Just after Jesus was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). Satan tempted Him three times on that occasion, but Jesus overcame them easily (Matthew 4:1-11). Afterward, the devil left Him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13). After Satan’s third attempt to cause Jesus […]
Who does not want to be free? Freedom is a blessed state of being. Those who have it, cherish it, and those who do not, crave it. Think of all the sacrifices that have been made and the lives that have been given in the quest for freedom. The greatest freedom of all, however, is […]
In 1982-83 the Cougars of the University of Houston was the greatest men’s basketball team on the planet. They featured several first-team All-Americans, led by two future Hall of Famers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. They entered the college basketball championship game with an impressive 31-1 record and a 26-game winning streak. The final game […]
The devil is not a figment of one’s imagination, nor is he a mythical being that man has conjured up in his mind. The devil is real. If you believe in the Bible, you must believe in the reality of Satan because inspired writers constantly spoke of his reality. One of the more familiar passages […]
How well do you know God? How important is it to know Him? Jesus answers this question for us. John 17:3 (ESV) 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Knowing God is critical to our souls. Eternal life comes only to […]
Johnson Oatman began writing spiritual hymns in 1892. He averaged writing about 200 songs a year, totaling over 5,000 during his life. Some of the popular hymns he wrote included, “Higher Ground,” “No, Not One,” “The Last Mile of the Way,” and the one I want us to think about tonight, “Count Your Blessings.” If […]
There are two ways that we might be idle—physically and spiritually, and both are bad. Let us begin with being idle in the physical realm. Paul condemned this in his second letter to the brethren at Thessalonica. At some point, the false notion that the coming of Christ was near began to be taught among […]
As Jesus concluded the great Sermon on the Mount, He taught those who would be citizens in His kingdom a very important lesson. He taught them that if they were going to be blessed by His words, they had to be doers (Matthew 7:24-27). The same continues to be the case for those of us […]
Do you believe you are committed to God? We all should examine ourselves occasionally to make sure that we are. One question that we can ask ourselves is, “Am I committed to the Lord’s church?” If you are not committed to the church, you are not committed to God. In some ways the two are […]
Are you glad that God is such a loving God? We all should be. Can you imagine if God was anything but a consistently loving God. With all His unimaginable power and strength, we would be in trouble if God had bad days once in a while. Fortunately, we do not have to worry about […]