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I am not really a morning person. I loathe early alarms. Most days, it takes me a while to really get going. If, however, the day promises something out of the ordinary and pleasant, like the beginning of a vacation, I’ve been known to wake up before the alarm clock goes off. But the prospect of an unpleasant day makes getting up that much more challenging, and pulling the covers over my head that much more alluring. That’s one thing,…

Recently, a man in Florida went to great lengths to get out of a simple speeding ticket. When the police officer who pulled him over was out of earshot, the man dialed 911. He told dispatchers that a murder was about to take place. He passionately described how a person was holding a gun and a murder was about to happen. The odd part was that he told dispatchers it was happening somewhere away from where he was. Several police…

Even the strongest Christian cannot honestly lay claim to perfect faith. Some days we’re strong, others weak. We may have confidence in one area of life and lack it in others. As long as we live in these mortal bodies of ours, we will struggle with weaknesses, failures, and sins. The good news, however, is two-fold. First, as God’s children we have been given the immeasurable blessing of living under the protective umbrella of his grace (Rom. 6:14; 8:1). Second,…

When I have found myself in spiritual and emotional valleys, one thing has always played a key role in helping me come victoriously out of them: meditating on the nature and characteristics of God. This meditation, which has consistently led me into deeper prayer and worship, has been a tremendous blessing to my life. Thus far in this brief series we have considered God’s goodness, sovereignty, and holiness. Let’s consider another of God’s traits. God is all-knowing and all-wise. “Great…

When I have found myself in spiritual and emotional valleys, one thing has always played a key role in helping me come victoriously out of them: meditating on the nature and characteristics of God. This meditation, which has consistently led me into deeper prayer and worship, has been a tremendous blessing to my life. Thus far in this brief series we have considered God’s goodness and sovereignty. Let’s consider another of God’s traits. God is holy. At the root of…

When I have found myself in spiritual and emotional valleys, one thing has always played a key role in helping me come victoriously out of them: meditating on the nature and characteristics of God. This meditation, which has consistently led me into deeper prayer and worship, has been a tremendous blessing to my life. In the last article, we considered God’s goodness. It thrills my soul to know that because God has already given me the best gift possible, his…

When I have found myself in spiritual and emotional valleys, one thing has always played a key role in helping me come victoriously out of them: meditating on the nature and characteristics of God. It was A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God who said, “The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word.” Tozer’s point was that it is possible…

Salvation is God’s great gift to mankind (1:4; 2:16, 20; 3:8, 13-14, 26- 29; 4:4-5; 5:1; 6:8). Maintaining doctrinal purity is vital (1:6-9; 2:4-5; 4:16; 5:7-9). It matters what we believe (1:6-9; 3:1- 5; 5:7-9). We cannot serve God and man at the same time (1:10; 5:11). The scriptures are inspired of God (1:11-12). God is no respecter of persons (2:6; 3:28). Great is the fellowship of Christians (2:9; 4:13-14; 6:2, 10). There is no place for hypocrisy in the…

God fulfills many roles. He is the creator of all things (Exo. 20:11). He is the sustainer of life (Acts 17:28). He is the sovereign ruler of the world (Psa. 47:2-3). He is savior (1 Tim. 2:3-4). He is judge (Acts 17:31). He is our Father (Matt. 6:9; 1 Cor. 1:3). Everything that God does he does perfectly. Every role that God fills he fills flawlessly. On this Father’s Day, consider the characteristics of our perfect Father. As you do,…

A church cannot go through an extended period of ministry interruption and be the same on the other side. Nor should it be. God wants our troubles to change us. According to Romans 5:3-4, difficulties produce perseverance, which strengthens our character. That’s change. But such positive outcomes only happen when our trials are honestly evaluated and the lessons properly applied. We are still evaluating the last 15 months. We have not discovered all the lessons yet. But here is one…

By Kevin Hahn Lord willing, we’ll be on our way Sunday morning to this year’s session of Camp Bandina. I love going to a Christian camp. I don’t love it because the counselors there are perfect, but because they’re servants of the Perfect One. As counselors, we all bring our faults and flaws right along with us, but we get a chance to serve God by teaching His perfect love and His perfect ways to the campers. I don’t love…

A church cannot go through an extended period of ministry interruption and be the same on the other side. Nor should it be. Our troubles are designed to change us. According to Romans 5:3-4, difficulties produce perseverance, which strengthens our character. That’s change. But such positive outcomes only happen when our trials are honestly evaluated and the lessons properly applied. We are still evaluating the last 15 months. We have not discovered all the lessons yet. But there are some…