2 Corinthians 5:21 8/25/2026

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

This is one of the clearest verses illustrating what theologians call “Imputed Righteousness”.  The early reformers called it  “Alien Righteousness” which I like better, because it clarifies that it does not come from this world.  The power that saves you does not originate within you.  That’s why Jonathon Edwards said, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”  Whatever you call it; this concept is the heart of the gospel.   

Alien Righteousness is also a stumbling block for many people….  because it absolutely eliminates boasting.  I didn’t accept Christ because I am smarter, more perceptive, or innately better than those who are lost.  Believing that we can do something that will make us like God is what tripped us up in the garden and still does today.  Surely, we can  find a  way for us to get at least a little bit of credit for our eternal salivation, right?  Nope, because if there were, we would boast.  

We would take credit and become our own little god, and that violates the very First commandment… “ …have no other gods before me.”  The original sin is pride, and it can only be combatted by humility. And the way to humility is to take an honest look at our condition and acknowledge our inability to change it. 

The self-righteous insists that If they do more good than bad, they should get into Heaven… The problem is that regardless of their accounting, they don’t do more good than bad, and even if they did, the requirement for entrance is perfection.

The pious believe their religious deeds, and rituals make them “more” worthy and thereby qualify them to judge others. The issue there is that scripture calls their deeds “filthy rags” (research that and you’ll be repulsed by what it means). 

The bottom line is that our own righteousness is inadequate… We must have His righteousness, and only His death and resurrection can impute this alien righteousness to us.  Only then by grace, may we stand before God in complete perfection and enter into His presence…. That is amazing grace.

 “You stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if he were you.” – Charles Spurgeon

Luke 9:23 8/18/2026

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”’

Moderation is overrated. The phrase “Everything in moderation” is attributed to the Greek poet Hesiod. But in this verse Jesus blows that philosophy out of the water. 

At this point, the disciples have seen amazing miracles; crowds are gathering… the movement is gaining momentum. Then Jesus abruptly forecasts His own death and clarifies what it means to follow Him. Jesus knew the allure of success and approval could be dangerous, so he makes sure they understand the assignment.

Jesus doesn’t “recruit” followers; in fact, He consistently highlights the cost of being one… and there’s nothing “moderate” about following Christ. In this verse He listed three requirements. 

First, “denying yourself” which involves a change of management. You are no longer on the throne. You no longer issue orders; you obey them. 

Second, “taking up the Cross” means dying… His disciples understood that men carrying crosses were headed for execution. Spurgeon recommends we “die every morning before we leave our bedroom” as a way of daily taking up our cross…  acknowledging that it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me. 

And finally, “following Jesus” means changing direction… You’re not slightly altering your course; you are doing an about-face.  You stop pursuing your goals and start chasing His. 

It is critical that we recognize that Jesus said we do these things DAILY.… My good friend, and mentor Joe White says that “every” is one of the most important words in the English language. What he means… and what Jesus makes clear in this passage, is that picking up your cross, denying yourself, and following Him is not a onetime act. It is something we do EVERY day. Trusting Christ is not the finish line… It’s the beginning of our full-time calling to fight against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil. 

It’s unacceptable to God when we just “Moderately” adjust our lives for Him …And when you consider the price He paid for our redemption, you understand His disgust with those who approach their faith with anything less than wholehearted reckless abandon. 

“Radical Christianity is not going on a mission trip or a big conference. Radical Christianity is staying steady for decades.”  - Mike Bickle

2 Kings 19:14 8/11/2026

“Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.”

That’s how you handle a problem. 

King Hezekiah had just been given an ultimatum by the King of Assyria to surrender Jerusalem or be destroyed.... His response is a template for us to follow when we are threatened. No matter your position, no matter how powerful you think you are … the way you handle a problem is to go to God,  lay it in front of Him, and wait. 

I must confess, that is not always my response… I can picture myself receiving this threatening letter and firing off a terse email… or strategizing how best to fight. Or stomping around shouting “how dare they” …etc. But I love the clear, concise language in this verse. He took it from the servant…. read it…. took it to the temple…. spread it out before the Lord. 

Why do we so often respond differently? Is it because we have forgotten God’s power? Have we forgotten that God loves us more than we can comprehend? At no point in this process does Hezekiah appear to feel alone or desperate… Why do we? Why do we preach God’s deliverance until we are the ones threatened? 

“IF” I go to the Father, I usually come with my own plan, and instead of faith I come in fear. My prayer is usually instructive as though God needs my guidance in resolving the problem. When will I realize that any energy, spent outside of getting my issue before the Lord, is wasted energy? 

Since Hezekiah went directly to God and trusted Him, the Lord replies: ” … ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.” That verse is followed by about ten verses describing things God is going to do for Hezekiah… that Hezekiah cannot do for himself. And that is the point. That is how we find peace. 

So today if you get ambushed by an unexpected danger,  spread it out before the Lord and lean on Him. He is not surprised and if you’ll turn loose of the reins, and have a little faith, He will handle it. 

 “God’s plan is still working even when your plan is falling apart.” 
- Max Lucado

2 Timothy 4:11 8/4/2026

“…get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

Mark was an understudy who abandoned Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey. It led to one of the most well-known “Church Arguments” in history.  Barnabas wanted to bring Mark on the next trip and Paul said, “no way”… That disagreement split the team. Scripture says, Barnabas took Mark  ….But Paul chose Silas and departed”.  Then, Fifteen years later, Paul writes the sentence we’re studying this morning, and there’s a lot to learn from that sentence. 

First, we learn how to disagree without making it personal. This has become rare in our culture.  Paul didn’t spend the years since the argument, assassinating Mark’s reputation.  Neither was he worried about his own when he wrote this letter. He didn’t say “I was right years ago, and Mark has finally grown up”… He just said that Mark was important to the ministry, and he wanted to see him.  

The second lesson is Restoration… People get all wound up over “church discipline” because they don’t understand it.  Church discipline is about restoration.  Mark dropped the ball… he did the worst thing you can do as a teammate, and though I am sure it was uncomfortable, Paul called him out. We don’t know if Mark would have become the man he became without learning that quitting had ramifications. But this incident and Paul’s honest assessment no doubt magnified the importance of endurance and loyalty to Mark. 

The final lesson is forgiveness for others (and yourself)… Basically, don’t live in negativity. I used to tell my players when they were upset over a bad game, that they needed some “GOI therapy” (Get Over It). That’s what Paul is teaching with this sentence.  Sometimes, When we blow it… or people let us down, we just need to Get over it, or as my granddaughter sings “Let it go”.  Paul forgives and forgets. 

Paul pardons Mark for bailing on them; Mark forgave himself and came back better than before. I don’t care how badly you blew it. If you have confessed and repented, you can be “helpful in ministry”.   Stop worrying about the past …. Get up, forget the times you or your teammate failed, and always remember that the most important play is the next one.

“Who you’ve been, ain’t who you gotta be” - Tim McGraw

Ephesians 2:4-5 7/28/2026

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved”

This passage speaks of the motivation and method of our salvation. It talks about why, and how, we are saved, with “Why” being the most puzzling.  The verse says He saved us because of His great love for us.  Think about that.  I know we hear, “God loves you”, all the time but think about it like you’ve never heard it before.  It is a peculiar and outrageous thing to say.  

Why would a perfect, omniscient, all-powerful Deity, that I don’t even have the capacity to comprehend… Love me?... Even if I longed for His love, and strove to acquire it, my insignificance alone would make it implausible.  But add to that, the fact that His love was not reciprocated, and in fact was rejected by me and it makes the opening of this passage baffling.  

But let’s say we get past that, and accept that through no action of my own the God of the Universe loves, values, and cherishes me… How can He establish a relationship with me?  How can He make it possible for a reprobate like me to be in the presence of a Holy God who cannot tolerate imperfection?

The answer to those questions is what we call the Gospel. He loved us while we were sinning… We were dead in sin and Christ brought us back to life… simply because He loves us. Of all the miracles in the bible, from the parting of the Red Sea to the demolition of the walls of Jericho… Nothing is more amazing then that the One who created the heavens and the earth, with all its splendor and majesty… actually loves me. And paid and unthinkable price to allow me to spend eternity with Him. 

If you have decided you’re not worthy of His love, you’re correct…   You were dead in sin, and something that’s dead cannot contribute to its own rescue. But, if your confused as to the “why” and think God couldn’t possibly love you after all you’ve done, remember you can’t do something to lose what you did nothing to gain.

“Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness.”  - Spurgeon

Judges 21:25 7/21/2026

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

Judges chapter 21 was probably written about 1100 BC.  The population of Isreal was around a half million people and the first part of this verse says there was no king to rule them.  But then the next phrase says something else… There was no official king of Israel so instead there were about a half million little kings who did what was right in their own eyes.  

We see the same thing in America today. We follow laws we agree with and self-righteously dismiss laws that are inconvenient. We make ourselves the final moral authority which doesn’t produce freedom, only chaos. As we scream about the importance of not having kings, we ironically crown ourselves as the only legitimate rulers.  Arbitrarily deciding what is right by what we feel, we insist that everyone ratify our lunacy.…. Not only will we not tolerate rebellion… we won’t even tolerate disagreement. Everyone must accept our make-believe royal decrees or they will be canceled. 

So, it doesn’t look like much has changed in the last 3000 years.  We still do what we deem right, and you are welcome to peacefully coexist as long as you agree wholeheartedly with my views. We crown ourselves as little Emperors who tolerate no critics nor detractors.

However, in the real world, there is only one King…and it’s not you or me… but since we’re made in His image, we constantly try to take the job. We declare ourselves as deity and allow opinions as long as they validate our illusions. The problem with that is that in the book of Judges this philosophy ends with moral decay, Idolatry, oppression, sexual violence, civil war, fraudulent religions, etc. So again, nothing has changed in the last 3000 years… Same stupid idea that we can be God, produces the same destructive corrosion that sin always generates. You would think we would learn from history, but here we are… 

So, you decide. You have a King… but will you acknowledge Him? Jesus came to be your Savior and Lord… He is either both, or He is neither. 

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done, ‘ and those to whom God says, ‘All right then, have it your way’” 
- C.S. Lewis

PSALM 48:4-5 7/14/2026

“4When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,  5they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.”

This passage, referring to the City of God, illustrates the process our culture is involved in today, and the direction we are headed for tomorrow. Our rulers confidently march against God’s established conventions. They join forces to squelch the Word of God and mock those who believe. Our cultural “kings” have assembled to fight against the city of God, including anything that takes defining “right and wrong” out of their hands. 

It has become fashionable to reject The Law of the Lord and replace it with what you “think and feel”.  We ignorantly applaud those who speak “their own truth”, as though they have some innate ability to create facts. 

Individual “spirituality” is acceptable, but if our message threatens anyone’s ability to be their own little god… we will be canceled.  If we point out what God clearly calls sin, we are labeled intolerant. Society elevates those who create new ways to succumb to immorality. The most absurd claims of normalcy are approved amidst sinful depravity. We are desperate to be “edgy” and tear down all established truth and ridicule anyone who clings to the old, antiquated standards of godliness. 

But verse 5 is coming, when God will reveal the power of His fortress and all who have opposed Him will flee. The world will see God’s truth and be astounded, they will be wrecked by His power, and they will flee in terror. The city of our God will be established forever, and the “kings” of this world will be revealed as powerless pawns. This psalm opens with “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised” and nothing the kings nor people do can diminish that statement.  He is the beginning and the end, and His majestic reign is inevitable and our approval is unnecessary. 

Truth must be our focus… scripturally accurate truth… The kind that will set you free… Real Truth is static, immovable, and unalterable. It is exclusive and rigid and nothing our “kings” do will soften that reality. You can’t change truth; it must change you. Seek and you will find, ignore and you will perish.

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic”.
- John F. Kennedy

Matthew 7:21-23 7/7/2026

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

We’ve discussed this important passage before. But if we don’t examine Christ’s words here, we could be one of the “many” who miss the message. Jesus says that lip service won’t get you into Heaven. Simply calling Him Lord doesn’t make Him your Lord.  He specifically says doing the will of His Father is the key to eternity with God.

So, what exactly is the “will of the Father”?… Jesus says people will claim to preach, cast out demons, and work miracles… things they assume are God’s will. But according to Jesus, while these may be byproducts… they are not a fulfillment of the will of the Father. Unfortunately, many will be misled by this, assuming these activities will earn them a place in Heaven.

But look closely at Jesus’ reason for turning them away.  “I NEVER KNEW YOU”. That means Jesus knowing you, is the key to Heaven.  It’s not preaching, teaching Sunday school, or going to church. It is not even knowing Jesus… IT IS JESUS KNOWING YOU. 

There is only one way to have a relationship with Christ …by spending time with Him. There are no short cuts… no “fire insurance prayers” to recite… It is recognizing Jesus as God, confessing and repenting of sin, acknowledging His resurrection as your redemption, and being filled with His Spirit. If you do that, you will naturally build a daily relationship with Him. Talking to Him through prayer and listening through the Word. That is the will of the Father… that you experience a  saving relationship with the Son, in which Jesus recognizes you, because your time with Him has changed your heart.

Don’t let what you do FOR God… distract you from being WITH God. Build your bond with Christ, it is the litmus test of your faith… and the key that opens the door of Heaven.

“Apples don’t make a tree an apple tree, they just show that it is one.”  

PSALM 37: 4 6/30/2026

“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

What a powerful passage of scripture…  But the problem I have with living it out, is that  ALL of my focus tends to be on “give you the desires of your heart”, while God’s focus is on “Delight yourself in the Lord”.  

I read this to mean that if I “delight myself in the Lord,” then He will give me everything I want, which sounds a lot like delighting myself in “me”…   But when I take time to consider what it means to delight in the Lord, I see that the desires of my heart should aligned with His heart. Then my prayer changes from “my will be done” to “Thy will be done.” You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to know that when Jesus taught us to pray, He taught us to seek God’s will.

So, my approach to this scripture appears to be flawed.  It reminds me of the story of W.C. Fields, who was a known atheist and was once seen reading a bible backstage…. Someone asked, “W.C., why are you reading that bible?” to which he replied, “I’m Looking for loopholes”.  

Too often I do the same, looking for ways to make God’s will match my will… when wisdom would dictate, I make my will match His.  I need to read this verse as it was written, not try to manipulate it to serve my purposes. The odd dilemma is that sometimes, I view His will as a compromise or even a disappointment… which simply means I don’t understand who I am talking to when I pray.  

If I grasped God’s wisdom and omnipotence, I would insist on His plan over my own. And If I considered the proven love God has shown for me then I would be excited to see what He has in store. If it weren’t so destructive, it would be laughable that I attempt to instruct the creator of all things, on how to best direct the life He gave me.  … I have access to the most powerful and intelligent Being in all of existence… His love for me is undeniable… Should I be giving Him advice?

“The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God's will to mine, but to mold my will into His.” - Timothy Keller

Jeremiah 16:18 6/23/2026

“I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”

How would we react if our spouses paraded extramarital partners through our homes, and constantly pursued adulterous affairs? What if they said they loved us, but chased others daily and only occasionally and ceremonially acknowledged us?

This verse, about how God responds to the Israelites idolatry, seems harsh. However, as the Bride of Christ we belong to God… God expects a much higher level of commitment from me than is due me by my wife. The difference is that my wife does it out of grace as I don’t deserve it. But God merits and has earned my undivided devotion.

This passage clearly illustrates that God sees my entertaining idols as defiling, vile, and detestable… When you stir those kinds of emotions in the creator of the universe you had better run to the cross and cling to it with all of your might…  As John Edwards preached it is a fearsome thing to be a sinner in the hands of an Angry God.

Nothing Angers God more than idols.  And they don’t have to be carved images. They can be money, reputation, houses, cars, Job titles, etc.  Anything that you run to when you’re anxious. Anything you depend on for security. Anything you allow to define your worth… all are idols and all are adulterous and vile to a Holy God that created you and redeemed you at an unimaginable cost. 

Examine your life today. Consider your expectation of loyalty and trust from your spouse… Magnify that ten thousand times and you will begin to scratch the surface of what we owe our Creator. The patriarchs of the Old Testament were sinful men.  Murders and adulterous, polygamous, drunkards… But the men that were said to chase Gods heart, the ones chosen by God to do great things…  all had the same thing in common… They refused to pursue other gods. The first commandment is first for a reason. The Lord is a jealous God, He will not share His glory with powerless idols …so, clean house today and get rid of your adulterous substitute gods…the first one, may be in the mirror. 

“The human heart is a factory of idols.” - John Calvin