we obviously want them to come to faith in Christ.
Yet, as they live their lives and break the laws of God left and right, we see that they seem to have no sense of guilt, no remorse, and no concept th...
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June 15, 2009
There is a lot of misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit today. We can turn on a "Christian" television program and see some rather bizarre things taking place in the name of the Holy Spirit. But is this really the Holy Spirit?
Some of us may l...
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June 13, 2009
The day you make a commitment to Jesus Christ, a very real spiritual war begins in your life. Conversion makes our hearts a battlefield.
The Bible often uses the picture of military battle, fighting, and warfare to describe the Christian life. ...
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June 12, 2009
In America today, we have something that could be described as a new spirituality. It's a revival of sorts—not in the biblical sense of people turning to God, but a revival of all kinds of ancient and weird spiritual concepts and beliefs.
...
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June 11, 2009
In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew blasted across south Florida with 160 mile-per-hour winds, causing terrible destruction.
In the midst of all the debris, reporters were amazed to find one house still standing firm on its foundation. A reporter ...
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June 10, 2009
If I could have been present at certain moments in history, one event I would like to have seen was the veil of the temple being torn in two.
In the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem, in the Holy of Holies, was the Ark of the Covenant. Tha...
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June 9, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read his latest blog entry, click here.
The Bible tells us ...
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June 8, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read his latest blog entry, click here.
Did you know that the L...
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June 6, 2009
We live in a postmodern world in which moral relativism is the rule of the day. Some may even assert that the time for presenting absolute truth is passé, that we can no longer give hard answers; we can only ask questions. But I disagree.
...
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June 5, 2009
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem for the birth of her son, the Messiah, there was no room for them in the inn. And that essentially foreshadowed the treatment that Jesus was to receive at the hands of people for the rest of His life.
T...
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June 4, 2009
I don't like to really clean. Instead, I would rather put something over a mess so that I don't have to look at it. That is sort of the way I clean things.
In contrast, when my wife Cathe cleans, she really cleans. I think she actually enjoys t...
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June 3, 2009
Why did Jesus have to die? Why the cross? Why couldn't God just say, "Look, I know you have sinned against Me. It's okay. Never mind. You are all forgiven."
The answer is that it doesn't work with His nature and character.
God is ju...
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June 2, 2009
No doctor can heal a broken heart. He or she may be able to treat other ailments you might have. But no physician can get to the source of a broken heart—and a broken heart is a very real thing when you have experienced one.
Your heart m...
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June 1, 2009
Although He was God, Jesus experienced human limitations like we do.
Not only was He hungry, not only was He sleepy, not only was He weary and lonely, but He also was tempted. Jesus felt the presence and pressure of temptation just as we do. He...
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May 30, 2009
It's interesting to look through the pages of Scripture and note how God came to various people in the way they needed Him to come.
To Abraham the pilgrim, God came as a traveler. Remember those three visitors who came to his tent before the ju...
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May 29, 2009
The Bible tells us to keep ourselves in the love of God (see Jude 21). But we are also told in the same passage that God will keep us (see Jude 1).
Is this a contradiction? Not at all. These verses complement one another. They show us God's pa...
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May 28, 2009
Imagine for a moment that you are running a race that is ten laps long. And let's just say that you are in first place for nine of those ten laps. Not only are you in first, but you are creaming the competition.
So when you come to the tenth l...
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May 27, 2009
We all know of situations, activities, and places we can go that make it easier for the devil to tempt us. But now that we have been delivered from his power, we don't want to put ourselves in a position of vulnerability again.
Why do I bring t...
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May 26, 2009
When Billy Graham was asked the question, "What has been the greatest surprise of your life?", he answered, "The brevity of it." That is so true. Time passes quickly, and we don't want to squander this precious thing that God has given to us called life. ...
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May 25, 2009
Today's devotion is also the latest entry at Pastor Greg's blog. To read more from Pastor Greg's blog, click here.
As you know, today is Memorial Day. So when we gather with famil...
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May 23, 2009
When I play tennis, which is about once every 10 years, I always play to win. But frankly, I usually lose. At least I will get a point here and there. Years ago, I was playing tennis with a fellow pastor, who is a good player. He has a wicked serve tha...
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May 22, 2009
Everywhere Jesus went, He was very much in demand. There was always a crowd around Him, and understandably so. He was God in human form, walking through their streets. Everyone wanted something.
There would be those who always wanted a touch, ...
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May 21, 2009
In his poem, "The Second Coming," William Butler Yeats wrote, "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."
What a summary of the times in which we are living today: the worst have their passionate intensity...
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May 20, 2009
It has been wrongly said that the Bible teaches money is the root of all evil. The Bible teaches no such thing.
Rather, it teaches "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10, emphasis added). There is a differenc...
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May 19, 2009
It was Martin Luther who said there are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse (or wallet, as we would say today). But for many of us, the wallet is often the last thing to cha...
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May 18, 2009
I heard the story of a Southern preacher who was speaking to his congregation and said, "We have to crawl before we can walk."
The congregation responded in unison, "Let us crawl, Preacher. Let us crawl."
Then the preacher said, "We ...
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May 16, 2009
Remember the old TV show, The Lone Ranger? He would show up and do a good deed, which always led to the question: "Who was that masked man?" In the distance, you would hear him say, "Hi ho, Silver . . . away!"
Personally speaking, I don'...
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May 15, 2009
During World War II, an American pilot who was shot down over the jungles of Burma was able to safely eject from his plane. As he landed in the deep, dense jungle, he was met by a friendly Burmese man. The man gestured for him to follow. So the American s...
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May 14, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read his latest blog entry, click here.
We don't always k...
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May 13, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read his latest blog entry, click here.
There are times w...
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May 12, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read his latest blog entry, click here.
Yesterday, we tal...
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May 11, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read his latest blog entry, click here.
Scripture identif...
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May 9, 2009
With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I asked my wife Cathe if she would share her thoughts about this day in which we celebrate our mothers. I hope you're blessed by it.
—Pastor Greg
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May 8, 2009
Jesus went from the throne of heaven to a feeding trough. He went from the presence of angels into a stable filled with animals.
He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. He who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent ...
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May 7, 2009
Today is the National Day of Prayer. Remember to pray for our nation regularly, but especially today!
How often have you felt that your prayers were hitting a glass ceiling—as though the Lord were saying no?
Maybe i...
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May 6, 2009
Two thousand years ago, the Pharisees were asked this question: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" (Matthew 22:42).
For all practical purposes, some of history's greatest minds have grappled with this question ever since. Bu...
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May 5, 2009
I find it interesting that no physical description of Jesus is given in the pages of Scripture. His physical appearance fascinates many people, and it certainly has perplexed artists throughout history.
We know that Jesus was a relatively ordin...
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May 4, 2009
I heard the story of a little boy awakened by thunder and lightening. He called out to his father, "Daddy, come quickly! I'm scared."
The father said, "God loves you and He will take care of you."
"I know God loves me," said the li...
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May 2, 2009
When I hear of Hollywood couples who get together and then divorce rather quickly, I have to wonder what people are looking for in marriage.
Do they understand that it's a commitment? Do they understand that feelings will come and go, and that ...
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May 1, 2009
How should we be affected by the fact that we believe in and serve a God who is truth, holy, righteous, just, good, and loving? We should seek to lead lives that please Him.
Because God is truth, we, as His children, should be truthful. Scriptu...
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April 30, 2009
God is just and righteous and holy. We are not. We are sinners and we can never meet His standards.
But in His love He approaches us. God loves us and He reaches out to us and then restores us back into His image.
Today, we often h...
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April 29, 2009
Not only is God truth, not only is God holy, but the Bible also teaches that God is righteous. Holiness describes His character, while righteousness and justice describe how He deals with mankind.
In the book of Exodus, we read about Pharaoh, ...
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April 28, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent entry on Greg's Blog. Click here to read more from Greg's Blog.
I read about a large python ...
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April 27, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent entry on Greg's Blog. Click here to read more from Greg's Blog.
In Philippians 4:8, the ...
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April 25, 2009
I was getting a haircut the other day when the guy cutting my hair suddenly stopped and said, "Look at that!"
I looked over my shoulder, and there was one of the most stunning sunsets I had ever seen. Several people got up out of their chairs a...
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April 24, 2009
Is God's power limited? Scripture tells us over and over that God is omnipotent, which means all-powerful.
Even when Job was in pain and distress, he said to the Lord, " 'I know that You can do all things. No plan of Yours can be thwarted' " (...
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April 23, 2009
What is God like? Where is He? Does He know everything?
Two key attributes of God are found in Psalm 139. We read these words from King David:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my ri...
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April 22, 2009
Who is God? Thousands of years ago the Pharaoh of Egypt asked a question that is still being asked by many.
It was, " 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go' " (Exodus ...
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April 21, 2009
What is your determined purpose in life? Everyone has one. Some of us declare it, and others of us just practice it.
But we all have something that is our purpose in life—something that gets us up in the morning, something we live for, s...
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April 20, 2009
One night on a storm-tossed ship in the Mediterranean, the apostle Paul headed toward Rome. He had been persecuted and imprisoned, and he was going to appear before Caesar for judgment.
On the way, a horrendous storm came up. It was so bad tha...
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April 18, 2009
One of my favorite movies of all time is Chariots of Fire. It's the wonderful story of a heroic, committed Christian from Scotland named Eric Liddell, who competed in the 1924 Olympics. Refusing to compromise his principles, Liddell would not run o...
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April 17, 2009
Simon Peter did love the Lord, even though he had denied Him. But no longer would he boast of his love for Jesus.
That is always a wise thing to do. Never boast of your love for God. Instead, boast of His love for you.
Don't tell m...
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April 16, 2009
The disciples were disappointed and discouraged after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They were in Galilee, and they had gone out for a night's fishing. They had not caught any fish all night, another disappointment for them.
But th...
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April 15, 2009
How many times have you wanted to leave your problems behind, get away from it all, and hang the "Gone fishing" sign on your office door?
After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were waiting in Galilee for Jesus as He ha...
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April 14, 2009
Perhaps the most notable of Jesus' resurrection appearances is when He met with Simon Peter.
We all know how Peter denied and deserted the Lord. Peter was devastated by his own unfaithfulness; and he really needed encouragement.
The...
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April 13, 2009
The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that God provides second chances.
When Jesus was crucified, it came as a shock to His followers. They just did not seem to understand that He would be crucified and rise again on the third day. When the Cru...
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April 11, 2009
I heard about an atheist who was a little bit upset because of all the holidays that people of faith celebrated.
He said to a friend, "You Christians have Christmas and Easter. And Jews celebrate their holidays like Passover and Yom Kippur. But...
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April 10, 2009
What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you? What does it mean to me?
First, it assures our future resurrection. Because Jesus both died and rose again, we will be raised like Him.
1 Corinthians 15:20 says, "But now Christ is ri...
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April 9, 2009
What did the resurrected body of Jesus look like? The Bible tells us that after Jesus' cruel torture, crucifixion, and three days in the tomb, He was recognizable, and that His followers knew who He was.
We know that He had a body of flesh and ...
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April 8, 2009
If I could have been present at certain moments in history, one event I would like to have seen was the veil of the temple being torn in two.
In the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem, in the Holy of Holies, was the Ark of the Covenant. Th...
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April 7, 2009
In America today, we have something that could be described as a new spirituality. It's a revival of sorts—not in the biblical sense of people turning to God, but a revival of all kinds of ancient and weird spiritual concepts and beliefs.
...
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April 6, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To see more content from his blog, click here.
When we think of Go...
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April 4, 2009
I am amazed at how certain people will think that, because they were privy to a special time of blessing or a notable time in church history, they are somehow exempt from living the Christian life in the present day.
Occasionally, I will run in...
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April 3, 2009
We are living in a critical time right now. I think all of us agree that the devil is working overtime. He knows his days are numbered. He knows his judgment is sure.
Thus, he is doing everything he can to wreak havoc until the day he faces hi...
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April 2, 2009
The people were following Jesus in great numbers, but for the wrong reasons. So He made a series of statements intentionally designed to thin out the ranks. He wanted to be left with those who really wanted to follow Him, truly committed disciples and sol...
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April 1, 2009
A spiritual battle wages in our world today; and God is looking for men and women who are ready to go into that spiritual battlefield and make a difference.
The battle has been raging since the very beginning, as Satan has tried to keep us apa...
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March 31, 2009
I'm sure the greatest day in your life was the day you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and forgive you of your sin.
It was the day that your eternal destiny changed, the day that you passed from darkness to light, the day that you fo...
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March 30, 2009
Is low self-esteem really the problem with society today? I think we need to have a proper understanding of the way things are.
First of all, I recognize in myself I am a sinner. But I also recognize that when Christ came into my life He gave ...
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March 28, 2009
When we think of Samson, the first thing that probably comes to mind is his incredible strength. He is one of the most interesting and controversial guys that God ever put His hand on, a man with incredible potential that he largely wasted.
Sam...
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March 27, 2009
If we were brutally honest, perhaps the real reason we do not want to take a new convert under our wings is because we know we are not living the Christian life as it ought to be lived.
We don't want that new believer to see our inconsistencie...
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March 26, 2009
After Saul's conversion, there was great doubt among the believers as to whether he had really put his faith in Jesus Christ. After all, he had been a relentless persecutor of the early church. Some even thought his alleged conversion might have been a sc...
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March 25, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
There is an alarming ign...
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March 24, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
The early Church, the ...
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March 23, 2009
Today's devotion is adapted from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
It seems to me that fo...
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March 21, 2009
I remember one Christmas when I was a kid. There were a lot of gifts waiting for me under the tree. After I opened them all, I was very happy—this is, until I went over to my friend's house.
He got a toy that I did not have: a battery-ope...
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March 20, 2009
In the Old Testament book of Esther, we read of a beautiful young girl who essentially won a beauty contest and became queen over the kingdom. A very wicked man named Haman developed a plot to exterminate all of the Jewish people.
Queen Esther...
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March 19, 2009
God wants to use you! You may think, Let the preachers do this preaching stuff. That's the job of the professionals. I'm just an ordinary person.
But those who know you, know that you are a believer. You can reach them. Those are the peo...
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March 18, 2009
Motivation is one of the most important things about the person whom God will use. If you don't have motivation, you are not going to do anything.
When it comes to sharing our faith and reaching out to others with the gospel, we offer up a ple...
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March 17, 2009
What kind of qualities does God look for in the man or the woman that He uses? Is He looking for a towering intellect? Is He concerned with how many certificates you have hanging on your wall? Do you have to be a born leader?
Throughout Script...
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March 16, 2009
The greatest moment in my life clearly was the day that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It's a day I just won't forget—it changed the course of my life.
I wanted to try to make up for the years I had wasted up to that poin...
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March 14, 2009
When the apostle Paul went to Athens and preached the gospel, he walked around the city and saw that it was completely given over to idolatry. Athens was known for its cultural learning. It was known for its incredible edifices. And it was also known for ...
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March 13, 2009
How do you find the forgiveness of sin?
First of all, you must recognize your dire need for it. Jesus Christ is not some wonderful additive you need to blend into your life so you can find happiness. He is much more than that.
I am...
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March 12, 2009
The paralyzed man, who was brought by his friends to Jesus for healing, had been lowered through a hole in the roof (Luke 5:17–26). He was lying there on his bed right in front of Jesus. Jesus looked down at him. Every eye in the room was on this ma...
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March 11, 2009
The Gospel of Luke tells the story of a paralyzed man brought to Jesus by his friends to be healed (Luke 5:17–26). The house where Jesus was teaching was too crowded for them to go in. But his friends intervened.
According to Luke, they ...
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March 10, 2009
In making a covenant with His people, God made an interesting statement. He said, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your desce...
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March 9, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
So ...
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March 7, 2009
I remember when each of my sons took their first steps. Like most parents, we desperately wanted to see our kids take them. We were so excited.
Once they started walking, though, we sometimes wished we had never taught them how to do it, becaus...
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March 6, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
W...
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March 5, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
S...
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March 4, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
You k...
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March 3, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
Yeste...
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March 2, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
One d...
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February 28, 2009
Michelangelo was once asked what he was trying to create as he chipped away at a shapeless rock. He replied, "I am liberating an angel from this stone."
That is what God is doing with us: He is making us into what we can be. We are wonderfully ...
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February 27, 2009
Have you been with Jesus? Or do you just see Him as a mythical figure, perhaps a moral example?
Well, the same Jesus who died on the cross, the same Jesus who gave boldness to the apostles Peter and John (Acts 3-4), is here with us right now a...
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February 26, 2009
Think of all the ordinary people God has used to turn this world upside down.
Think of that shepherd boy David, who God raised up to be the greatest king in the history of Israel. God used that frightened man Gideon to lead a great army and he...
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February 25, 2009
Just as with the apostles Peter and John, your relationship with Jesus should be apparent, even to your enemies.
What are the earmarks of a person who has been with Jesus? When you spend time with Jesus, you become more like Him.
A...
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February 24, 2009
The number of people who claim to be Christians today has never been higher. Yet our moral and spiritual climate has never been lower.
You see, most people don't understand what it really means to be a Christian, to have a personal relationshi...
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February 23, 2009
"Where else can we go?" Peter says. He had come to realize that no one else could save him from his sin. He understood what Jesus was saying. "We get it, Lord. We know what you are saying. You alone are the Savior. There are no other options."
...
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February 21, 2009
Not long after I became a Christian, I received my first Bible. As I read through it, I came across Matthew 5:20: “ ‘For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the ki...
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February 20, 2009
There are some who follow Jesus because they want God to conform to their plans instead of them conforming to His.
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the wo...
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February 19, 2009
After Jesus' miracle of feeding the 5,000, He went across the Sea of Galilee. A crowd followed Him to the other side.
And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus ans...
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February 18, 2009
During His earthly ministry, Jesus faced the problem of people who would follow Him for the wrong reasons. He was constantly challenging them to count the cost and to make sure that their motives were right.
He wants us all to follow Him, but ...
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February 17, 2009
What is the most dangerous place in the world?
A war zone certainly qualifies. The jungles of Africa can seem very dangerous, especially at night, when wild animals run right through the safari camp. You can hear animal sounds like you have ne...
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February 16, 2009
Jesus tells us that there is coming a day when He will return. He will come quickly for all of His people and we will be taken to be with Him in heaven.
If you are not a Christian, that means you will be left. Remember Jesus said, " 'Two will ...
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February 14, 2009
We have all asked the question at one time or another: How can I know the will of God? We wonder, does God still speak today? Is He interested in me as an individual? Does He indeed have a master plan for my life? If so, how do I discover it?
T...
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February 13, 2009
We can see in the case of Lot's wife that one can be exposed to spiritual things and not necessarily become a believer. As flawed as Lot's witness was, the Bible does say he was righteous (see 2 Peter 2:7). That means Lot's wife was exposed to the truth o...
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February 12, 2009
The apostle Paul said, "one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead . . ." (Philippians 3:13).
Paul had committed horrible things, hunting down Christians and throwing them in p...
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February 11, 2009
Who was Lot's wife? We don't really know a lot about her, not even her name. We assume that she met Lot in Sodom. We can safely conclude that Lot's wife was not a believer. It's clear she did not want to leave Sodom. She wanted to steal one last glance, a...
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February 10, 2009
Lot was the nephew of the only man identified in the Bible as the intimate friend of God, Abraham.
Abraham essentially wanted to walk with God, but Lot did not. Abraham was a man who possessed a deep friendship with God. Lot was interested in ...
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February 9, 2009
As Christians, one day we will receive rewards for our service to the Lord. I don't know about you, but I have not acquired a vast number of awards in my life. I have mostly won those purple honorable mention ribbons. They are just not as exciting as a bi...
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February 7, 2009
A while ago, a question in a magazine advertisement caught my attention: "Is it an alarm or a calling that gets you out of bed in the morning?"
I like that question. I think it's something we need to ask ourselves.
What gets your blo...
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February 6, 2009
When the Bible says the Antichrist is coming, you better believe it's going to happen. With computer technology where it is today, the possibility for a man to come and use technology to manipulate and rule the world is present like it has never been befo...
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February 5, 2009
When you attempt to live both for God and the world, you resemble that poor, confused soldier in the Civil War who couldn't decide what side he wanted to fight for. So he wore the coat from the Union and the pants from the Confederates. Then he marched on...
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February 4, 2009
If you want to be a true follower of Jesus, you need to take up your cross. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24).
That may sound miserable to some of us. Yo...
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February 3, 2009
Today's devotion is Pastor Greg's current posting on his blog. To see more of Pastor Greg's blog content, click here.
The apostle Pa...
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February 2, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read more of his postings, click here to visit Greg's Blog.
Whe...
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January 31, 2009
There was a man who had been out of work for a long time and decided to inquire at the local zoo. He told the zookeeper, "I would like a job. I will clean cages. I will do whatever you need."
The zookeeper said, "I'm sorry. We would love to hir...
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January 30, 2009
Have you ever really been homesick? Even in a beautiful place, surrounded by people you really like, you want to return home as quickly as possible. As they say, there is no place like home.
No matter what your actual home on earth is like, th...
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January 29, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read more of his postings, click here to visit Greg's Blog.
The...
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January 28, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read more of his postings, click here to visit Greg's Blog.
Hav...
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January 27, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read more of his postings, click here to visit Greg's Blog.
Have yo...
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January 26, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read more of his postings, click here to visit Greg's Blog.
Why ...
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January 24, 2009
Today's devotion is taken from a recent post on Pastor Greg's blog. To read more of his postings, click here to visit Greg's Blog.
Have yo...
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January 23, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
We have bee...
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January 22, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here
As we walk w...
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January 21, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
We have bee...
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January 20, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
In his fina...
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January 19, 2009
This week's devotions are taken from a recent series of posts on Pastor Greg's blog. To see his latest blog entry, click here.
As we are n...
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January 17, 2009
I have been asked, "Why do you go out and do Harvest Crusades? Why do you travel to different areas of the country, taking time away from your church and your family to do this? What's your motive?"
Why do I go out and do this?
Is it...
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January 16, 2009
Before we can ever talk about revival in the church, every Christian must ask themselves, Am I personally revived? Am I living as a committed, on-fire follower of Jesus Christ?
Ask yourself that question right now. If your answer is tha...
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January 15, 2009
The Holy Spirit typically uses one individual as the catalyst for revival.
The last great American revival was the Layman's Prayer Revival of 1857–1858. It began with a 48-year-old businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier.
He bega...
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January 14, 2009
We hear the word revival tossed about frequently these days. Some churches claim to be having a revival. "Revival this week only! Starts at 7:00 A.M. and ends at 9:00 P.M.," says their church signage.
I'm s...
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January 13, 2009
I believe America is standing at a crossroads. We live in a society that stands on the brink of moral bankruptcy. Crime continues to explode. Families continue to splinter. All the while, the fabric of society continues to unravel.
At my house...
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January 12, 2009
The first sign that something has been popular is when you start to see knock-offs or imitations everywhere.
It has been said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; but honestly, no one likes to be copied or ripped off. That's just a nic...
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January 10, 2009
Have you ever eavesdropped on someone's conversation? Not intentionally, of course.
Maybe you were in a restaurant, and you heard those magic words at the table next to you: "I am going to tell you a secret right now. . . . "
So what...
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January 9, 2009
"You must spend a lot of time handling counterfeit money to know what it looks like," said Ruth Bell Graham to a man from Scotland Yard, who was in charge of identifying counterfeit money.
"No," he replied. "We never touch the stuff. All day l...
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January 8, 2009
"It was like having a burden lifted off of my shoulders," is a common description from people after they come to Christ.
Years ago I received a letter from a girl, who explained that she became sexually involved as a young girl. Soon after that...
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January 7, 2009
Alexander the Great, the great king of Greece, desired to rule the world. In just ten years he conquered the entire civilized world.
As he amassed all of his kingdoms, he grew concerned about the various languages and cultures of the people he...
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January 6, 2009
God, in His mercy, can also take the tragedies of life and use them. God can take the most evil deed and work in spite of it.
The apostle Paul made this point in Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who lov...
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January 5, 2009
Death comes to everyone. Jesus had heard of some Galileans whom Pilate had murdered as they sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem. The common thinking among some in that day was that the tragedy was a judgment from God on the victims.
Jesus re...
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January 3, 2009
I heard about a mom and dad who decided to give their child the very curious name of Odd. Poor kid! Obviously that name invited ridicule and mockery all through grade school, high school, and college. But the jibes made him want to achieve, and he became ...
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January 2, 2009
I heard about one man who made some New Year's resolutions.
In 2002 he said, "I will not get upset when Sam and Charlie make jokes about my baldness." In 2003 it was, "I won't get annoyed when Charlie and Sam kid me about my hairpiece." Then i...
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January 1, 2009
Many people make resolutions this time of the year. Right now, people are planning their New Year's Resolutions.
Some are going to swear off alcohol or smoking or television or overeating. Others are going to try to change wicked habits like g...
