Steve's Blog
He said, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus replied, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has shown this to you. Rather my Father who is in heaven has shown you. I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. Matthew 16:15–18 (CEB)
On one of my visits to Israel, we went to Caesarea Philippi where Je...
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There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NLT)
Acts 2 begins, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come.” This was the birthday of the church. This new era was ushered in with signs and wonders. They saw tongues of fire, and they spoke new languages. The festival brought people from every nation who heard about the wonderful things that God had done. They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they a...
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For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. Psalm 47:2 (NLT)
I need to get something off my chest. I am frustrated by the devaluation of language. It is a fact that the meaning of words can change over time. For example, the word “sincere” originally referred to pure honey. “Nice” once meant foolish.
While I acknowledge that the meanings of words can evolve over time, I find it disconcerting that terms traditionally used to describe the character and attributes...
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Prayer or Obedience?
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 (NLT)
“I will pray about it.” Is it used as a trump card, or is it an excuse for inaction or disobedience? We will not claim that every time someone responds with “I will have to pray about the matter,” it is an insincere attempt to deflect responsibility. However, there are many situations that do not require prayer, but obedience.
Prayer is good. We are instructed to “pray without ceas...
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“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NLT)
Truth is controversial. We live in a world of so-called “truth detectors,” and “fact checkers.” The self-appointed “guardians” purport to set the record straight, but then there are “fact checkers” for the “fact checkers.” And the cycle goes on and on. Does anyone know what the truth really is?
Jesus proclaimed that freedom was dependent upon knowing the truth. You have heard people claim that they live accordin...
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.” Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’ Hosea 10:12 (NLT)
To declare that we need a revival invites a variety of responses. Sadly, a common response will be “What’s a revival?” Another might respond that “a revival would be nice, but there is nothing that we can do, it is a sovereign initiative of God.” Discouragingly,...
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“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” John 15:7–8 (NLT)
What did Jesus mean when he said, “you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” Did he intend for us to think that there were no boundaries for our requests? Can we ask for extravagant amounts of money or fame? When we look deeper, we will find that th...
For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died… Acts 13:36 (NET)
Last time we discussed the necessity of preparation before building a life or a ministry. Whether it means preparing the soil of our hearts, repenting and clearing away impediments to our spiritual journey, or the care and nourishing of the incorruptible seed of the word of God, our time will eventually end.
We must ask ourselves if the desire to have a legacy overshadows the concern of fulfilling God...
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A time to tear down and a time to build up. Ecclesiastes 3:3 (NLT)
We might be inclined to think that tearing down is negative, and building up is positive. It is a reasonable conclusion, but reality is more complicated. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time, or a season for every activity. Sometimes things need to be torn down before it is possible to build up.
Chip Gaines of Fixer Upper fame loves demolition day. He knows that you must tear down some walls in order to build toward th...
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“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)
Paul’s comparison of physical versus spiritual training is fascinating. While conceding that exercise has value, he finds that it is minimal when viewed in the light of training for godliness. Paul’s appraisal is not in dispute. In fact, he shows us the overwhelming importance of living a holy life.
I enjoy exercise, or rather, I enjoy the bene...
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My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. Psalm 71:7 (NLT)
We cannot escape the fact that our lives are on display for others to observe and judge. Celebrities and athletes have tried to claim that they are not role models, but that does not negate the influence that they have over others. A message that is not consistent with character and behavior will be viewed as hypocrisy.
Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, “What you do speaks so loudly that I ...
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Come close to God, and God will come close to you. James 4:8 (NLT)
God does not want us to just come to him, He wants us to come closer. Why are so many of us afraid to come closer to God? Is it because we do not believe that he is approachable? Do we think that we would feel out of place close to God? Or are we comfortable with our worldly dalliances?
Fear is certainly a factor in our unwillingness to draw closer to God. Yet, he is always calling for us to join him and know him more intima...
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30 (CSB)
Would it be any surprise if I told you that there is a shortage of counselors and therapists? Stress, anxiety, insecurity, addictions, and many other things are pervasive in today’s society. Sadly, there is also a great demand amon...
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31–32 (NASB 2020)
We do not live our lives in a vacuum. When Jesus tells us “Continue in My word,” it is with the understanding that there will be opposition. The resistance comes from within, and from without.
In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us that God gave gifts to the church to build us up and fortify us in our faith. The goal of this instruction is maturity i...
A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. Luke 15:13 (NLT)
Everyone has a story to tell about prodigals. Prodigal children, or perhaps, prodigal siblings, or even prodigal parents. When we understand what is at stake, it is agonizing and causes us to have sleepless nights.
As parents, we do our best to raise our children in the “fear and admonition of the Lord.” We do not claim to be perfect,...
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Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. Jude 3 (NIV)
In Jude’s short letter, he gets right to the point: “contend for the faith.” As with other references in the New Testament, we find a strong allusion to athletics. To contend is to strive or struggle with intense effort in the arena. He had the intention of writing about the “...
If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (CSB)
This verse presents a daunting challenge, “live at peace with everyone.” We don’t always live at peace with those who are closest to us, let alone everyone. It begins with the condition, “If Possible.” What makes it possible? After all, Christ-followers don’t always have a good relationship with each other, so how can we expect to live at peace with everyone?
The words of Jesus come to mind: “Ever...
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15–16 (NLT)
Is it better to be hot or to be cold? When I was coming-of-age, I understood this text meant that to be cold was bad, and that to be hot was good. We can make a case that either hot or cold can be desirable. However, to be lukewarm is repulsive, not to mention, dangerous.
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Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 (NLT)
In previous articles, we have covered growing and glowing. In this concluding post we will examine Christ’s Great Commission to the church to go. While most of us do not have any objections to the concept of growing and even glowing, the thought of going is likely to bring apprehension. We may agree in principle, but reality is daunting.
An exami...
But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord. Exodus 34:34–35 (NLT)
We can use our imaginations and contemplate the glow that emanated from the face of Moses. It must’ve been more than the glow of a bl...
The book of Ecclesiastes informs us that there is “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.” Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (NLT)
As each year goes by, we grow older, but that does not mean that we should stop growing. In fact, growing by learning and doing new things revitalizes us. There are things in our lives that are meant to remain constant and stable, but God also brings us into new areas...
Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 (CSB)
Nearly 30 years ago, I had a business acquaintance, who was a leader in his church. He was an outspoken Christian in the workplace. One day he shared a plan with me regarding a business idea. While the proposal may not have been illegal, it raised certain ethical questions. When I questioned the ethics involved, His response was, “business is business.”
This...
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My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. Proverbs 23:19 (NLT)
In my mind, New Year’s resolutions do not have a great deal of credibility. People have good intentions, but by the middle of January a preponderance of resolutions have already been abandoned. Some resolutions are unreasonable while for others “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
One of the weaknesses in New Year’s resolutions is that if we discover something that needs to be changed in our li...
It is entirely appropriate to think about Christ’s death, at this time of year when we celebrate his birth. Because without the cross, Bethlehem would have been meaningless and conversely the cross would not have been possible had Jesus not been born in Bethlehem. It all ties together.
It is not only appropriate to consider the cross at Christmas time, but it is essential to understanding the plans and purposes of God for the world in general and for us individually. To say that Christ came to...
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He existed in the form of God, yet he gave no thought to seizing equality with God as his supreme prize. Instead he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death—a criminal’s death by crucifixion! Philippians 2:6–8 (TPT)
We may struggle to comprehend the sacrifice that Jesus made when he went to th...
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