Dig Deep

A Sacrifice of Praise

We’re well into the season of Lent – a reflective 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Resurrection Sunday. Perhaps you’ve chosen to give something up to focus more clearly on Jesus, the one who sacrificed his life on the cross and defeated death. Whether it’s Lent or any other time of the year, as Christians, we’re called to live lives as a sacrifice of praise.   The Lord took me to a passage in the Book of Hebrews that serves as an anchor point for this: “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that […]

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God’s Rule Means We Rule Ourselves First

Throughout the centuries, the bells of Christendom have pealed a tune that actually reminds the knowledgeable hearer of our need for God’s help to overcome temptation that very hour. This tune I refer to is called “the Westminster chimes,” as in Westminster Abbey. This tune is heard in churches and college campuses across America — and if you own a grandfather clock, or any kind of chiming clock, you too are very familiar with this 16-note melody that plays at the beginning of every hour. The words to the hourly tune go like this: “Lord, in this hour, be thou […]

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The Promise of Pardon

“Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6–7 NKJV).   At the end of each United States presidential term the president issues pardons to certain men and women who are incarcerated or who have been convicted of various crimes. Governors of the various states also have this power vested within their state offices. A pardon exempts someone […]

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Meanwhile…

Several years ago, actually 15, the movie “UP” was released by Pixar. The entertaining story about an old man, a talking dog and a little stowaway boy, all floating around in a house tied to hundreds of balloons, takes you on an adventure filled with childlike wonder… sort of like life. One of the more comical elements of the story is the dog, aptly named DUG, who wears a special collar that allows him to speak.  However, DUG is often distracted by squirrels. We find him in mid-sentence when he will notice a squirrel, stop, gaze intently at the it […]

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A Journey from Skepticism to Faith

Last month, in honor of President’s Day, Dr. Stephen Mansfield, a New York Times best-selling author and Executive Director of the Center for Global Leadership at PBA, wrote an article titled “Abraham Lincoln and His Covenant with God” for the Institute of Faith and Culture. The piece explores the life of one of our nation’s most revered figures, his journey from skepticism to profound faith, and how his leadership — encompassed by his desire to follow the Lord — changed the course of history. The following article is a reminder of the immense responsibility of leaders like Lincoln, who lead with courage, faith […]

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The Lord’s Providential Care for Us

An instructive biblical example of how the Lord uses and governs providential events to accomplish His will in our lives is found in 1 Kings chapters 1 and 2. Providential Care in Action A repentant David believed that it was God’s will to make Solomon the next king of Israel, yet in these chapters we see a plotting Adonijah maneuvering to install himself as the next ruler. The aging and ill David had not yet made it clear to the nation which of his sons he endorsed to follow him as king. Perhaps he too feared Adonijah, his son, or […]

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The Pattern of Prayer

Lord, teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1 NKJV) In our modern world we have tools at our disposal that our parents never dreamed of having. Take the navigation systems on our cars and smartphones. We simply type in the address of our destination, and it guides us there, telling us an estimated time of arrival. When the disciples asked our Lord to teach them to pray, they were asking for a route, a path that would lead them into the throne room of God’s presence in prayer. The Bible clearly lays out this route for us, and it begins when […]

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Insights from Forrest Gump

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). An Insight from Forrest Gump A quick scan of the internet will reveal that Americans spent close to $26 billion – that’s not a typo, $26 billion – on Valentine’s Day in 2023. Depending on who you read, the average American household spent between $100 and $200 each proclaiming our love to spouses and “significant others” last year. That’s quite an investment in love, yes?There’s a tremendous line in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump” that surely resonates with all […]

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Don’t Be Afraid!

“Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice […]

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The Promise of Christ’s Return

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3 NKJV). It may well be that the greatest chasm between the first-century church and the modern twenty-first-century church is in the very way we respond to this promise of Christ to “come again.” His promised return is virtually a forgotten subject in our more sophisticated Sunday gatherings. When was the last time you remember hearing a message on the second coming of Christ, this coming great and climactic event in all […]

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