Actively in Love
on April 18th, 2026
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." — Romans 12:11
Is your faith active or passive?
Fall in love with Jesus. That Spirit will flow through your life and you will be glad to hang around other believers who you love. That will make a fulfilling life. That is what you are seeking.
But here's what you need to understand: It is not passive; it is very active. You are actively in love with Jesus.
Passive faith waits for something to happen. Active faith pursues Jesus daily. Passive faith hopes things work out. Active faith obeys regardless of feelings. Passive faith shows up on Sunday. Active faith serves all week long. Read More
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Put All Your Weight Down
on April 17th, 2026
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." — Proverbs 3:5
What does it mean to believe?
The word believe is a word that describes putting all your weight on Jesus, the Son of God. Let's compare this to the seat you are occupying right now. You are putting all your weight on this seat.
Many of you came into this auditorium and sat down without a moment's hesitation in your "assigned seat." You had the presupposition that this chair would not break. You did not test it out. You simply put all of your weight on this chair, and you are still doing that. Read More
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Get to Know Them Now
on April 16th, 2026
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." — John 13:34
Do you know the people sitting around you at church?
Think about it. You will spend all eternity with believers. Look at the person who is sitting next to you. Look at the person who is sitting behind you. Do you want to spend eternity with them?
You might say, "I don't even know them." Read More
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Walking Toward the Light
on April 15th, 2026
"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." — 1 John 1:6-7
Are you walking in the light?
This is one of the first questions 1 John asks to help you verify your faith. In other words, are you doing what God wants you to do? Are you living like He wants you to live? Do you have a propensity toward wanting to honor the Lord? Read More
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Knowing in Your Knower
on April 14th, 2026
"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." — John 17:3
Do you know that you know?
There's a word in 1 John 5:13 that we need to understand. It's the word "know." It comes from the Greek word "ginosko." It describes intimate knowledge. You know in your knower that you know Him.
This isn't head knowledge. This isn't intellectual agreement. This is deep, personal, intimate knowledge—the kind of knowing that settles in your bones. Read More
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The Front Row Surprise
on April 13th, 2026
"But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." — Matthew 19:30
Who do you think will have the best seats in heaven?
Many of you think that Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, and others will be on the front row in heaven. Maybe they will be, but I will be up in the cheap seats with you guys in the balcony. I will just be glad to be in the building.
But here's what I really believe: The very people who we never saw, the people who gave everything they had, they are the ones who will have the reserved seats.
Read More
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Stop Performing for God
on April 12th, 2026
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28
Are you exhausted trying to earn God's approval?
Many of us are victims of the Protestant work ethic. We have been taught that we must succeed and work hard. We often equate that same drive to our spiritual life. We think we must work for it. Read More
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Your Worth Isn't on the Ballot
on April 11th, 2026
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." — Ephesians 2:10
Where do you get your sense of worth?
This is something I battled before I went into the ministry. When I was in college, I had a double major. I majored in music and speech. These are outside performance things. Everything was about how others responded to me.
God gave me insight as a college student when He began to call me into ministry. I wrestled with answering the call because of the conflict in my flesh. Read More
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Denominational Tags Fall Off
on April 10th, 2026
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." — Galatians 3:28
Do you struggle to love believers who are different from you?
I love saying this and I have said it for years. When we get to heaven, there will not be Methodists over here in one corner. Roman Catholics will not be over there, with the charismatics over here jumping pews. There will not be a bunch of Baptists by the River of Life over there. There won't be Presbyterians who are afraid to get too close to the water because they're afraid the Baptists will dunk them. There will not be a bunch of Church of Christ people saying, "What are these people doing up here?" Read More
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Love Is Something You Do
on April 9th, 2026
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." — 1 John 3:18
Is your love visible?
This last week, we received an amazing answer to our prayers. After months of hospital stays and much time in a physical rehab facility, my wife Ginger finally came home.
As she was lying in bed, I put my hand on her and said, "I'm really glad you're home." She looked at me and said, "Really?" I said, "Yes, because this is where you're supposed to be." She said, "Do you really feel that?" I said, "Well, I will tell you that my schedule now is having to change, but yes, I really feel that." Read More
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Through Your Father's Eyes
on April 8th, 2026
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" — 1 John 3:1
How do you see God?
Psychologists tell us that our first image of who God is will come through the grid of our relationship with our earthly father. That's a problem for many of us.
I grew up in a broken home. After my parents got a divorce, I only saw my dad two more times before he died. As a result, I wrestled with the issue of eternal security. I had the mentality that God would leave me. I was set up for that. Read More
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Pray for the Ones You Didn't Choose
on April 7th, 2026
"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." — 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Do you pray for leaders you disagree with?
I don't care how you voted. We have elected leaders who I did not vote for, but I am required by Scripture to pray for them. The Bible says, "The king's heart is in the hands of the Lord. He will direct it like a watercourse" (Proverbs 21:1). Whenever He pleases, God can use anyone. Read More
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