Daily Delight

Moses had just died, and Joshua was called by God to lead His people into the Promised Land. With such an arduous task at hand, the Lord gave Joshua this encouragement for his leadership.

The Lord said to Joshua, “This Book of the Law (Bible) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

We need to be careful to recognize that this command was specifically for Joshua. God is not promising us success in everything we do, or prosperity in all things from this text. The context is an address from God to Joshua, so we must honor that context and...

Paul preached the gospel to the men of Athens. Some mocked him, while others said, “We will hear you again about this” (Acts 17:32).

Too late.

Paul reasoned with governor Felix about righteousness, and Felix replied, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you” (Acts 24:25).

Too late.

While you still draw breath, take advantage of the gift of time. God’s patience is meant to lead us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). But for those of us who are believers, to whom repentance has already been granted, let us learn from these texts.

Though our hearts have been renewed, restored and redeemed, we, like Felix and the men of Athens, can say to ourselves, “Tomorrow…I’ll deal with that tomorrow.”

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you...

When I was 18, I worked for my uncle, a general contractor, remodeling basements, patios, bathrooms, etc. Not knowing much at all, I was learning as we worked. On a basement project, we got the studs set, and the drywall hung. We worked hard all day, and with my limited knowledge, I figured we were done. After all, it looked good enough to me to start painting!

Then my uncle tells me that we still need to mud the joints! Dejected, I complied and we filled the joints with compound. Finally, done…at least that’s what I thought. The next day my uncle tells me we’re still not done; we need to sand the joint compound. If you have never sanded joint compound on drywall by hand, then make it your life mission to never do it!

After several hours...

Most believers have been there…asking of God, yet hearing nothing but a quiet response of crickets chirping. We can be quick to resort to unbiblical and untrue conclusions about God because he has not provided us an answer according to our will.

However, God is always at work. Even greater than that, he is always at work for you, and in his work for you, he satisfies his own pleasure of providing for his children, thus glorifying himself by satisfying our needs.

Though knowing that may be comforting and encouraging, while praying, we may still wonder, “Is God listening, because he isn’t answering.” Jesus provided a direct answer for this very question. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus shares a parable in which a widow was persistent in asking a jud...

I remember singing the old hymn in Sunday school as a child, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” This song will now be stuck in your head all day; you’re welcome.

It’s true, obedience produces joy. But joy is not just a product of obedience, it is also a cause. As joy in God grows, obedience to God follows.

Though this old hymn tells us that happiness comes when we trust and obey, Ecclesiastes 3:12 says, “There is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.” This word of wisdom does not defy the old hymn, but it does fill in the gaps.

When the Bible says, “There is nothing better for them than…,” it’s probably wise to listen to what comes next. If the Bi...

The gospel did more than just save you…it continues to save you!

I do not imply that the gospel didn’t completely seal your eternity (Eph. 1:13). I am implying that after you were justified, when your sin was forgiven and you were declared righteous, the Holy Spirit began a work in you called sanctification. Sanctification is your process of spiritual growth that will end when we are perfected in Christ and see him face-to-face.

So how am I continuing to be saved?

In Philippians 2:13-14, Paul writes, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Paul is not referring to justification when he uses the word “salvation.” He is referring to sanctification...

First, let’s clarify that “going to church” really means attending a service in which the church is present and gathered together. This is an important distinction because the church is not a service and it is not a building, it is the people, God’s people.

The reasons for attending your regular weekly church services are plenty, and my reasons will not be extensive, but concise.

In Romans 1:11-12, the apostle Paul is writing to the church in Rome that is mostly made up of Jewish believers living in Rome. There were certainly many Gentiles (non-Jews) who were a part of the church, but there were a surprising amount of Jews living in this secular culture of first century Rome.

Paul writes to his beloved friends, “For I long to see you, tha...

Money is a sensitive and touchy subject. Church members are willing to let the church instruct them on behavior, holiness, parenting, marriage, and many other subjects, but when it comes to money, we clam up too easily. “It’s my money, you aren’t allowed to tell me what to do with it.”

Actually, that is exactly what the church is allowed to do. Your shepherds are to care for your WHOLE soul, not just the parts you let them into. Therefore, as a preacher of God’s Word, it is my duty to do as Paul did and “not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), which includes money and giving.

Does God need your money?

No. He’ll be just fine without it. However, God has ordained the body to give as a means to produce healt...

Yes and no.

The Bible does not explicitly tell you what college to attend, which car to buy, or how much to budget for groceries this month. So, in that sense, the Bible does not provide a specific answer for every detail of your life.

But then again, it does. Paul writes this encouragement to Pastor Timothy of Ephesus, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). Though the Bible does not give explicit instructions on everyday mundane situations, it does give instruction on things that really matter in life.

All Scripture, not just some, but all, comes from God’s mouth...

Before you jump to conclusions and think that we are going to implement a new form of greeting on Sunday mornings other than shaking hands…just hear me out.

The apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, "Greet one another with a holy kiss" (2 Corinthians 13:12).

In the first century, this “holy kiss,” was just what it says, holy. This was not an inappropriate kiss, it was an appropriate greeting. However, it is likely that a few centuries later, this practice was being abused. The “holy kiss” was a standard greeting in the first century exchanged between all people, and even between genders. Dunn’s commentary on Romans says it was a “form of social respect.”

Because our cultures have changed over the last two-thousand years, we c...