Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:11,12 Jesus could not have been clearer. He said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned” (Luke 6:37). … Continue Reading

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. Romans 13:8 Credit cards and car payments. Mortgages and medical bills. Leases and braces. Collectors and filing for bankruptcy. Then there is always the question of whether there will be enough retirement benefits and enough for tuition payments. We all know the burden of financial commitments to one degree or another. It’s like a treadmill that we can’t get off. It can feel like a mountain that keeps us buried. Debt leaves us imprisoned and burdened. No wonder wise Solomon wrote, “The borrower … Continue Reading

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. . . I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:19,23 It may be a virtue to put other people’s needs ahead of your own, but it can burn you out fast. Compassion fatigue is a real thing. Needy people can take everything out of you. Unappreciative people can make you resentful. If you are going to find out other people’s needs … Continue Reading

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:43-45 If your main goal in life is to meet the needs of others, not yourself, what does that make you? A flight attendant? The parent of a newborn? Service staff in a restaurant? No, it makes you a Christian. Let me explain. When Jesus became a human … Continue Reading

But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:1,2 Picture the scene. A courtroom with a judge and jury. A gallery full of people. The prosecutor armed with damning evidence. And a defendant who knows his guilt. The prosecutor has a book full of the wicked things the defendant has done. With a smirk on his face, he begins to open his … Continue Reading

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10 Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah got a glimpse of what Jesus would do. The details in Isaiah chapter 53 lead us to believe that Isaiah saw pretty clearly how Jesus would die on a cross. The selfless sacrifice of the suffering servant of the … Continue Reading